Florence: Renaissance home of the Medici, Michelangelo and da Vinci | Legendary Cities

[Music] florence in the heart of tuscany seldom in the history of humanity as a city had such an impact on the history of art this is where the renaissance began in the 15th century florence was a wealthy and influential to city their power the princes of the day were prepared to spend vast amounts of money erecting monuments and surrounding themselves with the very best artists [Music] palaces squares and religious edifices testify to their genius florence became one of the most beautiful cities in the world a city made sublime by the spirit of the rene sauce [Music] our journey begins here in the santa croce district where one of the city's most famous basilicas stands santa croce is one of the symbols of florentine art it is a testament to the abundance of art produced in the city during the 15th century over time the basilica has become a pantheon of florence's great figures in the fields of art and science amid the larger tombstones sits an altarpiece created by giotto donatello's enunciation can also be found here buried here are galileo the composer rossini and machiavelli but the jewel in santa croce's crown is the tomb of michelangelo designed by the great giorgio vasari florence owes its standing as the ultimate expression of artistic genius to one family the medici the city owes its extraordinary destiny to them the medici are still regarded as possibly the greatest patrons of the arts in the history of the world to understand the history of the medici family in florence a visit to the palazzo medici ricardi is an absolute must this is where the medici rain began [Music] a fresco dating from this period can be found in the magi chapel the procession of the magus caspar this fresco demonstrates the power of the medici who dominated the city for more than 300 years [Music] several members of the medici family are represented here it's the first example of political propaganda by the medici lorenzo the magnificent is shown as a child on a white horse behind him is pierre on the other white horse and his grandfather they are represented in the fresco as rich merchants powerful men at the heart of the village the medici were among the first to grasp the importance of the art in the quest for power for the medici family the importance of patronage was down to two factors firstly their personal and traditional taste for beautiful things and secondly this patronage allowed them to build a reputation and to make themselves known to other european countries in order to attract numerous artists from all over italy and europe to their court the rise to prominence of the house of medici was led by one man state banker giovanni de medici thanks to him the family amassed a considerable fortune and the bankers julie became princes the vast fortune was inherited by his son cosimo the elder whose own son lorenzo the magnificent became in turn a true prince of the renaissance and a lavish and extravagant patron of the arts he sponsored most of the great artists of the day most notably leonardo da vinci and michelangelo both of whom he welcomed into his home for more than 300 years the medici occupied all the major strategic positions in italian society as statesmen businessmen and popes dealing in power and intrigue and placing their wealth in the service of the arts and sciences they initiated one of the most important cultural and artistic movements in western europe the renaissance [Music] the creation of the gates of the san giovanni baptistery is considered to be one of the founding acts of the renaissance in florence in 1401 a competition was organized to decide who to entrust with the construction it was the first public artistic competition of modern times winner was an unknown sculptor named lorenzo giberti he worked for more than 25 years to complete this absolute masterpiece of bronze astounded by their beauty michelangelo dubbed the doors the gates of paradise [Music] to win the competition gilberti had to beat a candidate named felipe brunelleschi brunileski was a sculptor but he was also an architect following his failure he set off for rome and discovered the magic of the ancient ruins on his return he was one of the first to reinvent the organization of the city [Music] on this square brunelleschi built the hospitale deli inocenti or foundling hospital it was europe's first orphanage brunelleschi's idea to integrate a hospital in the middle of a square was extremely innovative at the time so this was almost like a new birth there is something magical about it suddenly in the winding medieval streets you come across a place that is pure and full of light he created something new and softer it was very important to him and almost an obsession to stand out from the romanesque and gothic styles because these styles belong to people from the north and so he needed to find something which was new and unique to florence so it was kind of a new synthesis he introduced this idea that architecture is not just about interiors and walls it can also be about an actual open-air space and that was a real first as well as being one of the first architects to imagine a square in the middle of the city filippo brunelleschi was the creator of the duomo the duomo is the dome of the santa maria del fiore one of the largest cathedrals in the world it dominates the florentine skyline the cathedral's dimensions reflect the ambitions of the city a competition was held won by brunelleschi the santa maria took 100 years to build in the open air brunelleschi had to solve the technological conundrum of how to cover