Podcast - Rocky Ruggiero

REBUILDING THE RENAISSANCE PODCAST

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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

Episode 121 – History: The Pazzi Conspiracy

Posted: May 6th, 2021

On April 26, 1478, Giuliano de’ Medici lay dead on the pavement of Florence cathedral with 19 stab wounds serving as testimony to the vicious attack that he had just suffered. Had his assassins succeeded in eliminating his older brother, Lorenzo “il Magnifico” de’ Medici, that day as well, t...

Episode 120 – Rome: The Sistine Chapel before Michelangelo

Posted: May 5th, 2021

Decades before Michelangelo climbed up on the nearly 70 feet of scaffolding to adorn the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, a veritable “All-Star Team” of late-15th- century artists had already decorated its walls. Artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pietro Perugino, and Luca Si...

Episode 119 – Florence: Uffizi Gallery – Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”

Posted: April 28th, 2021

Sandro Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" is one of the most celebrated paintings in the history of art. The work depicts how the Roman goddess of love, Venus, came into being. This episode will examine the style, composition and symbolism of the painting, as well as discuss those factors that give the p...

Episode 118 – Florence: Uffizi Gallery – Botticelli’s “Primavera”

Posted: April 21st, 2021

When Botticelli painted the "Primavera" in the 1470s, he opened up a veritable Pandora’s Box. No longer would Renaissance artists be limited to simply dressing Christian saints in togas and sandals, they could now gradually introduce the very literature, philosophy and religion of the ancient Grec...

Episode 117 – Answers to Open Questions – Part VII

Posted: April 14th, 2021

From the functionality of Renaissance buildings, to the anatomical details in the work of Piero della Francesca, to the religious orientation of Emperor Constantine, to the authenticity of Christian relics, this episode answers the very questions that you ask me about the great art, artists, and his...

Episode 116 – Florence: Andrea del Verrocchio – Part II

Posted: April 7th, 2021

This episode is the second part of a two-part episode about the extraordinary 15th-century Florentine artist who is best known as the master of Leonardo da Vinci. We examine Verrocchio's later sculptures such as the "Putto with a Dolphin", "Lady with a Primrose" and his "Equestrian Monument to Barto...

Episode 115 – Florence: Andrea del Verrocchio – Part I

Posted: March 31st, 2021

This first part of a two-part episode examines the art and career of the extraordinary sculptor who is best known as the master of Leonardo da Vinci. Although often overshadowed by the notoriety of his pupil, Verrocchio was one of the most significant sculptors in history. He was also one of the ...

Episode 114 – Piero della Francesca’s Flagellation in Urbino

Posted: March 24th, 2021

Kenneth Clark described Della Francesca’s painting as the “the greatest small painting in the world.” Much has been written about the enigmatic meaning of the work, including it serving as a metaphor for the fall of Constantinople. This episode examines the iconography of the famous painting a...

Episode 113 – Piero della Francesca’s Paintings in San Sepolcro and Monterchi

Posted: March 17th, 2021

This episode examines the extraordinary paintings in the second leg of the "Piero della Francesca Trail" in the Tuscan towns of San Sepolcro and Monterchi. From Piero's majestic "Madonna della Misericordia," to his iconic "Resurrection," and finally to his moving fresco of "The Madonna del Parto," l...

Episode 112 – Arezzo: The Legend of the True Cross by Piero della Francesca

Posted: March 10th, 2021

This episode examines the extraordinary fresco cycle in the Basilica of San Francesco in Arezzo, Italy. Painted by Piero della Francesca beginning in 1452 in the high chapel of the church, the frescoes are one the most important painting cycles of the early Renaissance and one of the artist's best-k...

Episode 111 – Padua: Andrea Mantegna’s frescoes in the Church of the Eremitani

Posted: March 3rd, 2021

This episode examines Andrea Mantegna's extraordinary early frescoes in the Augustinian church of the Eremitani in Padua, Italy. Despite being largely destroyed by Allied bombs in March 1944, the paintings (which have been heavily reconstructed) are still considered some of the most important expres...

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 109 – Florence: Equestrian Frescoes of John Hawkwood and Niccolò da Tolentino in Florence Cathedral

Posted: February 17th, 2021

This episode examines the two monumental equestrian frescoes by Paolo Uccello and Andrea del Castagno in Florence cathedral that represent two celebrated mercenary captains who had honorably served the Florentine Republic in the 14th and 15th centuries. These works represent two of the earliest Rena...

Episode 108 – Answers to Open Questions – Part VI

Posted: February 10th, 2021

From the Crucifix in Santo Spirito attributed to Michelangelo, to ancient Roman building materials, to patronage in 15th-century Italy, to Raphael's sex life, this episode answers the very questions that you ask me about the great art and artists of the Italian Renaissance....

