Biography

Italian architect. He is remembered for his Porta Nuova in Milan. He also collaborated on the Neogothic design of Milan's Duomo.

A canon at Milan's Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, he also taught at the Brera Academy. He was a friend of the Enlightenment poet Giuseppe Parini (1729-1799). From 1807, he was a member of the Ornato Commission appointed under Napoleon to redesign Milan.

In architecture, he mainly adopted the Neoclassical style as can be seen from his design for Milan's Porta Nuova inspired by Rome's Arch of Titus and completed in 1813. However, when working on the design of Milan Cathedral's façade in 1805 under direct orders from Napoleon, his approach was Neogothic. The work was in fact completed by Carlo Amati (1776-1852) in 1813.

Other works included the Santa Savina altar in Sant'Ambrogio (1798), and extension of the Palazzo della Canonica (1802). He restored the church of Sant'Ambrogio in Stresa (1790) and was at work at the nearby Palazzo Borromeo (Isola Bella) (1795).