Francesco Benelli draws upon his background as a practicing architect in his research in the history and theory of Renaissance and Baroque architecture, focusing on the era from the late fourteenth century to the end of the sixteenth century. His articles have addressed issues of design, building materials, structures, and the interpretation and acquisition of the Antiquity during the Renaissance. He has published work on the relation between structure and decoration and their theoretical discourse, from Leon Battista Alberti to Andrea Palladio.
Prof. Benelli is an experienced archaeological surveyor with a background in the conservation of public, private and monastic Medieval and Early Modern buildings and fortifications. He recently published articles on Rudolph Wittkower and Renaissance architecture and, utilizing the Wittkower archive, the influence of the German scholar on Colin Rowe. He is currently writing a book on architecture in painting from Giotto to Masaccio.
