Podcasts-2 - Rocky Ruggiero

Podcasts

Available on your favorite platform

Rebuilding The Renaissance podcast will explore the development of the art, architecture, culture and history in Italy, from ancient Roman times through the Renaissance. Listeners will develop an understanding of Italy’s role in the development of Western civilization and an ability to appreciate and understand works of art in their historical context.

"No one brings the Renaissance to life better than Rocky"

- Treskovich

"No one brings the Renaissance to life better than Rocky"

- Valoreev

"No one brings the Renaissance to life better than Rocky"

- Historywrocky

iTunes

Android

Google

Stitcher

Spotify

RSS

iHeart Radio

Episodes

Cities Artists Theory Answers to Open Questions Interviews

Florence Other Italian Cities Rome Venice

Episode 392 – Sicily – The Valley of the Temples

Posted: July 22nd, 2026

The Valley of the temples in Agrigento, Sicily, is an archeological area containing the remains of seven ancient Greek temples, in varying states of conservation. Located along a ridge with breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea in the distance, it represents one of the world’s most important...

Episode 391 – Sicily – Agrigento

Posted: July 15th, 2026

The southern Sicilian city of Agrigento was founded in 580 BCE by a group of Greek colonists from the nearby town of Gela with the name “Akragas.” It quickly became one of Magna Grecia’s most important cities and eventually defeated a Carthaginian army at the Battle of Himera in 480BCE. To cel...

Episode 390 – Sicily – The Mosaics of Monreale Cathedral

Posted: July 8th, 2026

Covering some 6,500m2 (70,000ft2), the spectacular mosaic cycle of Monreale Cathedral in Sicily is one of the largest in the world. The mosaics were created in the 12th and 13th centuries by order of Norman King William II in the Byzantine style. While the nave and clerestory mosaics depict Old Tes...

Episode 389 – Sicily – Monreale Cathedral

Posted: July 1st, 2026

According to legend, in the 12th century, the Virgin Mary appeared to King William II of Sicily while he was napping and ordered him to build a church on a hill just 7km south of Palermo, Italy. The result is one of the greatest churches of the Middle Ages - Monreale Cathedral. Next to the majestic ...

Episode 388 – Palermo – The Church and Convent of Santa Caterina

Posted: June 24th, 2026

Originally built in the 14th century, the Dominican church and convent were both renovated in the 16th century. While the church displays an almost dizzying example of Sicilian Baroque architecture, the well-preserved convent is instead quite sober and reflects what mosaic life was like for the nuns...

Episode 387 – Palermo – The Fountain of Shame (Pretorian Fountain)

Posted: June 17th, 2026

Originally carved in 1554 for the garden of a Spanish nobleman in Florence, the so-called “Fountain of Shame” was dissembled in 644 pieces and transported to Palermo, Sicily, after having been sold to the Senate of Palermo. Situated on the western side of the Dominican church and nunnery of Sant...

Episode 386 – Palermo – Quattro Canti

Posted: June 10th, 2026

The Quattro Canti is a spectacular example of Sicilian Baroque architecture on a grand scale! Marking the entrance to Palermo’s historic district, the Quattro Canti (technically Piazza Vigliena) is a large octagonal piazza laid out in the early 17th century, four side of which are occupied by Baro...

Episode 385 – Palermo – The Church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio (La Martorana)

Posted: June 3rd, 2026

Construction on the church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio in Palermo, Italy, began in 1143 CE under the patronage of George of Antioch, admiral of King Roger II’s navy, from which the church gets its name. The church preserves an extraordinary collection of 12th-century mosaics, the two most imp...

Episode 384 – Palermo – The Palatine Chapel

Posted: May 27th, 2026

Built as a royal chapel in the 12th century CE by King Roger II, the Norman ruler of Sicily, the Palatine Chapel is a beautiful manifestation of the influences of Byzantine, Norman, and Islamic art and architecture. The chapel is home to one of Italy’s most important examples of Byzantine mosaic ...

Episode 383 – Sicily: Palermo and the Story of Santa Rosalia

Posted: May 20th, 2026

Born to a noble Norman family in the 12th century, Santa Rosalia became Palermo’s most important patron saint when she miraculously saved the city from a devastating plague in 1624. Still today, she is venerated and celebrated by both the people of Palermo as well as Sicilians throughout the worl...

Episode 382 – Sicily – Palermo Cathedral

Posted: May 13th, 2026

Originally built in the 12th century, Palermo Cathedral was continually modified for the next six centuries. While much of its original and rather exotic Norman architecture survives on the exterior, the interior is entirely Neoclassical in design. Palermo Cathedral is home to the tomb of Holy Roman...

Episode 381 – Palermo – 3,000 Years of History, Beauty, and Traditions

Posted: May 6th, 2026

Founded by the Phoenicians nearly 3,000 years ago, Palermo subsequently became a Greek, Carthaginian, Roman, Arab, and Norman city. This mix of civilizations is palpable in Palermo art, architecture, food, and customs of the city. This podcast explores this magical Sicilian city’s three millennia ...

