Michele Canzio

Michele Canzio (1788–1868) was an Italian architect and painter, best known as

stage design Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trained ...

er for the

Teatro Carlo Felice The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the side of Piazza De Ferrari. The hall is named for King Carlo Felice, and dates fr ...

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

. He also designed a remarkable garden at the

Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini The Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini is a villa with notable 19th-century park in the English romantic style and a small botanical garden. The villa now houses the Museo di Archeologia Ligure, and is located at Via Pallavicini 13, immediately next to the ...

. Canzio was born in

, where at age 17 he designed

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's triumphal arch. His activities in

began in 1818 at the Teatro di Sant'Agostino for "Matrimonio segreto" by

Domenico Cimarosa Domenico Cimarosa (; 17 December 1749 – 11 January 1801) was an Italian composer of the Neapolitan school and of the Classical period. He wrote more than eighty operas, the best known of which is ''Il matrimonio segreto'' (1792); most of his ...

, followed in 1819 by

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

's "Aureliano in Palmira". When the

was constructed, Canzio aided in its design, as well as the design for its inaugural ballet, "Gli adoratori del fuoco". From 1832 to 1836, and again from 1850 to 1854, he served as the theater's impresario, as well as serving as its principal stage designer until 1850. Canzio also oversaw Genoa's decorations for the marriage of Vittorio Emanuele to Maria Adelaide of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

(1842), as well as palazzi (Palazzo Reale in via Balbi, 1842), churches (San Donato, 1846), and gardens. He served as director of the school of ornament at the Accademia Ligustica from 1827 to 1867. Chief among his garden designs is that for the

(1840–1846). {{DEFAULTSORT:Canzio, Michele 1788 births 1868 deaths Italian scenic designers Italian landscape architects