The Princely Palace in 15th-Century Italian Architectural Theory

In the second half of the fifteenth century architectural treatises (from Leon Battista Alberti’s De re aedificatoria) describe for the first time the type of building fit for a sovereign. From those treatises it appears clearly how far the ancient models were essential for the creation a new architectural style. Moreover, the treatises show us the design awarness developed by architects in employing the modern concept of comfort to princely palaces: in terms of appropriate definition of both the interior spaces (in number and size) and external ones (development of façade, arrangement of possible defensive measures, organization of courtyard and gardens), as well as in terms of planning the finishes, decorative displays and furnitures.