BOITO, CAMILLO. - Architect, born in Roma on 30 Oct. 1836, died in Milano on 28 June 1914. He held the chair of architecture in Venezia and Milano. More important than his professional activity (the palazzo delle Debite
in Padova, the grand staircase of palazzo Franchetti in Venezia, the restorations of S. Antonio di Padova, etc.) was his theoretical activity, especially his study of the problems of restoration, in which, opposing the taste propagated by Viollet-le-Duc, he advocated respect for the artistically valuable alterations undergone by architectural works in different periods.
Also important was his pedagogical principle, according to which he held that the architect’s education required the union of humanistic culture with technical training.
Among B.’s writings concerning problems of art are: L'architettura del medioevo in Italia (Milano 1880), Il duomo di Milano (ibid. 1889), Questioni pratiche di belle arti (ibid. 1893, on the problem of restoration).