FLORENCE THE MYTH OF A CITY

Catalog description

Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance and the cradle of modern Western Civilization because, among the many Italian city-states, it experienced a cultural development that had no precedent in European history. Florentine republicanism is a political paradigm through which we, still today, trace the origins of the values of democracy, freedom, rational thought, individualism, the scientific method and the capacity for critical reflection. This course covers and analyzes different historical eras of Florence from its founding, during the Roman era, up until today. Special attention is given to periods of intensive development in Florence: the re-birth of the Middle Ages, the splendor of the Renaissance, and the crucial role of the Risorgimento, when the city was the capital of the new Kingdom of Italy (1865-1871) and became a center of culture and modern civilization. This course will be offered only in Florence.