mgrest.blogg.se - december 2022

The palaces and the art they commissioned still amaze visitors from all over the globe. Their propensions to risk-taking and their innovative approach set the course of the European economy for centuries to come while their investments in the field of arts and architecture propelled the artistic development of the city to reach unparalleled heights. This unprecedented growth would have never been possible without the industriousness of the Florentine corporations and the tremendous ingenuity of its bankers, such as the Medici and the Strozzi, the Bardi and the Peruzzi. Throughout the 13th century the city established itself as Europe’s greatest financial hub and transformed its currency – the Florin – into one of the main pivots of the Medieval economy.

Not everyone knows that, in addition to being the cradle of the Renaissance, Florence has also played a crucial role in laying the foundation of the world’s modern banking system.

Oratorio dei Buonomini di San Martino is a pictorial compendium of the social strategies adopted by Florentines so as to mitigate financial crises.

Orsanmichele, here the Florentine corporations of the 15th century competed one against the other to adorn the exterior of the church with the best sculpture and thus sponsored the creation of seminal masterpieces.

The Sassetti Chapel presents a perfectly preserved photo-like depiction of the Florentine financial elite in the late 15th century.

Strozzi Palace stands as a symbol of the cut-throat competition that brought the Strozzi and the Medici from financial rivalry to all out political war.

The Giotto Bell Tower presents visitors with an illustrated narration of the endeavours that made Florence’s the strongest economy in 14th century Europe.

Medici Palace, here the elegantly restrained architecture of the palace will tell us about the political and financial ascendancy of the family.

These will be the focus of our visit as they provide a true understanding of what being a banker in Renaissance Florence meant. Their wealth and assets might have long vanished, but the history of their unique personalities is still narrated by the chapels and palaces they commissioned. Not only they endowed the city with a million-making tourist industry, but also they eternalised their families through beauty and prestige.

Although they might not have known it themselves, the arts have definitely proved to be the best investment made by the Florentine bankers of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.