Baldassare

Baldassare is an Italian masculine given name, the Italian form of Balthazar, one of the traditional names associated with the biblical Magi. The name is ultimately linked to a historical or legendary set of origins around the ancient Near East, and in Italian usage it was particularly common during the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Today it is less common as a given name but remains a recognized historical and cultural form.

Notable bearers of the name include Baldassare Castiglione (1478–1529), a diplomat and author best known for Il Cortegiano, a defining Renaissance treatise on courtly behavior; Baldassare Peruzzi (c. 1481–1536), a painter and architect who contributed to the High Renaissance in Rome and Siena; Baldassare Longhena (1597–1682), a Venetian Baroque architect renowned for the church of Santa Maria della Salute; Baldassare Galuppi (1706–1785), a prolific composer and pianist whose works helped shape 18th‑century Italian opera and sacred music; and Baldassare Vaccarini (1702–1768), an architect who played a prominent role in Sicilian Baroque architecture in cities such as Catania and Messina.

The given name Baldassare thus reflects a long-standing Italian naming tradition, with a legacy tied to several influential figures in art, architecture, and music across the Renaissance and Baroque periods.