Parigi, Giulio

Parigi studied in Florence with his great-uncle Bartolommeo Ammannati, his father Alfonso di Santi Parigi and the Grand-Ducal architect Bernardo Buontalenti, whom he succeeded in 1608. Ca. 1598 to ca. 1629, Parigi operated an academy in Florence which taught geometry, perspective, draughtsmanship, mechanics and civil and military architecture. For the first half of the 16th century, Parigi and his son Alfonso II worked as architects and engineers to the Medici court in Florence. After Giulio's death in 1635, Alfonso completed many of his projects, including the extentions of the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens. From 1621 to 1635, Parigi headed the construction of the Florence Cathedral. From 1630 to 1633, he designed and proposed a model for the façade. Florentine architect and engineer to the Medici.