Episode 380 – The Soul of Sicily

Posted: April 29th, 2026

The Italian Island of Sicily is one of the most magical places on earth. Embraced by the Mediterranean, Tyrrhenian, and Ionian Seas, kissed by warm sunshine nearly year-round, home to three active volcanoes – the largest of which, “Her Majesty,” Mt. Etna, looms over the island like a sleeping ...

Episode 379 – Answers to Open Questions Part XXVIII

Posted: April 22nd, 2026

From the origins of the name “Rialto," to mysterious statues on the facade of Florence Cathedral, to the connection between Piero della Francesca and Caravaggio, to the reason why the red pigment in Fra Angelico’s frescoes glitter, to great Italian Renaissance art in England, and much, much mor...

Episode 378 – Florence: Palazzo Davanzati

Posted: April 15th, 2026

Built in the 14th century for the Davizzi family, before being sold to the Davanzati family in the 16th century, the Palazzo Davanzati is today home of the “Museum of the Old Florentine House.” The various floors showcase domestic spaces and household objects to recreate life in a medieval Flor...

Episode 377 – Florence – The Museum of Santa Maria Novella

Posted: April 8th, 2026

The Museum of Santa Maria Novella is in the convent of the great Dominican complex of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy. It consists of a series of cloisters and spaces that house various artistic masterpieces including the frescoes of the Spanish Chapel, Paolo Uccello’s “Stories of Noah, A...

Episode 376 – Florence – The Museum of Santa Croce

Posted: April 1st, 2026

The Museum of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy, occupies the former refectory and wing of the Franciscan convent that separated two cloisters. It includes the celebrated Pazzi Chapel, a “God the Father” statue by Bacio Bandinelli, Taddeo Gaddi’s “Lignum Vitae,” Donatello’s “St. Louis of ...

Episode 375 – Florence – The Pitti Palace (Palatine Gallery)

Posted: March 25th, 2026

Originally part of the residence of the Medici dynasty, the Palatine Gallery encompasses the entire second floor of the Pitti Palace in Florence, Italy. Its collection includes the largest concentration of paintings by Raphael in the world, as well as works by Titian, Artemisia Gentileschi, Andrea d...

Episode 374 – Naples – The Archeological Museum

Posted: March 18th, 2026

The Archeological Museum in Naples, Italy, contains one of the world’s most important collections of ancient Greco-Roman art and artifacts. The collection includes the “Farnese Bull” - the largest ancient sculpture ever recovered, the “Farnese Hercules,” the "Farnese Atlas,” and the spec...

Episode 373 – Naples – The Capodimonte Museum

Posted: March 11th, 2026

Sometimes referred to as “the Uffizi of southern Italy,” the Capodimonte Museum in Naples, Italy, houses one of the world’s most important collections of Italian Renaissance painting. It includes masterpieces such as the “Crucifixion” by Masaccio, Titian’s “Danaë” and “Portrait ...

Episode 372 – Parma – The National Gallery

Posted: March 4th, 2026

Located in the remains of the 16th-century Palazzo del Pilotta, once the royal residence of the Farnese dukes of Parma, the National Gallery houses one of Italy’s premier collections of Renaissance paintings. It includes masterpieces by Fra Angelico, Correggio, Parmigianino, and Leonardo da Vinci....

Episode 371 – Venice: The Accademia Gallery Part III

Posted: February 26th, 2026

The Accademia Gallery in Venice, Italy, houses the world’s most important collection of Venetian Renaissance painting. This last episode dedicated to this extraordinary museum examines masterpieces by Gentile Bellini (“Stories of the Relic of the True Cross”), Vittore Carpaccio (“Healing of ...

Episode 370 – Venice: The Accademia Gallery Part II

Posted: February 19th, 2026

The Accademia Gallery in Venice, Italy, houses the world’s most important collection of Venetian Renaissance painting. This episode examines masterpieces by Paolo Veronese (“The Feast in the House of Levi”), Tintoretto (“The Stealing of the Body of St. Mark” and “The Miracle of the Slave...

Episode 369 – Venice: The Accademia Gallery Part I

Posted: February 11th, 2026

The Accademia Gallery in Venice, Italy, houses the world’s most important collection of Venetian Renaissance painting. This episode examines the history of the building and collection, as well as masterpieces by Paolo Veneziano, Giovanni Bellini, and Giorgione. ...

Episode 247 – Titian’s “Pietà” (Accademia Gallery, Venice)

Posted: October 11th, 2023

Left unfinished at this death in 1576, Titian’s “Pietà” was intended to serve as his funerary monument. Its extreme use of loose brushstroke and unconventional color combinations led one art historian to describe the painting as an example of “chromatic alchemy.” ...

