Lectures on baroque architecture

The International Institute for Baroque Studies will later on this month be hosting Professor Lucia Triglia, director of the Centro Internazionale di Studi del Barocco of Syracuse, who will be giving a series of lectures on Baroque architecture of the Val di Noto in Sicily. The distinguished visitor is the author of several publications and books on the reconstruction of several towns in South-East Sicily following the great earthquake of 1693 and also lectures on the history and conservation of the Baroque heritage in the faculty of architecture of the University of Catania based in Syracuse.

Professor Triglia's visit to Malta on March 29-30 follows closely a successful study tour to the Val di Noto, recently organised by the International Institute of Baroque Studies, for students following courses in the Institute and Department of Architecture and Urban Design.

During the study tour to the seven world heritage towns of Noto, Palazzo Acreide, Ragusa, Modica, Scicli, Caltagirone and Miltello, the study tour participants were accompanied by Professor Denis de Lucca, director of the International Institute for Baroque Studies and Head of Department of Architecture, by Dr Ray Bondin, executive co-ordinator of rehabilitation projects in Malta who was responsible for the inclusion of the above-mentioned Baroque towns in the World Heritage list of UNESCO and by architect Herman Bonnici who lectures in conservation and co-ordinates the teaching programmes of the diploma and certificate courses run by the institute.

In Sicily, the students were given, through the good offices of mayors of the respective towns, an indeed unique opportunity to visit Baroque monuments and restoration sites not normally open to the public, among them a superbly designed museum of Baroque liturgical artifacts and painting in Militello, situated in the crypt of the church of San Nicolo which is presently being restored.

Other important monuments visited were the Baroque churches of San Giorgio in Ragusa, Ibla and Modica, the church of San Bartolomeo in Scicli, the churches of San Paolo, San Sebastiano and San Nicolò in Palazzo Acreide and several churches and the Villadorada palace in Noto.