Bernardo Buontalenti

Bernardo Buontalenti, born Bernardo Timante Buonacorsi around 1531 and dead in June 1608, was an Italian architect, stage designer, theatrical designer, military engineer and artist, nicknamed Bernardo delle Girandole. Born in Florence, he entered the service of the Medici as a youth and stayed with them for the rest of his life. He is considered one of the most important architects of the Mannerist period and was much employed on fortifications, villas and gardens. His first known work is the Palazzo di Bianca Cappello in Florence of 1568; his main achievements include the project for the new city of Livorno, the grotto in the Boboli Gardens and the park at Pratolino. He built a court stage in the Uffizi for the festivities of 1585 to 1586 and designed stage machinery and costumes for the Medici. He is also credited with inventing a precursor of modern Florentine gelato. Financial ruin left him dependent on a pension from the Grand Duke of Tuscany.