Francesca Mattei

Francesca Mattei serves as Associate Professor of History of Architecture in the Department of Architecture at Roma Tre University since 2018. She holds multiple leadership roles including membership in the doctoral committee for Architecture: Innovation and Heritage, Visiting Professor for Alexander von Humboldt Foundation's Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship program, and Associate Investigator (Unit Head) for the PRIN 2022 project VeLoCi. From 2025, she will assume Communications Delegate responsibilities for her department.

Her research specializes in Italian Renaissance architecture (1450-1550), 19th-century French architecture, and the study of architectural drawings/treatises spanning the 15th-19th centuries. Current projects examine Habsburg-era architectural culture, Pirro Ligorio's work as antiquarian-architect, and the Percier school. She actively explores mechanisms of architectural knowledge circulation through drawings and treatises, with strong emphasis on methodology in historical research.

Mattei has received the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellowship (2017-2018) and leads the PRIN VeLoCi project investigating Vesuvian Lost Cities. She serves as reference for architecture/engineering biographies in the Archivio biografico della cultura scientifica italiana (ABCSI) project since 2025.

She supervises undergraduate and master's theses on Italian/European architecture (1450-1550), architectural drawings/treatises, ancient tradition in early modern architecture, and architects' travels (1400-1900). Teaching includes core course History of Architecture 1 and the highly popular optional course Rome and the Renaissance (300+ students across four editions), with new Contemporary Architecture History course launching in 2025-2026. Her doctoral-level instruction and collaborations with institutions like EPFL and Palazzo Te Foundation demonstrate extensive academic engagement.

Mattei presents research internationally at venues including Uffizi Gallery, Columbia University, and Bibliotheca Hertziana, while contributing to public outreach through documentaries like Rai Storia's La stravagante maniera on Palazzo Te (2025).