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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.
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Episodes
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Florence Other Italian Cities Rome Venice
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 18
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....
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....
Episode 7: Rome – Constantine and Christianity
  • Posted: March 20th, 2019
Episode Info: This episode will address the rise of Christianity in the Roman world and the critical role that Emperor Constantine played in its success and changing the world forever....
Episode 6: Rome – The Pantheon
  • Posted: March 20th, 2019
Episode Info: In this episode, we examine and analyze the ancient Roman temple that has been described as the most perfectly designed architectural monument in history....
Episode 5: Rome – Bread and Circus
  • Posted: March 20th, 2019
Episode Info: This episode examines that most decadent period in ancient Roman history when emperors provided both lavish foods and spectacular entertainment to the citizens of Rome....
Episode 4: Rome – Blood Sport
  • Posted: March 20th, 2019
Episode Info: In this episode we examine the jaw-dropping spectacles and bloody contests that took place inside of the Colosseum....
Episode 3: Rome – The Colosseum
  • Posted: March 20th, 2019
Episode Info: This episode analyzes the architecture and reconstructs the engineering marvels of the mother of all amphitheaters....
Episode 1: Rome – The Foundation Myth
  • Posted: March 20th, 2019
Episode Info: This episode examines the foundation myth of Ancient Rome and how it reflects those critical historical and social factors that contributed to making Rome the most absolute empire in history....
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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
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Young Presidents' Organization
CEO
Friends of the Uffizi Gallery
Eataly
Syracuse University
Palazzo Tornabuoni
Ohio Kent State University
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