Historical Architectural Fakes in Italy: From St. Mark's Campanile to Santa Trinita Bridge
In an article featured on Artribune, Livia Montagnoli explores ten architectural reconstructions in Italy labeled as 'historical fakes.' The discussion opens with the St. Mark's Campanile in Venice, which fell on July 14, 1902, and was reconstructed by architect Luca Beltrami, reopening on April 25, 1912. Cesare Brandi criticized this restoration in his 1963 work, 'Teoria del restauro.' Additional cases highlighted include the Borgo Medievale in Turin (1884), the Porte Palatine restoration by d'Andrade, the Torre del Filarete (1905), Caffè Pedrocchi (1831), Palazzo Re Enzo (early 1900s), Borgo di Grazzano Visconti (from 1905), Ponte di Santa Trinita (rebuilt by 1958 after its destruction on August 3, 1944), and the Abbey of Montecassino (reconstructed by 1959). The article delves into the ongoing debates surrounding authenticity in restoration.
Key facts
- St. Mark's Campanile collapsed on July 14, 1902, and was rebuilt identically by 1912.
- Cesare Brandi criticized the campanile reconstruction as a 'copia' in his 1963 'Teoria del restauro'.
- The Borgo Medievale in Turin was built for the 1884 Esposizione Generale Italiana and preserved.
- Torre del Filarete at Castello Sforzesco was reconstructed in 1905 by Luca Beltrami.
- Caffè Pedrocchi in Padua was designed by Giuseppe Jappelli in 1831 with neogothic elements.
- Palazzo Re Enzo in Bologna was restored by Alfonso Rubbiani with invented Gothic features.
- Ponte di Santa Trinita in Florence was rebuilt identically after WWII destruction.
- Abbey of Montecassino was reconstructed in Baroque style after 1944 bombing.
Entities
Artists
- Livia Montagnoli
- Luca Beltrami
- Cesare Brandi
- Alfredo d'Andrade
- Giuseppe Jappelli
- Alfonso Rubbiani
- Giuseppe Visconti di Modrone
- Bartolomeo Ammannati
- Cosimo Fanzago
- Gustavo Giovannoni
- John Ruskin
- Jacopo Sansovino
- Giacomo Boni
- Filippo Grimani
- Antonio di Pietro Averlino (Filarete)
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Angelo Pantoni
- Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli
- Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti
- Breccia Fratadocchi
- Antonio da Sangallo
- Giovanni Anguissola
- Alfredo Campanini
- Angelo Pisani
- Giovan Battista Origoni
Institutions
- Artribune
- Fondazione Torino Musei
- Musei Civici di Torino
- Castello Sforzesco
- Caffè Pedrocchi
- Palazzo Re Enzo
- Abbazia di Montecassino
- Royal Collection (Windsor Castle)
- Museo vetrario di Murano
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Piazza San Marco
- Lido di Venezia
- Turin
- Parco del Valentino
- Milan
- Castello Sforzesco
- Padua
- Bologna
- Piazza Maggiore
- Piazza Nettuno
- Grazzano Visconti
- Piacenza
- Florence
- Ponte di Santa Trinita
- Montecassino
- Marca Trevigiana
- Veneto
- Piedmont
- Aosta Valley
- Vigevano
- Windsor
- United Kingdom