Francesco Laparelli

The University of Malta’s Department of History of Art is organising a lecture by Roger Vella Bonavita entitled ‘Before Valletta: The Career of Capitano Francesco Laparelli da Cortona in Tuscany and the Papal States’.

Francesco Laparelli was born in Cortona, in Tuscany in 1521. He was an architect, a soldier and a military engineer. Many of his surviving papers (especially those relating to Malta) were returned to his family in Cortona most probably by his faithful servitor after his master died in 1570 while serving with the papal naval squadron off Crete.

However, the Laparelli family archives and others also contain papers relating to his career in Tuscany and the papal states. These constitute a fascinating, though sadly by no means complete, record of his life, education and training; his work on fortifications and, to a much lesser extent, his architectural projects.

Valletta was designed by Laparelli, who was the assistant of Michelangelo. Laparelli died before the capital city’s completion and was succeeded by his assistant, Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar.

Vella Bonavita, who will be conducting the event, was educated at St Edward’s College, Cottonera, where he studied history under Roderick Cavaliero.

He took his Bachelor’s degree (with honours in history) and his Master’s degree (by thesis) at Manchester University.

Vella Bonavita lectured in history at the University of Malta from 1964 until 1982 when he moved to Perth in Western Australia where he had a very varied career as an executive in industry, commerce, government and universities.

He retired in 1996 to return to his books and researched the career of Laparelli and the background to his work in great depth. In 2011 (aged 71) he took his doctorate at the University of Malta. His thesis ‘A gentleman of Cortona: the life and achievements of Capitano Francesco Laparelli da Cortona (1521-1570)’ is supported by three volumes of Laparelli’s papers in facsimile, transcript and translation.

The lecture is being held tomorrow at 6.30pm in the church of St Catherine of Italy in Valletta.