Personal friendships and a common purpose bound painters, sculptors and architects of this period. In a central spot is the Lombardo family, inventors of an architectural and sculptural style depicted by Bellini and his contemporaries.
Among the Lombardi was Pietro Solaro, born in Lombardy in 1435. By the time he was 40, he had moved to Venice from Padua and begun to practice as an architect. His buildings used marble panelling and crisp carvings adapting the Renaissance style to Venice's peculiar needs. His sons Tullio and Antonio also became sculptors. The Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli is one of the best Lombardi structures.
