A BIT IN DEEP: ANTONIO DA SANGALLO

The Sangallo family represented for many years a major presence in the papal court, first with his uncles Giuliano and Antonio the Elder, then with his cousin Sebastian, stage designer and architect, said Aristotle, because in the School of Athens Raphael portrayed him in the guise of Aristotle.

The Sangallo, and Antonio the Younger in particular, were friends of Raphael, one more reason to be hated by Michelangelo.

Antonio da Sangallo was also a famous military architect, theorist of the fortresses " to the modern", which included the construction of the ramparts where could be accommodated cannons and resist the adverse cannonades. You can admire the Roman Bastion of Sangallo inserted into the Aurelian walls at the borders of the district San Saba .

Antonio has also built, but not completed, Santo Spirito gate, which was ended by his enemy Michelangelo, who was accused of having deliberately disfigured it, in revenge of the criticisms that had rained down on him for his Porta Pia.

The Old Mint, begun by Bramante, was completed by Sangallo, who designed the facade. In the history of architecture this facade is best remembered for his concave movement which anticipates Borromini style and more generally the trends of the Baroque era.

San Giovanni dei Fiorentini would have to be built by Jacopo Sansovino, who sank in the foundations, because the area on which the church was built, on the part near the Tiber, was sandy and Jacopo failed to lay the foundations. To solve the problem was called Sangallo, who as a good builder founded the church and drew the inside, however constructed, with modifications, by Giacomo della Porta and completed by Carlo Maderno. Fortunately this architecture of the interior was saved by eight - nineteenth century decorators and preserves with its white walls that sobriety which enhances its forms.

Antonio worked for over thirty years for the Farnese family, several palaces built for the family in the province of Rome, Caprarola , Gradoli and Castro, but of course his most famous work is the Roman Farnese palace, where a recent restoration has revealed evidence, that in the left part of the facade, for decorative reasons were employed bricks of different color, tending to red so called “ferraioli”, or lighter.

The project was abandoned and in the right side there is no trace of decorative motifs. The "scialbatura” (​​a plaster made of travertine powder), covered everything.

Antonio da Sangallo in 1536 was appointed architect of all papal fabrics.

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