Caribbean Architecture - Gianfranco Fini (English, Italian, Hardcover)

As an architect, he comes from an artistic background, having taken an active part in the sixties movement known as the Roman School, which focused on the famous gallery La Tartaruga. He also taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in L'Aquila for several years. Fini has partnered with the sculptor Mario Ceroli to create stage-sets for productions directed by Bolognini and Patroni Griffi at La Scala in Milan, at the Opera House in Rome, at La Fenice in Venice, at the Arena in Verona and in other theatres and opera houses. As a designer, he has devised furnishings for several Italian manufacturers, including Poltronova and Autovox. As an architect, he has created several artistic and cultural works, such as the House of Neptune in Bologna in 1994, the Italian pavilion for the New Orleans Water Fair in 1992, the design for large exhibitions, such as The Normans: a European People in Palazzo Venezia, Rome, in 1994, the church and theatre in Porto Rotondo in 1995 (again with Ceroli) and, again as an architect working in Porto Rotondo, the master plan for the Yachting Marina and the piazzetta at the Sporting Hotel. Later on, in the same area of tourist developments, he also drew up the designs for the Tabatinga- Lagoa resort on Brazil's Atlantic coast, between Rio de Janeiro and Santos. In 1992, Fini was commissioned to design the new resort at Casa de Campo, situated along the Caribbean coast to the east of Santo Domingo, near the island of Saona and famous for its golf courses designed by Pete Dye. This latest venture, unique in its field, gave him the opportunity to monitor the entire development of the Yacht Marina, which occupies an area of more than 100,000 square metres, controlling the design and construction aspects of the entire complex. It is the story of how this work unfolded that is told in this book and illustrated with more than 300 full-page colour photographs taken by Giancarlo Gardin expressly for the purpose of publishing them here. The book describes the entire process of developing this great maritime leisure complex, which is located in a landscape of outstanding natural beauty at the mouth of the Rio Chavon. Massimo Rosati is an architect and journalist. He has acquired considerable experience in specialised publishing, where he has worked with many of the most important periodicals in the trade.