Born in Turin in 1725, Barberis was a civil and hydraulic architect, an engineer, and a member of the Turin Building Council from 1779 to 1798. He was of the generation of architects who began with Benedetto Alfieri’s Classicist version of Juvarra and reached a sophistication comparable to aspects of the Louis XVI style. This proto-Neoclassicism was composed of skilled draftsmanship, rooted in tradition but able to embrace the developments of the time. His works include the completion of Casale Cathedral and the chapel of Sant’Evasio; Villa Viarana in San Maurizio Canavese, and Turin Cathedral.