Michele Canzio was an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 architect and painter, best known as stage designer for the Teatro Carlo Felice

Teatro Carlo Felice

The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the Piazza De Ferrari....

 in Genoa

Genoa

Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....

. He also designed a remarkable garden at the Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini

Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini

The Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini is a villa with notable 19th century park in the English romantic style and a small botanical garden. The villa now houses the Museo di Archeologia Ligure, and is located at Via Pallavicini, 13, immediately next to the railway station in Pegli, a suburb of Genoa, Italy...

.

Canzio was born in Genoa

Genoa

Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....

, where at age 17 he designed Napoleon's triumphal arch. His activities in stage design began in 1818 at the Teatro di Sant'Agostino for "Matrimonio segreto" by Domenico Cimarosa

Domenico Cimarosa

Domenico Cimarosa was an Italian opera composer of the Neapolitan school...

, followed in 1819 by Rossini's "Aureliano in Palmira".

When the Teatro Carlo Felice

Teatro Carlo Felice

The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the Piazza De Ferrari....

 was constructed, Canzio aided in its design, as well as the design for its inaugural ballet, "Gli adoratori del fuoco". From 1832-1836, and again from 1850-1854, he served as the theater's impresario, as well as serving as its principal stage designer until 1850. Canzio also oversaw Genoa's decorations for the marriage of Vittorio Emanuele to Maria Adelaide of Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

 (1842), as well as palazzi (Palazzo Reale in via Balbi, 1842), churches (San Donato, 1846), and gardens. He served as director of the school of ornament at the Accademia Ligustica from 1827-1867.

Chief among his garden designs is that for the Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini

Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini

The Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini is a villa with notable 19th century park in the English romantic style and a small botanical garden. The villa now houses the Museo di Archeologia Ligure, and is located at Via Pallavicini, 13, immediately next to the railway station in Pegli, a suburb of Genoa, Italy...

(1840-1846).