Abstract
The study focuses on the citation from the painter Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978) in the theory of architectural design of Aldo ROSSI (1931-1997). First, through Rossi's dairy titled “I quaderni azzurri (Blue Notebooks)” from first volume to tenth, written during the years from June 1968 to January 1972, it extracts his references on De Chirico and discusses the analogical motives of the “tower” of truncated cone. Then, it detects the design sketches of Town Hall of Muggiò (1971-72) drawn on 25 January 1972, and discusses his intention of its citation of De Chirico's sculpture “Archaeologists” in the square of Town hall. The conical tower in Town Hall of Muggiò is associated with the cupola in Elementary School in Fagnano Olona. designed in the same year. Learned from De Chirico, Rossi applied to his architecture the image of the “tower” of truncated cone, which works as the backdrop in the perspective view and also as the watchtower.
