The life and career of these artists from the various Italian art regions cannot be evaluated using the rules of Central European art sociology. They are characterized on the one hand by their mobility, on the other by a certain rigidity. The stations of their artistic wanderings lie often far apart from one another and cause a provoke amount of amazement, even from the pampered modern jet tourist. The artistic flexibility of these migrant masters also amazes. It was only through this flexibility that they were capable of reconciling, say, a Lombardian artistic upbringing with the latest Roman impulses, as well as incorporating the artistic conceptions of their host countries.

It becomes clear that the Italian artists maintained their exclusive stature over the local masters, or that they at least were forced to maintain themselves as an exclusive minority. It is therefore not surprising that the same names confront us over and over again at various society events, such as baptisms or marriage ceremonies. But we can also assume that the proven social cohesion of the Austro-Italian artisan colony was based on a close professional co-operation. It is for this reason that it is best to keep in mind not just the leading architects and artists, but also the Italian builders and artisans, since it was they who provided the fertile ground out of which the art of the imperial court architects and artists could bloom. Their geographical sphere of activity was not restricted to the modern territory of the Republic of Austria and should therefore be considered in the historical context of the old Habsburg monarchy. International co-operation was the precondition, a trait that is also highly desirable for the AIA project.