An introduction to western architecture from 1450 to 1750: from the Italian Quattrocento, to a selection of themes and examples from the XVI to the XVIII century, with an expanding focus, in time, from Italy to Europe. Day trips, open air lessons and exercises (at least one on the architectural orders) are part of the program. The detailed program is on the site of the course: it may change from year to year, within the general frame stated above. The aim of the lessons is to provide the student with a solid cultural and historical background on the architecture of the period, and also to expand his vocabulary and critical approach to architecture in general.

The course will deal with Early Modern architecture (Renaissance, Baroque, and Eighteenth-Century architecture) in Italy and Europe, with a choice of topics and case-studies. The detailed program (syllabus) is given at the beginning of every year (see in "Avvisi" and "materiali" on the specific site). Visits and open air lessons in Torino, Vicenza and Genova were organized in 2012-13, and will be, too, next year. The visits in Torino are mandatory, those in other cities are not, but are highly recommended. Besides the "official" visits, students should profit from what Turin has to offer, by visiting the most important buildings from the Renaissance and Baroque period.

Day trips in cities that can be reached easily by train (in 2012, Genova and Vicenza) are offered as an opportunity; open air lessons in Turin (at least two each year) are mandatory. One or more individual exercises, to turn in and discuss during the course, are part of the program (in 2012: analysis of an architectural order in a building in Turin). Besides taking notes, students are encouraged to draw and sketch, both during trips and in the classroom.

There is no single "textbook", but a select bibliography is given on the site of the course, along with a few mandatory "readings" (short essays or scholarly articles). Downloadable scans and images are also made available on the site. However, a certain degree of independent study and choice of sources is required from the student. The use of the librairies in the Politecnico is also necessary.

For more detailed information, see "materiali" and "avvisi" on the site of the course. A full bibliography is available on the same site, along with links, and downloadable pdf files. There is, however, no single "textbook"; a series of readings from different texts are recommended. Use of the Faculty Library is mandatory.
Among the vast bibliography that may be considered, I have chosen for a first approach a few "classical" works, all available in the Biblioteca Centrale di Architettura (BCA); they can guide you into more selected readings, on line and in the library:

J. Summerson, The Classical Language of Architecture, Cambridge, MIT, 1963 [1st. ed; later editions are available]

R. Wittkower, Idea and Image. Studies in the Italian Renaissance, London, Thames and Hudson, 1978. See in particular: Michelangelo's Biblioteca Laurenziana, p.11-72; The Changing Concept of Proportion, p.109-124

P. Murray, The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance, London, Thames and Hudson, 1986 (revised third ed., first ed. 1963)

The Renaissance : from Brunelleschi to Michelangelo : the representation of architecture, edited by Henry A. Millon and Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani, London, Thames and Hudson, 1994

R. Wittkower, Art and Architecture in Italy, 1600-1750, Penguin, Harmondsworth, 1973 revised ed.

Ch. Norberg Schulz, Late Baroque and Rococo Architecture, Electa / Rizzoli, Milano - NY, 1980

J. Summerson, The Architecture of the Eighteenth Century, London, Thames & Hudson, 1969 / 1986

The course ends with an oral exam, where the questions are defined by the years' program. The materials that may be considered in the final discussion and evaluation are: the individual exercises (such as the one on the orders), and sketches from the tours and-or the course.

It is expected that you take notes during the lessons and, whenever possible, sketches.
In a final oral exam you will be invited to discuss at least two of the topics of the lessons, taken from the course syllabus: at least one regarding the period 1420-1600, and another one from the second part of the course.
Basic sketching capabilities of the main buildings discussed during the course are required (plans, sections, etc). Your travel/course sketches and notes regarding the program can be discussed at the exam, as well as specific readings. Individual exercises, if assigned during the course (Such as "The architectural orders", oct. 2012), can also be discussed and considered in the final evaluation.