Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Renaissance
Though its streets and buildings date predominantly to the Middle Ages, it is the historical period known as the
Renaissance (
Rinascimento
, or Rebirth) that defines Florence and remains its greatest moment.
In the second half of the 14th century, the city's power-brokers were keen to put the horrors of the plague of
1348, when more than 50% of the city's residents had perished, behind them. This catastrophic event had dealt a
huge blow to their faith in God - what was truly powerful, they reasoned, was the intellect, resilience and beauty
of human beings. The Renaissance preoccupation with Humanism was born.
An early and passionate convert to this way of thinking was Cosimo de' Medici (1389-1464), who used his
massive fortune to fund a program of inspired cultural patronage. Painters, sculptors and architects were lured to
Florence by the financial incentives and artistic opportunities he offered. Often inspired by the culture of classic-
al antiquity, their works were as likely to celebrate the human body (eg, Michelangelo's
David
) or a pagan myth
(Botticelli's
Birth of Venus
) as they were to re-work a standard religious theme. In architecture, the classical in-
spiration was even more pronounced, with Brunelleschi's design for the cathedral's massive dome forming the
gold standard.
Alongside these developments in art and architecture was the flowering of Italian literature. Dante Alghieri's
La grande commedia
(The Great Comedy, later renamed the Divine Comedy) had been published around 1317
and established the Tuscan dialect as the new standardised form of written Italian. Giovanni Boccaccio
(1303-75) and Francesco Petrarch (1304-74) were quick adaptors.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, developments in art, architecture and literature were matched by those in philo-
sophy, political science and science, and Florence became home to a formidable intellectual milieu. This in-
cluded artist, architect, scientist, engineer and all-round 'Renaissance man', Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519);
and writer, historian and political scientist, Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527).
As the 16th century drew to a close, so too did the Italian Renaissance. Fortunately, its heritage lives on and is
showcased in the city's cultural institutions and deep appreciation (some would say obsession) with all things
artistic.
