The Florentine Renaissance
Florence in the fifteenth century was the undisputed centre of the Italian Renaissance. Its legacy is apparent today in every aspect of human endeavour. Out art and science, our learning and literature, our Christianity and out civic liberties, even our conception of what constitutes a gentleman, have all been shaped by Florentine thought and deed. In this brilliant and absorbing book Vincent Cronin brings vividly to life the people and myriad achievements of this astonishingly fruitful epoch in human history.
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Vincent Cronin uses words so vivid that no illustration can capture in his quest to inform the world of the enterprising Florentine citizens and how they changed the artistic world by revisiting the ancient Roman and Greek Ideals. From Coluccio Salutati, the Chancellor of the Republic of Florence who bestowed upon the citizenry the necessary education for prosperity to Girolamo Savonarola who according to Cronin eroded the resilient and enterprising spirit of the Florentine that led to fall of the city.
In between, the book covers the life of great Florentine residents such as The Medici, Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Leornado Bruni, Filippo Brunelleschi, Botticelli, Donatello among other but it is Cosimo de' Medici who stands out as the patron of Renaissance Florence. The day to day narration of the Florentine life encapsulating all aspects of living makes a satisfactory read and agreeable conclusions. The most outstanding mark of the book are personal letters and relation among prominent personalities that crowns the writing.