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 105 – Florence: The Facade of Santa Maria Novella

Posted: January 20th, 2021

This episode examines the architectural style and history of Florence's only Renaissance-style church facade at the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, which was designed by the architect Leon Battista. From its classically-inspired forms, to the abundance of heraldic symbolism of both the Rucellai and...

Episode 104 – Florence: The Basilica of Santo Spirito – Part IV

Posted: January 13th, 2021

This episode is the fourth and final episode of our examination of the construction history of Brunelleschi's great Basilica of Santo Spirito in Florence, Italy. We look specifically at the most sensational and well-known controversy concerning the building of the church regarding how many doors sho...

Episode 103 – Florence: The Basilica of Santo Spirito – Part III

Posted: January 6th, 2021

This episode continues to examine the construction history of Brunelleschi's great Renaissance-style church. Based on extraordinarily detailed archival records regarding the construction of the church over nearly a decade, we are able to paint an incredibly vivid picture of how, literally, brick by ...

Episode 102 – Florence: The Basilica of Santo Spirito – Part II

Posted: December 30th, 2020

This episode continues to examine the construction history of Brunelleschi's great Renaissance basilica. Based on the findings from my book about the church, we will examine how the various chapel types and chapel sales directly reflect the progress of construction at Santo Spirito. ...

Episode 101 – Florence: The Basilica of Santo Spirito

Posted: December 23rd, 2020

This episode explores the architecture and early building history of the Brunelleschi's great Renaissance church. By comparing the account of Brunelleschi's earliest biographer to the known extant archival documentation, it is clear that construction on the church began shortly before the architect'...

Episode 100 – The Writing of “Brunelleschi’s Basilica: The Building of Santo Spirito in Florence”

Posted: December 16th, 2020

Join me in celebrating the 100th episode of my podcast by learning about all of the behind-the-scenes trials, tribulations, research, fortuitous moments, key figures, failures and triumphs that were part of the realization of my book, which was published in September 2020....

Episode 99 – Florence: Penitent Mary Magdalene by Donatello (Museo Dell’Opera del Duomo)

Posted: December 9th, 2020

This episode examines one of the most moving and expressive sculptures in the history of art. Carved from white poplar wood, Donatello captures the meaning of ascetic spirituality by physically decimating his figure while still expressing an inner vitality in this extraordinarily modern-looking stat...

Episode 98 – Florence: Uffizi Gallery Early Renaissance Paintings

Posted: December 2nd, 2020

This episode examines those works in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, that best express the principles of Early Renaissance style painting. From the rigid perspectival constructions of Paolo Uccello, to the sensually beautiful madonnas of Fra Lippo Lippi, to the iconic portraits of the duke ...

Episode 97 – An Interview with Nirav Tolia – Part II

Posted: November 25th, 2020

This episode is the second part of my two-part interview with visionary entrepreneur, Nirav Tolia, co-founder of the social media giant Nextdoor. We argue that those principles that drive innovation and creativity in Silicon Valley today are very much the same ones that drove the cultural revolution...

Episode 96 – An Interview with Nirav Tolia – Part I

Posted: November 18th, 2020

This episode is the first part of a two-part interview with visionary entrepreneur, Nirav Tolia, co-founder of the social media giant Nextdoor. We discuss Nirav's motivation for spending a year in Florence, Italy, teaching a course to Stanford University students about the similarities between the t...

Episode 95 – Florence: Chapel of the Magi (Medici Palace)

Posted: November 11th, 2020

This episode examines the splendid artistic decoration of one of Florence's best hidden gems - the Chapel of the Magi inside of the Medici Palace. Full a sumptuous materials and decorations, the walls of the chapel were beautifully painted by Benozzo Gozzoli in 1459 depicting the voyage of the Magi ...

Episode 94 – Florence: The Medici Palace

Posted: November 4th, 2020

This episode examines the history and architecture of the first Renaissance-style family palace in Florence, Italy. The Medici Palace was not only the home of the family, but also the seat of their political and financial power. Commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici, the palace was an integral part of t...

Episode 93 – Florence: The Medici Dynasty

Posted: October 28th, 2020

Episode Info: This episode examines the rise to power and legacy of one the longest-lasting dynasties in history. From relatively modest beginnings, the Medici family became one of the most wealthy and powerful families of Renaissance Italy, as well as great patrons of the arts....

Episode 92 – Florence: Last Supper by Andrea del Castagno (Sant’Apollonia)

Posted: October 21st, 2020

Episode Info: This episode analyzes one of the best-preserved and influential Renaissance paintings of the Last Supper. Located in the former refectory of a nunnery in Florence, Italy, the painting exhibits various traditional elements typical of the subject, but it also displays numerous innovat...