Biography

Emanuela Ferretti received a graduate degree in “Art History and Archaeology” from the University of Siena (2000), and a PhD in Architecture (“History of Architecture”) from the University of Florence (2004). Between 2005 to 2011 she was adjunct professor of History of Architecture at University of Florence and Siena, where she won several research grants. Her interests and publications focus on questions of design, style, building materials, and structures, from the fourteenth to the end of sixteenth century. A particular research interest is the modes of communication used in architectural projects –e.g. drawings, models, and administrative documents-- from the Renaissance to the present.

Project Summary

Her research project aims to investigate the history of aqueduct building, commissioned by Cosimo I de Medici (1537-1574) in Florence, between 1550s and 1560s. The building of a new aqueduct was an objective of the Duke’s architectural policy in order to enhance the beauty of the city and its prestige. This study focuses on the technical aspects and on its relationship to art history, cultural themes and social factors.