Luigi Vanvitelli

Luigi Vanvitelli ( born May 12, 1700 in Naples, † March 1, 1773 in Caserta ) was an Italian architect.

Vanvitelli was born into a family of artists from Amersfoort in the Netherlands. The original family name van Wittel was Italianized to Vanvitelli. His father Gaspar van Wittel emigrated in 1674 to Rome, where he worked as a painter until 1736.

Following in the footsteps of his father Vanvitelli began his career as a painter, then switched to architecture and eventually became one of the most important Italian architects of the period between the Baroque and Neoclassicism. He was a pupil of Filippo Juvarra studied and most thorough on the writings and buildings of architects from classical antiquity.

His most important work is the Palace of Caserta. Other notable buildings are:

• The Lazzaretto of Ancona
• The facade of the Palazzo Odescalchi in Rome
• The church of Santa Maria degli Angeli in the Baths of Diocletian
• The Church of the Annunziata in Naples

Vanvitelli son Carlo (1739-1821) continued his father's work at the Royal Palace of Caserta.