American Research Journal of History and Culture

Parma, the capital of the lands ruled by the Farnese family, was one of the most active centres in Italy in the design of architectures for shows. A proposal for an approach to the history of Italian scenography during the Seicento is presented here – a some what in depth view is presented as it is not very well known in Spain – using iconological and semiotic analyses of the decorations for the staging of the libretti, beginning with the scenographic creations of Giovan Battista Aleotti, and finishing with Carlo Pasetti, one of his most fruitful heirs, focusing on his work with the opera La Filo overo Giunonerepacificata con Ercole, created by Francesco Berni (1631), a preserved copy of which can be found in the Library of the El Escorial Monastery (Madrid), a rare fact amongst the works with Florentine origin collected in Spanish document repositories, even though it became, with other scenographies of the same author, a powerful inspiration for several courtesan parties (theatre shows, choreographed dance or carousels) in Spain during the XVII and XVIII centuries.