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The older branch of the Solari family included architects and sculptors who were involved in ducal building projects (including the Certosa di Pavia and Milan Cathedral) in Lombardy for three generations; this branch included Giovanni, his sons Guiniforte and Francesco, and Guiniforte's son, Pietro Antonio. A later branch of the family, also based in Lombardy, included the brothers Cristoforo, Andrea, Alberto, and Pietro.
Guiniforte was chief engineer of the Duchy of Milan during his life. He is especially remembered for his disputes with Filarete, who had been called by Duke Francesco I Sforza to modernize the Lombard architecture according the new Renaissance styles. However, Solari represented the local Gothic tradition.
Buildings which he worked on include the Duomo, the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie and the Ospedale Maggiore in Milan, and the Certosa of Pavia. Also attributed to him is the Portinari Chapel, in the church of Sant'Eustorgio, Milan.
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