Agenore Socini

• Name — Agenore Socini • Born — 25 August 1859 • Birthplace — Siena, Kingdom of Sardinia • Died — 16 July 1926 • Place of death — Querceto, Sesto Fiorentino, Province of Florence, Kingdom of Italy • Occupation — Architect, urban planner

Born in Siena, Socini studied at the city's Institute of Art from 1876 and specialized in architecture. From 1884 he worked under architect Giuseppe Partini, becoming his assistant and collaborator. Among their early projects was the restoration of Castello di Brolio for Baron Bettino Ricasoli, carried out between 1880 and 1894. After Partini's death in 1895, Socini continued his master's work and became architect of the Opera della Metropolitana of Siena. He directed numerous restoration projects, including works on the Basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi, Siena Cathedral, and the Baptistery of San Giovanni. Between 1895 and 1902 he supervised around thirty building sites in Siena, including the church of Sant'Elisabetta della Visitazione, the Santa Caterina Institute, and the bell tower of the church of San Giacomo. In 1900, while serving as municipal councillor for public works in Siena, Socini proposed an urban expansion plan for the San Prospero area. In 1902 he became director of the regional office for monument preservation in Florence and later served as superintendent for monuments of Florence (1910). He also taught architecture at the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, becoming its president in February 1913. His later activities included participation in the technical commission studying the structural problems of the Leaning Tower of Pisa (1912) and the restoration of Barberino di Mugello Castle, including the creation of a Renaissance-style Italian garden (1915). Socini died on 16 July 1926 at his villa in Querceto, Sesto Fiorentino, and was buried at the Monumental Cemetery of Antella.