Episode 244 – Paolo Veronese’s “Feast in the House of Levi” (Accademia Gallery, Venice)

Posted: September 20th, 2023

In 1573, Paolo Veronese was commissioned by the Dominicans at the church of Saints Giovanni and Paolo in Venice to paint a “Last Supper” to replace an earlier version by Titian that had been destroyed by fire. The result was a massive image full of numerous figures engaged in a hedonistic celebr...

Episode 242 – Paolo Veronese’s Church of San Sebastiano in Venice

Posted: September 6th, 2023

Paolo Veronese is the third member of the great Venetian late Renaissance trio that also includes Titian and Tintoretto. The church of San Sebastiano in Venice was decorated over 15 years with paintings exclusively by Veronese and is a veritable shrine to the genius of this great painter. ...

Episode 237 – Tintoretto’s Scuola of San Rocco (Venice)

Posted: August 3rd, 2023

The Scuola Grande of San Rocco in Venice, Italy, is the only active “scuola,” or confraternity, in the city. It has maintained its original appearance and magnificent decoration – nearly all of which was by Tintoretto - for the last five centuries. This podcast explores the history of the scuo...

Episode 223 – Tintoretto’s “Stealing of the Body of St. Mark” (Accademia Gallery, Venice)

Posted: April 26th, 2023

Fourteen years after exploding onto the art scene in Venice, Tintoretto produced another dramatic work for the Scuola Grande of San Marco. The intense painting depicts the legendary story of two Venetian merchants stealing the body of St. Mark away from Alexandria in the 9th century....

Episode 222 – Tintoretto’s “Miracle of the Slave” (Accademia Gallery, Venice)

Posted: April 19th, 2023

The Venetian painter Tintoretto exploded onto the art scene in his native city with this large canvas depicting St. Mark rescuing one of his devotees from a horrific death. With its dramatic proscenium characterized by strong foreshortening and dramatic spotlighting, as well as a surprising and dari...

Episode 163 – Venice – Titian’s “Assumption” and “Pesaro Altarpiece” in the church of the Frari

Posted: March 2nd, 2022

Titian's two great altarpieces in the great Franciscan basilica of Venice known as the "Frari" marked a turning point in the artist's career. These were his first two public commissions and allowed all of Venice to appreciate the extraordinary talent of a young artist who was still only in his twent...

Episode 161 – Venice: Giorgione’s “Tempest” and “La Vecchia”

Posted: February 16th, 2022

Notwithstanding that his life and artistic career were cut short by plague in 1510 while the artist was in his thirties, Giorgione revolutionized European painting by his introduction of enigmatic and unconventional iconography. This episode examines two of Giorgione's most important paintings, both...

Episode 160 – Venice – Vittore Carpaccio’s “The Legend of St. Ursula”

Posted: February 9th, 2022

Carpaccio's extraordinary visual narrative of the life of St. Ursula is one of the most celebrated examples of cyclical Venetian Renaissance painting. Recently restored, the nine large canvases are now on display in the Accademia Gallery of Venice and present a vivid snapshot of life in Venice at th...

Episode 159 – Venice: Gentile Bellini, Vittore Carpaccio and the Relic of the True Cross

Posted: February 2nd, 2022

At the end of the 15th century, large-scale-cyclical-narrative paintings became quite popular in Renaissance Venice. One of these cycles illustrates in spectacular fashion the legends of the relic of the True Cross that was owned by the Scuola Grande of St. John the Evangelist. This episode examines...

Episode 158 – Venice: Giovanni Bellini’s “St. Job Altarpiece”

Posted: January 26th, 2022

This episode examines the first great Venetian painting of the Renaissance. Although the Venetian school of painting appeared almost a full century after that of Florence, the extraordinary genius of Venetian painters such as Giovanni Bellini rapidly made it the major rival of central Italian Renais...

Episode 65 – Venice: The Grand Canal and Rialto Bridge

Posted: April 15th, 2020

Episode Info: This episode explores the history and architecture of Venice's most important thoroughfare and its surrounding churches and palaces, as well as one of the world's most celebrated bridges - the Rialto - that has spanned the Grand Canal for nearly the last 1,000 years....

"Rocky is a favorite and one of the best art historians we’ve ever used. He has led our family on occasion where are high school and college kids praised how Rocky made art "interesting" and "relevant", while his interactive style held everyone’s attention"

Michael Chesser

President and Founder Chesser Group Inc., Los Angeles CA

"We recently traveled to Florence with our twin daughters and we wanted them to experience the rich art history of Florence in a more personalized basis. We were grateful that Rocky agreed to this assignment. His Knowledge, love and enthusiasm for the arts was contagious. It was the highlight of our trip!"

Alan L. Rivera

CFO and General Counsel, Millbrook Capital Management, Inc.

"I can say that Rocky Ruggiero is the best among the very best. I have yet to encounter a more precise, informative and commanding teacher or conductor through the beauty and magnificence of Florence and Italy"

Peter Weller

Actor, Director, Writer, Musician, Scholar