a hole 45 meters in diameter he opted to give the dome a slightly pointed shape to provide better distribution of weight his theory was based on the load-bearing properties of eggs which he said refused to yield when pressed down upon the work went on for 16 years and at the time of brunelleschi's death in 1446 the project was still unfinished it was still missing the steeple that would offset the ensemble thanks to the detailed plans he left behind the work was successfully completed while the baptistry doors and the duomo brought fame to giberti and brunelleschi florence also nurtured the genius of botticelli leonardo da vinci and donatello with the commissions being handed out by wealthy families craftsmen evolved into fully fledged artists the work of donatello can be found in many of the large constructions around his native city [Music] the statues of the bell tower for example however these statues completed in 1433 were not always accorded such a prominent position only later when donatello achieved recognition were they taken out of the alcoves located on the facade hidden from the bell tower donatello was almost 80 before people realized the importance of his work it was then decided to move his statues to the bell tower's main facade this remarkable homage to the master donatello is the most concrete demonstration of the importance of their artists and to art in general by the people of florence [Music] with the renaissance came a new concept of sculpture artists embraced the most important themes of ancient art the nude male form busts and equestrian statues we are in the gallery of the academia where one of the greatest masterpieces of renaissance art is on display michelangelo's david first noticed when he was 15 the young michelangelo was hired by lorenzo the magnificent he then discovered the sublime medici collection of ancient statues his in-depth study of them plus his special talent led him to produce this monumental statue it is 4.8 meters high david is one of michelangelo's major works he was 30 years old when he completed it he spent three years of his life sculpting a single block of marble david versus goliath has long been an emblem of the city of florence and despite the sensuality that radiates from the figure michelangelo imbued him with considerable strength look at this hand it seems disproportionate in comparison with the rest of the body it is said to be the hand of michelangelo the hand of the creative genius who symbolized the strength and power of the city of florence compared with the rest of the world [Music] during the renaissance any aristocratic family worth its salt had to have a palace like the medicis the palaces are like fortresses in appearance they were not designed to reflect the glory of their inhabitants but rather to promote the stability of the family in florence one family has lived in the same palace for 500 years the antenori family contrary to general practice the marquis pierro antenori receives us in his private apartment here is my favorite room because it's the room where all my ancestors have worked it was their office and today it's mine the palace's history is also linked to the medici my ancestor nicolo antinori was friends with loro of the medici who before he died made it so that it would be him who bought the palace instead of any other interested parties and this was really how nikkolo antinori managed to acquire this palace the family's determination to keep hold of this palace down the centuries is out of respect for their ancestors [Music] this is a very important document for us it has great value because it is the will and testament of nicolo di tomaso antinori in which he outlines his desire to see future generations keeping the palace united and never letting it be divided it has always been handed down to the family's eldest son in each generation this is how we have been able to preserve it even to this day in perfect condition the head of a wine empire created in 1385 an empire he oversees with his three daughters it's been a very good year i've taken some home for myself and what's more i think it's going to age well over the last 500 years the interior architecture has barely altered the style remains feudal [Music] today we still live here in the same way they lived here in 1506. the family lives on the upper floor the floor for nobility where guests are received and the ground floor is devoted to commercial activity everything has remained identical between 1506 and 2013 which has developed our sensibility and our admiration for the beauty of renaissance architecture this forms a part of our style today and ensures some continuity the antenori palace is the only one in florence to have maintained its commercial activity here on the ground floor of the building [Music] it is a source of great pride for the family this place is something of an institution in florence during the renaissance clients were sold wine through this small hatch the power and wealth of the great florentine families was underpinned by their trade activities a stroll through the altrano district provides a glimpse of the city's ancient professions and traditions [Music] it is a labyrinth of alleyways lined with small houses and workshops this was the heart of florentine trade from the late 14th century onwards florence was the headquarters of europe's wool and silk trade this silk workshop belonged to the richie family [Music] it is the only one in the world that still operates just as it did 250 years ago [Applause] [Applause] during the renaissance all the noble families of florence employed their own weavers at the time wearing