Giuseppe Poggi (3 April 1811 – 19 March 1901) was an Italian architect, mainly active in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. From 1864 he designed the city's urban renovation, which included the demolition of the walls, and the creation of the

Viali di Circonvallazione The Viali di Circonvallazione are a series of 6-lane boulevards surrounding the north part of the historic centre of Florence, historic centre of Florence. History The boulevards follow the outline of the ancient walls of Florence, that were demo ...

to encircle the city. At the sites of the former gates of the city, he created scenographic squares, such as the Piazza Cesare Beccaria and the Piazza della Libertà. He also designed the viale dei Colli, a panoramic walk ending with the

Piazzale Michelangelo Piazzale Michelangelo (Michelangelo Square) is a square with a panoramic view of Florence, Italy, located in the Oltrarno district. History This Squares of Florence, Florentine piazza was designed by architect Giuseppe Poggi and built in 1869 on ...

Biography

Early career

A native of

, he was articled (1828–35) to the architect and engineer Bartolommeo Silvestri (1781–1851). From 1835 to 1838 he practised

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

, but in the late 1830s he took up architecture. Poggi received numerous commissions from the city's upper bourgeoisie for renovations of palaces and gardens. His first commission was the remodelling (1839) of the villa of Conte Giuseppe Archinto alle Forbici in the hills between Florence and San Domenico, and the layout of the adjoining

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

(completed 1856). Other early works, which were Neoclassical in style, included designs for a villa at Porta al Prato and refurbishment of a palazzo in the Via Cavour, Florence (both from 1841), for the

Poniatowski family The House of Poniatowski (plural: ''Poniatowscy'') is a prominent Polish family that was part of the nobility of Poland. A member of this family, Stanisław Poniatowski, was elected as King of Poland and reigned from 1764 until his abdicati ...

; and restoration of the Palazzo Guicciardini (from 1843 ) in the Lungarno Guicciardini, and of the Villa Guadagni, known as ‘Delle Lune’ (from 1845), at San Domenico Fiesole.

Mature work

After service as a volunteer in the

First Italian War of Independence The First Italian War of Independence (), part of the ''Risorgimento'' or unification of Italy, was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) and Italian volunteers against the Austrian Empire and other conse ...

(1848), and marriage in 1850 to the daughter of Pasquale Poccianti, Poggi resumed his busy architectural practice. During the next 15 years he became the most sought-after architect in Florence, both for new work and restorations for Florentine high society, which was much impressed by the grandeur of the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

. His new buildings included the Ospizio Marino (1856–61) in

Viareggio Viareggio () is a city and ''comune'' in northern Tuscany, Italy, on the coast of the Ligurian Sea. With a population of over 62,000, it is the second largest city in the province of Lucca, after Lucca. It is known as a seaside resort as well a ...

; the Palazzo Calcagnini Arese and the Villa Favard (both begun 1857) on the Nuovo Lungarno next to the

Parco delle Cascine The Parco delle Cascine (Cascine Park) is a monumental and historical park in the city of Florence. The park covers an area of 160 hectares (395 acres). It has the shape of a long and narrow stripe, on the north bank of the Arno river. It extend ...

, Florence; a new atrium (1859), inspired by

Brunelleschi Filippo di ser Brunellesco di Lippo Lapi (1377 – 15 April 1446), commonly known as Filippo Brunelleschi ( ; ) and also nicknamed Pippo by Leon Battista Alberti, was an Italian architect, designer, goldsmith and sculptor. He is considered to ...

, for the Villa Normanby (now Finaly), east of Florence; and the Palazzo Valery (begun 1860) in

Bastia Bastia ( , , , ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest popu ...

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

. The Villa Favard (now the Facoltà di Scienze Economiche e Commerciali) represents the highpoint of Poggi’s

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of ...

classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aesthe ...

, expressed in the façades and in the rich and refined decoration of the interiors, for which he engaged a number of artists, including the painters

Annibale Gatti Annibale Gatti (September 1828 – 1909) was an Italian painter, known for history painting and fresco decoration in Tuscany. Biography He was born in September 1828, in Forlì. He moved to Florence by 1830. In 1843, he enrolled in the Academy o ...

and Cesare Mussini and the wood-carver

Rinaldo Barbetti Rinaldo Barbetti (29 March 1830 1904) was an Italian sculptor, designer and illustrator. He created designs with different art mediums such as leather, gold and wood. Early life Barbetti was born 29 March 1830 in Siena, Italy. When he was t ...

. Poggi also designed for the Baronessa Favard an elegant funerary chapel (begun 1860 ) in the Villa di Rovezzano on the eastern outskirts of Florence. His numerous commissions for restoration and remodelling work in Florence included the Palazzo Gerini (1850–60) in the Via Ricasoli; Palazzo Antinori (from 1853), Piazza Antinori; Palazzo Orloff (1861), Via della Scala; and

Palazzo Strozzi Palazzo Strozzi is a palace in Florence, Italy. It is located in the historic centre between the homonymous Via Strozzi and Piazza Strozzi, and Via Tornabuoni. History The construction of the palace was begun in 1489 by Benedetto da Maiano, ...

(begun 1864 ), Via degli Strozzi, as well as several villas, notably Villa Stibbert (1853) at Montughi. He also designed parks and gardens, becoming recognized as an authority on garden architecture and a sensitive and enlightened interpreter of landscape gardening theory.

Urban renovation of Florence

When the capital of the new kingdom of Italy was transferred from Turin to Florence in 1865, Poggi was appointed to direct the expansion of the city to reflect its new status. This important public commission took up all his time from 1864 to 1877 and brought him wide recognition. His work involved the creation of new avenues and squares for the city; flood defences; modernization of the

sewage system Sewerage (or sewage system) is the infrastructure that conveys sewage or surface runoff (stormwater, meltwater, rainwater) using sewers. It encompasses components such as receiving drains, manholes, pumping stations, storm overflows, and screen ...

; an official plan for new residential areas and road layout; improvement of the water supply; a new livestock market and public abbatoirs; the relocation of the railway network and the creation of a new station on the outskirts of the city; and the construction of the Viale dei Colli and

, for which he achieved most renown. The demolition of the early 14th-century walls on the right bank of the

River Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a sout ...

, their replacement with wide boulevards and the creation of new squares around the old city gates made an enormous contribution to the establishment of a modern image for Florence.

Architectural restoration theories

Poggi exerted considerable influence on the theory of architectural restoration in Italy, both in his executed projects and in his writings. In contrast to the contemporary, fashionable ideas of Viollet-le-Duc, Poggi was among the first to assert the need for restoration that preserved existing work of all periods, including the then unfashionable

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

, and he played an important role in the Servizio Nazionale di Tutela dei Monumenti created after the political

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Poggi, Giuseppe 1811 births 1901 deaths 19th-century Italian architects Architects from Florence Italian urban planners Artists from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany