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"

- Historywrocky

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

- Valoreev

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

- Treskovich

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Episodes

Cities Artists Theory Answers to Open Questions Interviews

Florence Other Italian Cities Rome Venice

Episode 56: Florence – Competition Panels (Bargello)

Posted: February 12th, 2020

Episode Info: This episode examines the event that sparked the Renaissance - the famous competition between Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi in 1401 for the contract for a set of bronze doors of Florence Baptistry. These two Renaissance giants produced bronze relief panels depicting the Old...

Episode 54: Florence: Santa Maria Novella – Strozzi Chapel

Posted: January 29th, 2020

Episode Info: This episode examines the beautiful pictorial decorations in the 14th-century Strozzi Chapel in Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy by the brothers Andrea (better known as "Orcagna") and Nardo di Cione. Almost perfectly preserved after eight centuries, the chapel also offers the ext...

Episode 51: Florence – Uffizi Gallery – Medieval Paintings

Posted: January 8th, 2020

Episode Info: This episode examines the medieval paintings in the extraordinary collection of paintings in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. Works by Giotto, Simone Martini and Ambrogio Lorenzetti exemplify the move towards naturalism in this proto-Renaissance moment....

Episode 48: Florence – San Miniato al Monte

Posted: December 18th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode explores the history and examines the architecture of one of the most unique churches of medieval Europe. Consecrated in 1018 CE, the thousand-year-old Romanesque church of San Miniato in Florence, Italy houses an eclectic mix of artistic styles inside of a distinctly myst...

Episode 45: Florence – The Baptistry Part II – Mosaics

Posted: December 3rd, 2019

Episode Info: This episode will examine the breathtaking mosaics that decorate the ceiling of Florence Baptistry. Epic in scale and subject matter, and excruciatingly meticulous in execution, the mosaics represent one of the greatest works of art of medieval Europe and may have inspired both Dante a...

Episode 44: Florence – The Baptistry – Part I

Posted: November 20th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode explores the history and architecture of what is, in local tradition, the most important monument in Florence, Italy. Nearly a millennium old, the Romanesque building has always been the heart of Florentine society and tradition....

Episode 40 – Florence: Statues at Orsanmichele

Posted: October 23rd, 2019

Episode Info: This episode examines the extraordinary collection of statues on the outside of the church of Orsanmichele in Florence, Italy. Produced by some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance, such as Donatello, Ghiberti and Verrocchio, each statue reflects the changing artistic styles of t...

Episode 39 – Florence: Orsanmichele

Posted: October 16th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode recounts the history behind the medieval–grain–market–turned–church of Orsanmichele in Florence, Italy. The building has always reflected the bustling commercial character of the city, first as a marketplace for grain and then as its official guild church....

Episode 38 – Florence: Ponte Vecchio and the Vasari Corridor

Posted: October 9th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode explores the history and evolution of one of the world's most famous bridges – the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy. From ancient Roman times through to today, the bridge has served as a means of passage between the banks of the Arno river, as well a thriving commercial ...

Episode 37 – Florence: Santa Maria Novella – The Spanish Chapel – Part II

Posted: October 2nd, 2019

Episode Info: This episode examines the beautiful fresco decoration inside of the Spanish Chapel in the convent of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy. These paintings are not only prime examples of art produced in the wake of the Black Death, but they also testify to how the Dominicans effective...

Episode 36: Florence: Santa Maria Novella – The Spanish Chapel – Part I

Posted: September 25th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode examines the history and patronage of one of the great medieval churches of Florence: Santa Maria Novella. The seat of the Dominican Order in Florence, the rather severe style of the art in this church reflects the orthodox philosophy of this particular religious order. Pe...

Episode 28: Florence – Florence Cathedral

Posted: July 31st, 2019

Episode Info: This episode will examine the architecture and explore the epic construction history of one of the largest and most beautiful churches in the world....

Episode 18: Florence – Giotto’s Frescoes in Santa Croce

Posted: May 22nd, 2019

Episode Info: This episode will analyze Giotto's frescoes of "The Life of St. Francis" in the Bardi Chapel in Santa Croce. Giotto's introduction of naturalism, psychology, movement, emotion, and drama into his paintings was a groundbreaking innovation for medieval painting....

Episode 17: Florence – Celebrity Tombs in Santa Croce

Posted: May 15th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode explores and examines what is arguably the world's most impressive collection of celebrity tombs that is housed in the great Franciscan basilica, including the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli....

Episode 16: Florence – The Basilica of Santa Croce

Posted: May 8th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode explores the history and architecture of this great church in Florence, Italy and how the social and economic forces of medieval Florence contributed to making it the largest Franciscan church in the world....

Episode 12: Florence – Speaking Statues in Piazza della Signoria

Posted: April 11th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode will examine the extraordinary collection of sculptures in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy. From Donatello's "Judith and Holofernes' to Michelangelo's "David" to Cellini's "Perseus and Medusa", each sculpture represents a chapter in the extraordinary story tha...

Episode 11: Florence – Palazzo Vecchio

Posted: April 5th, 2019

Episode Info: This episode will analyze the architecture of the building that was the seat of political power in medieval Florence - the Palazzo Vecchio - and the historical circumstances that led to its construction....

Episode 10: Florence – Out of Darkness

Posted: March 22nd, 2019

Episode Info: This episode will trace the historical evolution of Europe from the fall of the Roman Empire through Charlemagne and the creation of the Holy Roman Empire and finally to the rise of medieval city-states in Italy with particular emphasis given to the role of Florence....

Episode 9: Florence – Historical Origins

Posted: March 22nd, 2019

Episode Info: This podcast will examine the ancient Roman origins of the city of Florence and trace its urban development from its foundation in 59 B.C. to the modern city that we see today....

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"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

"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