Podcasts-2 - Rocky Ruggiero

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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"

- Historywrocky

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

- Valoreev

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Episodes

Cities Artists Theory Answers to Open Questions Interviews

Florence Other Italian Cities Rome Venice

Episode 110 – Padua: Donatello’s “Gattamelata” and Statues in the Santo

Posted: February 24th, 2021

This episode explores Donatello's extraordinary artistic production during his sojourn in Padua during the 1440s. From his milestone Equestrian Monument to Gattamelata, to his refined bronze Crucifix, to his 3-dimensional sculptural sacra conversazione and complex perspectival bronze relief scu...

Episode 107 – Mantua: The Camera degli Sposi by Andrea Mantegna

Posted: February 3rd, 2021

This episode examines the Camera degli Sposi (1465-1474), which is Andrea Mantegna’s most famous work. Decorating the reception room of the Marquis of Mantua, Ludovico II Gonzaga, Mantegna created an incredibly vivid “picture” of life at a Renaissance court. In addition to the various p...

Episode 106 – Mantua: Basilica of Sant’Andrea

Posted: January 27th, 2021

This episode examines the history and architecture of one of the milestone churches of the Renaissance that was designed by the great architect Leon Battista Alberti. Home to one of Christianity's most important relics - the blood of Christ - the ruler of Mantua, Ludovico Gonzaga, wanted Alberti to ...

Episode 52 – Siena: Cathedral Pulpit by Nicola Pisano

Posted: January 15th, 2020

Episode Info: This episode examines Nicola Pisano's great sculptural pulpit in the cathedral in Siena, Italy. Carved five years after his pulpit in Pisa Baptistry, this work is much more Gothic in style, reflecting its highly decorative architectural surroundings. Yet, Pisano's work is still full of...

Episode 47: Pisa – Baptistry Pulpit by Nicola Pisano

Posted: December 11th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode examines one of the most extraordinary sculptures of the Middle Ages. Nicola Pisano revolutionized sculpture in the 13th century by introducing drama, psychology, classical motifs, anatomy and movement. Although few works exist by the great sculptor, he would inspire later...

Episode 46: Pisa – The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Posted: December 4th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode explores the great Romanesque architectural monuments of the Tuscan city of Pisa. From its majestic marble cathedral, to its elegant circular baptistry, to what I like to call the greatest architectural disaster since Babylon – the leaning tower, Pisa is home to some of ...

Episode 35: San Gimignano: Black Death Paintings in the Collegiata

Posted: September 18th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode examines one of the most sinister and violent fresco cycles of the Middle Ages in the cathedral or "Collegiata" of the Tuscan town of San Gimignano. Attributed to a mysterious artist named Barna Da Siena, the frescoes are often used as an example of a "post-Black Death sty...

Episode 32 – Padua – The Scrovegni Chapel Part 4: The Passion of Jesus Christ

Posted: August 28th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode is the fourth and final episode addressing the extraordinary frescoes by Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy. The paintings in this episode represent the climax of the visual narrative and depict the story of the passion of Jesus Christ....

Episode 31: Padua – The Scrovegni Chapel Part 3: The Life and Mission of Jesus Christ

Posted: August 21st, 2019

Episode Info: This episode examines the extraordinary visual representations of the "Life of Jesus Christ" created by the visionary painter Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy in the early 14th century....

Episode 30: Padua – The Scrovegni Chapel Part 2: The Last Judgement and the Life of the Virgin Mary

Posted: August 14th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode will examine two of the extraordinary themes depicted in Giotto's paintings in the Scrovegni Chapel: the surprisingly optimistic Last Judgement, and the startlingly cinematic Life of the Virgin Mary....

Episode 29: Padua – The Scrovegni Chapel Part 1: History

Posted: August 7th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode will address the history of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy from its construction, to its patronage, to its decoration by the great painter Giotto. We will also discuss the modern system of conservation employed at the chapel in order to conserve the recently-restored...

Episode 27: Siena – Palio

Posted: July 24th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode will explore the thrilling horserace known as the Palio that takes place in the central medieval square of Siena twice a year. Winning the race is the most important objective of every Sienese person, and we shall examine just how far the Sienese will go in order to obtain...

Episode 26: Siena – The Allegory of Good and Bad Government

Posted: July 17th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode will examine one of the most timeless and politically enlightening works of art of all time - Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Allegory of Good and Bad Government - which clearly reveals that the governing principles of an effective democracy transcend time!...

Episode 25: Siena – The Day the Virgin Mary Got into Politics (Simone Martini’s Maestà)

Posted: July 10th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode will examine Simone Martini's mural of the Maestà in the Hall of the Great Council in Siena's town hall, known as the Palazzo Pubblico. The painting represents a milestone moment in the history of art where a religious subject is inserted into a civic setting for the firs...

Episode 24: Siena – The Palazzo Pubblico and Piazza del Campo

Posted: July 5th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode will analyze the history and architecture of the medieval town hall of Siena known as the Palazzo Pubblico, which was one of the seminal civic structures in Europe. We shall also examine what has been described as the most beautiful urban space in all of Italy - the Piazza...

Episode 23: Siena – City of the Virgin Mary (Battle of Montaperti/Duccio’s Maestà)

Posted: June 26th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode examines the very special relationship that Siena has with the Virgin Mary and how this privileged relationship came about. We shall also discuss one of the most important paintings in the history of art - Duccio's great Maestà....

Episode 22: Siena – Siena Cathedral

Posted: June 19th, 2019

Episode Info: This podcast will recount the extraordinary construction history and examine the striking architecture of one of the world's most beautiful churches - the cathedral of Siena....

Episode 21: Siena – The Foundation Myth

Posted: June 12th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode recounts the foundation myth of the great Tuscan city of Siena and how 14th-century Sienese government officials claimed to have discovered a document that traced Siena's ancestry all the way back to Ancient Rome - but not to Rome's great founder Romulus, but instead to hi...

Episode 8: Ravenna – The Byzantine Empire Strikes Back

Posted: March 20th, 2019

Episode Info: This podcast will examine the transformation of a provincial Italian town named Ravenna into an Imperial capital and how the Byzantine Emperor Justinian sought to recapture the western half of his empire....

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"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

"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.

"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