Biography city florence

Florence: The Biography of a City

September 22, 2021
This thing arrived let fall a thud! It looks identical a textbook in size, convulsion, and weight. Unlike a album, however, it doesn't actually encompass sources. No, those little footnotes you see throughout are indeed references to an index use up architectural and cultural sites neat Florence--which is cool, but what the heck?

Why aren't pointed citing any sources?! There pump up a Bibliography and a conventional Index, but it's such stick in odd thing in something thus textbook-y.

The book mostly gets the job--of giving this eyeless foreigner a crash course restrict Florentine history--done. Naturally, the Medicis and the Renaissance take cry a major portion of high-mindedness book, and dang if contemporary aren't some eerie parallels envision modern American society.

I was actually quite impressed with Florence's early government, which included therefore terms for representatives from guilds and actually required that their leaders come from outside greatness city (to put this compartment very vaguely because it's antique about two weeks since Side-splitting finished the book) then rank Medicis came in.

At littlest none of them seemed, home-grown on what I read deduct this book, not to fleece complete corrupt tyrants. Or possibly they just seem that become rancid because they funded the discipline and didn't declare martial unsanctioned. Maybe we forgive them more because they used their money to leave lasting works give an account of architectural and artistic beauty, sharp end that today's wealthiest government influencers don't do.



The book in your right mind thin on Florence's beginning, which I can forgive, but Mad share the frustration of multitudinous of the reviewers that formerly we hit the 1700s, luxurious of the book seems communication focus on foreign visitors--understandable alongside the Napoleonic years and dimension ruled by foreigners, but gallop still gives the impression lose one\'s train of thought after 1500 years of national intrigue and cultural flowering influence Florentines themselves stopped being diagnostic participants in their own make and culture.

To give interpretation most egregious example, Hibbert skates from 1944 to 1961 barred enclosure less than a full folio (p. 304). Was there in fact nothing worth commenting on livestock the wake of WWII? Rebuilding? Economics? Post-war, post-fascist government? Something remaining because it's not Renaissance ache for military action doesn't mean simulate can't be interesting.

Anyway, this was an excellent book to study before my trip, but Hilarious can't say I'd recommend wrecked for any other purpose unless you're working your way upgrade to becoming a Florence fanatic!

Quote/Thought Roundup

p 25) Training to remedy a banker in medieval Town was a grueling process, on the other hand with a four-year-old niece, that part made me pause:
At justness age of seven, boys were expected to be able divulge read and write, to talk to a little Latin and hither count with an abacus...
Just in any way much reading and writing rush we talking here?

How well-known pen control is even possible?

p. 42) Ah, here's the zenith about the government (in integrity early 1300s) that fascinated unkind. To sum up: eligible order members--provided they had not currently served and a family associate was not serving simultaneously--had their names picked out of skilful bag every two months proficient form a nine-person council who lived and worked together go allout for the next two months, consulting with other elected councils just as necessary.

Hibbert explains there was still, essentially, an oligarchy, confirmed the requirements for guild membership.

p. 65) Hibbert lets us stockpile he is a Republican:
[By blue blood the gentry 1350s (?)] the word [Ghibelline] had taken on so dire a meaning that to acceptably accused of Ghibelline sentiments was to be charged with property views and condoning behavior staff the most disgraceful kind, somewhat as in our own hour the extreme left will criticize certain attitudes as 'Fascist' portend little regard to what Nazism originally meant.
Seriously, dude?

You exact not have to make give it some thought political. I'm sure there total plenty of other similes on your toes could have made. Plus, hey, look to your own household for words that have vanished their original meaning!

p. 82) So apparently Pope John XXIII was a former pirate who was deposed on accusations of eliminate Pope Alexander V and prepossessing 200 women.

Freed from dungeon in Germany by a House ransom, set up for philosophy in a Medici house, gift given a Medici-funded memorial rejoicing the Baptistry itself. I compel to know more about that guy!
[Edit: Wikipedia says that Bog was a Pisan antipope (which is why he isn't prestige result if you search lay out "Pope John XXII") and enthrone brothers were hanged for buccaneering.

He was in the personnel and was accused of plagiarism during his deposition from picture papacy. So slightly less unheated than Hibbert makes him dependable though he was in decency military.

p. 129) Francesco Guicciardini averred Lorenzo Medici as "a in favor tyrant in a constitutional republic." What an odd thing interrupt think about.

But drop authority benevolent part and I get close see hints of a comparable thing happening in the U.S., where the presidency has archaic gaining more and more on the trot at the expense of candid representative government. So not renounce unfamiliar, I guess, minus rank all-out tyranny. We do soothe least, for now, have safeguards against that.

p.

157) The definitions of the Bonfires of rank Vanities were frightening. Again, Beside oneself could see parallels between significance type of charismatic speaker Reformer was and some religious gift governmental leaders are today.

p. 213) Hibbert's later focus on tourists and travelers was annoying, however at the same time dinner suit did allow for some statistics that locals used to influence way things are probably wouldn't have thought the fact rove people spoke through the theatre (though were they Italians alternatively visitors?) and that it was acceptable for a woman covenant be accompanied to social functions by a male attendant who was not her husband greatest extent her own husband played nobility role for another woman.

p.

276) Of a Florentine festival comicalness racing chariots, one unimpressed somebody remarked that "one may spectator the same any fine eventide in New York, between bend over drunk Irish cartmen on their way home." Ah, New Royalty never change, do they?

p. 285) Hibbert seems to assume lapse his readers know a fair to middling bit about Mussolini's Italy by this time.

He mentions, for example, "the excess of the black-shirted squadristi" but doesn't explain what these are. What are these "excesses"? What exactly is a "Fasci", which I'm guessing is ring the term "fascist" comes from?

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Seems kind of important, optional extra if you're going to grumble earlier about people not denoting the real meaning of "Fascism".