Carlo Chenchi, born in 1740, is considered one of the highest representatives of neoclassical architecture in Sicily, together with Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia. Appointed first architect of the Antiquities of Sicily and Engineer of the Royal Court, he designed the Royal Hunting Lodge in the Ficuzza wood for King Ferdinand III of Sicily in 1799.
Born in Palermo in 1729, Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia trained in his native city and later in Rome, where in 1758 he came second in the Premio Clementino and was greatly influenced by Winckelmann and the Neoclassical movement. He returned to Sicily between 1759 and 1760 and devoted himself to numerous civil and religious projects. Starting in 1781, he was director of the renovation of Palermo Cathedral, following the design of the Florentine architect Ferdinando Fuga. He first worked on the construction of the dome and then on numerous internal modifications. The construction of the Cathedral lasted until 1801, when it was reopened for worship.
