The International Institute for Baroque Studies has participated in an online international conference organised by the Department of History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture of the Sapienza University of Rome on the theme 'Knowledge, Interpretation and Dissemination: Circulations in Mediterranean Architectural Culture between XVII and XVII Centuries'.
The conference was inaugurated by Professor Orazio Carpenzano, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture of the Sapienza University.
This well-attended conference dealt with updated knowledge on the dissemination of European Baroque architectural and artistic influences in countries, including islands bordering the Mediterranean sea Interesting submissions included those on “French architects and engineers of the Baroque Age and the architecture of the Ottoman mosques in the late 17th century”; “Books, buildings and construction techniques: Materiality of architectural knowledge in the Republic of Ragusa during the Early Modern Period”; "L'influenza delle maestranze dell'area siciliana nella Spagna in età moderna"; "Progetti che attraversano frontiere? Indizi di déplacement nella ricostruzione di Noto moderna" and “European Architectural Influences in the Ottoman Balkans: Clock Towers in XVII and XVIII centuries.”
In response to current research work on Valletta as a centre of Baroque architectural culture between the XVII and XVIII centuries, the director of the Institute, Professor Denis De Lucca, presented a paper on this theme which coincides with the promotion by the Institute of a book by Mevrick Spiteri based on his successful MA in Baroque Studies thesis.
This 319-page new book, exclusively based on archival research, will be launched in the near future. According the director of the International Institute for Baroque Studies, Spiteri’s book will provide readers and researchers with new insights and ideas about the urban form, property development, social fabric, local governance and enacted building regulations which were responsible for the emergence of Valletta as a major Capitale del Barocco in the Baroque age, thus representing an important tool for the conservation of this fine city in the heart of the Mediterranean.