Ascanio Vitozzi (1539–1610) was an Italian soldier, architect and military engineer.

Born at Orvieto

Orvieto

Orvieto is a city and comune in Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff...

, the son of Ercole lord of Montevitozzo (or Vitozzo), he fought in the Papal army

Papal States

The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...

 in his early years and was present in the battle of Lepanto

Battle of Lepanto (1571)

The Battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic maritime states, decisively defeated the main fleet of the Ottoman Empire in five hours of fighting on the northern edge of the Gulf of Patras, off western Greece...

 in 1571.

Subsequently he became a military engineer and architect. He was noted by Duke Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, who called him to Turin

Turin

Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

, which was then (especially under the latter's successor, Charles Emmanuel I) undergoing a large series of urban renovations. Vitozzi worked at numerous civil and military architectures for the Savoyards, including the Castle of Rivoli

Castle of Rivoli

thumb|300px|The unifinished façade by [[Filippo Juvarra]].thumb|300px|Remains of the connection between Juvarra's section and the Manica Lunga.The Castle of Rivoli is a former Residence of the Royal House of Savoy in Rivoli...

, the Sanctuary of Vicoforte

Sanctuary of Vicoforte

The Santuario di Vicoforte is a monumental church located in the commune of Vicoforte, province of Cuneo, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is known for having the largest elliptical cupola in Europe.- History :...

 (near Mondovì

Mondovì

Mondovì is a town and comune of Piedmont, northern Italy, located c. 80 km from Turin....

), the church of Corpus Domini and the Royal Palace of Turin

Royal Palace of Turin

Royal Palace of Turin or Palazzo Reale, is a palace in Turin, northern Italy. It was the royal palace of the House of Savoy. It was modernised greatly by the French born Madama Reale Christine Marie of France in the seventeenth century. The palace was worked on by Filippo Juvarra...

.

He died in Turin in 1615. His collaborators included Carlo di Castellamonte

Carlo di Castellamonte

Carlo di Castellamonte was an Italian architect, civil and military engineer, one of the main exponents of Piedmontese Baroque.Castellamonte was born in Turin. After his studies in Rome, he returned in Piedmont where was assistant to Ascanio Vitozzi...

, who inherited several of Vitozzi's projects.