of the Gesù in Rome, was meant to practice the excess over the Mannerist academic vogue until then. Richini introduced a combined plan, consisting of two central areas derived from Church of Sant'Alessandro in Zebedia, also in Milan; the plastic effect is also noticeable in the façade, decorated by a series of overlapping niches. Subsequently, in 1627 he devoted himself to the façade of the Collegio Elvetico (now the seat of Archivio di Stato), where he aimed at an integration between the interior and exterior through a concave prospectus. This interesting solution, possibly the first curved façade of the Baroque period, predates certain themes later expressed by Borromini, and confirms Richini as one of the greatest architects of the early Baroque. Venice The Venetian Baroque, according to local practice, saw Baldassarre Longhena (1598–1682) as its principal exponent. After the pestilence of 1630, he began the construction of the Church of Santa Maria della Salute, using a central plan. In the octagonal body of the basilica, Longhena added a sanctuary bordered on either side by two apses, similar to that adopted by Andrea Palladio in Il Redentore; this solution strengthens the longitudinal axis of the temple, which in fact became the central body in the proper nave. The Baroque style of the church is evident in the conformation of the external mass, located along the Grand Canal: the octagonal body, covered by a large dome, is flanked by the crown of the shrine and two bell towers. Longhena also worked within civic architecture; its Ca' Pesaro presents a seemingly conventional plan, but the play of light and shadows that are set on the richly ornate façade leads to a typically Baroque style. In any case, the exasperation of Loghena's plastic art details peaked in the façade of Santa Maria dei Derelitti (completed in the 1670s), decorated in a fancy and rich way with atlantes, giant heads and lion masks. Genoa In Genoa since the end of the 16th century, Baroque architecture saw the construction of a series of large buildings that critics have deemed among the most important of the Italian landscape. Among these was the Palazzo Doria Tursi, where the planimetric configuration of the vestibule, combined with the highest indoor garden through a wide staircase, declares the presence of a movement in depth. This solution was taken up by Bartolomeo Bianco (1590–1657) in what may be considered his masterpiece: the