Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Wool Traders' Emblem
Luca della Robbia's
roundel depicts the Lamb
of God, symbol of the
Calimala (wool importers),
whose trade guild was the
most powerful in Florence.
WHERE TO SEE LATE
MEDIEVAL TUSCANY
San Gimignano's spectacular
towers
(see pp212-15)
show
what most Tuscan cities must
have looked like during the
Middle Ages. Siena has the
best surviving late medieval
town hall
(pp218-19)
, and
Pisa's Leaning Tower, Duomo
and Baptistry
(pp158-60)
reflect the willingness of
architects of this period to
experiment with new styles.
A building boom
resulted
from increased prosperity.
Medieval building techniques
Circular putlock holes show
where medieval builders placed
their scaffolding timbers.
St Francis (1181-1226)
From monasteries
founded in Tuscany
by St Francis, the
Franciscans brought
about a major religious
revival in reaction to the
excesses of the church.
Bankers in Siena
Tuscan banks
provided loans to
popes, monarchs
and merchants.
Many bankers were
ruined when
Edward III of
England defaulted
on his debts in 1342.
Lucignano
Some of Tuscany's best-preserved
medieval architecture, including
several defensive towers, can be
seen in Lucignano
(p203).
1294
Work begins on
Florence's cathedral
1300
Giovanni Pisano carves
pulpit for Pisa's cathedral
1377
Sir John
Hawkwood
appointed
Captain General
of Florence
1350
Pisa's Leaning Tower
completed; Boccaccio
begins writing
The
Decameron
1300
1320
1340
1380
1345
Work begins on
Florence's Ponte Vecchio
1348-93
Black Death
carries off half the
Tuscan population
1302
Dante begins
writing
The Divine
Comedy
1374
Death
of Petrarch
1299
Work begins on
Palazzo Vecchio in Florence
Sir John Hawkwood,
English mercenary
