Isolated examples, apart from those in classical architecture, are already found in the 5th and 6th centuries (S. Francesco in Ravenna; the pieve of Bagnacavallo); they are common in the Romanesque period, on façades (S. Frediano in Lucca; S. Rufino in Assisi; S. Pietro in Spoleto; the cathedrals of Apulia), in apses (S. Ambrogio in Milan), and on the sides (S. Antimo). The functional demands of Gothic architecture exclude this element, which, however, comes back into wide use in the Renaissance and even more so in the Baroque period, where on principal elevations it assumes the character and proportions of architectural orders and is called a parasta (v.). As a simple projection it remains frequent until modern times in minor architecture, where decorative elements are in brick or stucco.
LESENA
