China and Europe. Hangzhou and the spread of architectural chinoiserie in the 18th century

Make clear the historical relationship between Europe, particularly Italy, and the Far East, represented by the empire of China, is not an easy topic of analysis. Globalization, in fact, understood as a process of economic, cultural, political and technological interdependence has always been in existence, even if conforming to different methods and timing, which makes the discussion wide-ranging and complex. For this reason, the article restricts itself to identifying some moments that may have been definitive in the relationship between the two countries, in relation to migration, starting from the ancient Roman Empire and ending with the spread of eighteenth-century chinoiseries, represented by Ferdinando Sanfelice (1675-1748)’s ephemeral works in Naples.