Page 40 - All About History - Issue 56-17

Time Traveller’s Handbook

RENAISSANCE

FLORENCE Florence, Italy, 1434-1537

Dos & don’ts
here are few more exciting
places to visit than the
Florentine Republic in
Tthe 15th century. Having Appreciate your
recovered from the Black surroundings. You are in one
Death, Florence is a boomtown for of the most vibrant and
international banking and trade. Its rich stimulating artistic environments the
merchant families give generous patronage world has ever seen — try to enjoy it.
to the arts, supporting the likes of Leonardo
da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello, Botticelli and Keep an open mind. Long-
Niccolo Machiavelli. This has placed Florence at established principles that
the forefront of a rebirth in European cultural life, have been upheld by the
which has largely been stagnant since the Roman Church for centuries are now being
Empire’s fall. In fact, proud locals even describe their challenged for the first time.
city as the ‘New Rome’.
Be warned, however: Renaissance Florence is Make some money. While
as much a place of plots and political intrigue Florence suffers from large
as it is art and beauty. The great families discrepancies in wealth, you
have become political factions that vie for can still get rich as a merchant.
power, occasionally leading to violence in the streets. Florence’s
tremendous wealth also makes it attractive to foreign powers, Be wary of inadvertently
having clashed with Milan and Naples in recent years, and there are provoking violence. This is
French and Spanish invasions on the horizon. Fig.01 a city of high passions and
simmering underlying tensions.

Get drawn into plots,
conspiracies and schemes.
Getting involved in any
political factionalism risks trouble.

Speak French. Due to
international tensions, talking
in any other language beyond
the Tuscan dialect will make the locals
suspicious of you.

Speak out against the
Medicis. The ruling family
may seem benevolent,
but any public opposition will be
quickly stamped out.
WHERE TO STAY Fig.02 Hesitate to report any signs
of French forces
From the majestic dome of the city’s cathedral to the Pitti Palace to the Basilica of San Lorenzo,
Renaissance Florence is full of architectural delights that will last for centuries. This is in part due intervening in the city.
to the wealthy families’ lavish patronage attracting skilled architects, but also the local marble Florence’s current prosperity is
quarries supplying them with a ready source of fine stone to work with. This makes it hard to certainly attracting foreign interest.
choose just one place to stay in Florence. However, for sheer proximity to the centre of power, the
Medici Palace would be hard to beat.
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