Lorenzo Nottolini

In 1807, one of his teachers, Giovanni Lazzarini, worked for the Duchess of Lucca, Elisa Baciocchi, sister of Napoleon Bonaparte.

A year later, he obtained a 1500 franc scholarship from Duke Felice Baciocchi, husband of Elisa, and travelled to Bologna and then Florence.

Once rising to power, Maria Luisa appointed him Royal Architect for the Kingdom of Etruria, and two years later, engineer of the Counsel of Water, Roads and Woods.

Nottolini was involved in part of what is described as the Great Project of Tuscany, wherein a number of marshes and swamps were drained to create arable land.

The project also involved the architects and engineers from Florence: Leonardo Ximenes, Vittorio Fossombroni and Antonio Manetti.