Domenico dell'Allio (1505–1563) was an Italian Renaissance architect, working mostly in what was then Inner Austria, present-day

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

and parts of Italy, Austria and Croatia. He is best known for his work in the ''Landhaus'' (Seat of

Regional Government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

) in

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

(1557–1565). He is also known for turning the

Varaždin Varaždin ( or ; , also known by #Name, alternative names) is a city in Northern Croatia, north-east of Zagreb. The total population is 46,946, with 38,839 in the city settlement itself (2011). The city is best known for its baroque buildings, ...

Castle into a

Water castle A water castle, sometimes water-castle, is a castle which incorporates a natural or artificial body of water into its defences.Forde-Johnston (1979), p. 163. It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled moats (moated castle) or natural waterbo ...

, which used to be shown on the 5 kuna banknote before it was withdrawn. He was the chief architect of the emperor Ferdinand I in his Inner Austrian domains, and was responsible for setting up the Italian-style modern fortification system in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, along the border with the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. He planned the town of Klagenfurt, which had previously been a small settlement donated to the

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

n estates by emperor Maximilian for their residence. He led the reconstruction of many castles that had been destroyed and frequently only partially rebuilt in the disastrous 1511 earthquake. His work is attested in several Sytrian towns, such as Radkersburg,

Maribor Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...

and

Ptuj Ptuj (; , ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, eighth-largest town of Slovenia, located in the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Styria (northeastern Slovenia). It is the seat of the City Municipality of Ptuj, Municipality of Pt ...

. Dell'Allio popularized the Renaissance style in present-day southern Austria, Slovenia and central Croatia. He is considered the foremost Renaissance architect in the

Eastern Alps The Eastern Alps are usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley, up to the Splügen Pass at the Main chain of the Alps, Alpine divide, and down the Liro (Como), Liro River to Lake Como in the south. ...

in the 16th century. He was ennobled by Emperor Ferdinand in 1558. He went missing during one of his inspection tours of the Croatian-Ottoman borderlands. His brother Giovanni or Hans Dell'Allio was also an architect. The 17th centuries Austrian-Italian Baroque architects Andrea Allio the Elder and Andrea Allio the Younger were most probably his relatives. IMG 0412 - Graz - Landhaushof

External links

On the trace of Domenico dell'Allio
16th-century Italian architects Italian Renaissance architects Austrian architects 1505 births 1563 deaths {{Italy-architect-stub