silk was a sign of wealth it was therefore essential to have the best weavers at one's disposal likewise the best sculptors and painters this one is one of the fabrics which were really important and very precious during the renaissance for the nobles and the very rich families and the particularity is the shortest and these particular colors you see because the colors in the period were very expensive natural colors and so only the noble and very rich could afford it in a corner of the workshop stands a unique machine the only one of its kind in the world it was designed by the great leonardo da vinci for many years the idea existed only on paper not until the 18th century was the machine constructed from the master's blueprint he saw the the way they were working and he tried every time to find something to do it better so his invention was a very simple mechanic but a genius idea to have the possibility to pose the threats in this version you see it is perfect it is the only piece which has ever been realized and we use it daily leonardo da vinci was the renaissance man par excellence with an infinite capacity for creativity and inventiveness painter sculptor architect leonardo was a visionary genius an inventor who was so far ahead of his time that many of his projects remained unfulfilled leonardo da vinci's passion for knowledge also expressed itself in the field of science ignoring the admonishments of the church he dissected human bodies to better understand how human beings worked he left more than 200 anatomical charts which were extremely detailed for the time he was the first to correctly draw the curves of the spinal column and ribs showing the precise position of the pelvis the medici legacy in florence affected every artistic field painting sculpture architecture their extraordinary patronage allowed the city of florence to write itself into the history of art forever the renaissance also heralded a revolution in lifestyles this was a period in which the art of the perfumer came to prominence the officina di santa maria novella was set up by the dominican fries their reputation of the products soon spread beyond the convents perimeter wall and in 1612 the pharmacy opened its doors to the public under the patronage of the medici family it is one of the oldest perfumeries in the world but today the fragrances bought here have evolved greatly from the medici era at the time the master perfumers created fragrances to order using the most precious essences for the great florentine families [Music] for the first time in history perfume became a way to communicate with others to create a link between one's own and another's personalities and it was very in fashion during the renaissance to perfume gloves because the hand was the only point of contact allowed between a man and a woman when they greeted each other so there was a fascination for perfume and for this very sensual gesture [Music] back at the piazza della signoria the palazzo vecchio was for a long time the medici seat of power today it is florence's town hall [Music] in the 16th century cosimo the first duke of florence and grand duke of tuscany moved into the palazzo vecchio to show off his authority and prestige when cosimo the first decided to restructure the interior he first thought of entrusting all the work to michelangelo or leonardo da vinci [Music] in the end giorgio vesari was chosen [Music] from then on the name of vasari would be inextricably linked to the splendor of the medici and to their desire to conquer [Music] giorgio vasari is best known as the creator of one of the most astonishing buildings in florence the vasari corridor it links up two palaces the palazzo vecchio located in the middle of the city and the palazzo piti situated on the other side of the river arno imagine a passage which is in fact a richly adorned hall more than a kilometer long running alongside then spanning the arnold snaking its way above the alleyways of florence cutting a sway through the city's palaces this corridor commissioned by kosuma the first in 1565 starts from the green room of his wife elianora di toledo in an era when assassinations were not uncommon he wanted to cross florence incognito and in safety to access the new medici residence the palazzo piti [Music] it was elianora who in 1549 bought this palace built in the previous century by a florentine banker the baboli gardens were built for her this vast italian style park with its hundreds of statues is where the magnificent festivals put on by the medicis were held all the splendors of the city can be admired from the baboli gardens the centuries go by and nothing moves care must be taken though this unique legacy can provoke a phenomenon known as stendhal syndrome in 1817 the famous french writer overcome by the splendors of florence experienced feelings of faintness which according to the specialists of the day were brought on by an overdose of beauty you

Channel: wocomoTRAVEL

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Keywords: Documentary, tourism, travel, history, culture, architecture, heritage, tradition, trade, Florence, Italy, Renaissance, art, Medici, monuments, artists, religion, basilica, pope, science, Donatello, Rossini, Galileo, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Giorgio Vasari, Palazzo, patron, Leonardo da Vinci, Florenz, Filippo Brunelleschi, Santa Maria del Fiore, statues, David, Lorenzo the Magnificent, Antinori, wine, sculpture, professions, Florentine, wool, silk, perfume, fashion, Palazzo Vecchio

Id: zomF-V7DEpg

Length: 26min 1sec (1561 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 25 2021