Renaissance Italy is known for its complex political geography, with numerous small duchies and principalities punching above their weight in terms of the generation of political and philosophical ideas and staggeringly beautiful works of art. Mantua, Ferrara, Parma are all well known. There were also several much smaller principalities whose histories are not as known,Continue reading “Piombino: A sovereign principality for the Appiani, Ludovisi and Boncompagni”
Category Archives: Italy
Sforza dukes of Milan
In a recent television series, the artist Leonardo da Vinci is brought to Milan to work for the most powerful man in Renaissance Italy: Ludovico il Moro. Il Moro was head of the Sforza family, one of the names most associated with Italian history in the fifteenth century—like Medici or Borgia—but interestingly, their name wasn’tContinue reading “Sforza dukes of Milan”
Borghese Princes
Most tourist visits to Rome include a stop at the Villa Borghese. The name evokes elegance and the splendour of the Baroque Age—the art gallery contained within holds some of the genuine treasures of the Renaissance art world. Visitors may not realise this was once the private residence and gardens of one of the leadingContinue reading “Borghese Princes”
Dukes and Princes 