Italian architect and painter. He studied at the academy of Bologna and in Rome (1770-83) where he was influenced by Pompeo Batoni's classicism and painting. He returned to Modena in 1784 and directed the academy and taught architecture. He became a court architect in 1786 and worked on the completion of the Ducal Palace. His most important work is the new wing of the Procuratie Nuove on Piazza San Marco in Venice (begun 1810). //