Florence: The Golden Age 1138-1737

by Gene A. Brucker

Over the centuries many thousands of visitors have journeyed to Florence to admire the city's great beauty and to marvel at its unique history. In this century Gene Brucker has been one of the city's most knowledgeable admirers. With the historian's ability to uncover the past, he skillfully relates the story of Florence's Golden Age and the conjoined forces that transformed the city on the Arno into one of the most glorious civilizations the world has known. Brucker's story of the premier city of the Italian Renaissance tells of great families and common people, wars and economic dislocations, natural catastrophes and religious turmoil, and extraordinary artistic and literary achievement.

The creative growth of the city of Dante, Giotto, Brunelleschi, and Michelangelo was made possible through Florence's role as an economic center, the zeal of its small manufacturing industries, and the enterprise of the merchants who spread Florentine influence well beyond the city's walls and territories. The pages of Florence are enlivened with the voices of historical protagonists, and their words richly convey the tenor of the times. Brucker's accessible writing is complimented by a wealth of paintings and drawings, 200 of them in full color. Also included are a chronology of important historical events, a listing of noted Florentine families, and a genealogy of the famed Medici family. Historians and students will find much of value here; so too will anyone who is in love with—or who plans to fall in love with—the shining city of Florence.

Genres: History, Italy, Nonfiction, Art, European History

278 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated volume, a coffee-table book, so to speak, and it contains many examples of the art and architecture that make Florence a world-wide tourist attraction. It is worth owning for that reason alone. Textually, the narrative by Professor Brucker is...well, professorial. I found that the book lingered a little excessively on the 12th and 13th centuries, and as important as those years were, they are not the generations that most people associate with the greatness that was/is Florence. That comes later with the Medici family, Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, da Vinci, etc. I also found the chapter insets somewhat annoying in that the numbering of the images on the pages did not follow the order in which they were presented in the text, so it was somewhat confusing and laborious to coordinate the two, which betrays a certain lack of page layout acumen or else a lack of communication between publisher and author. Those misgivings noted, for those who have been to Florence or are contemplating a visit, this handsome volume is a worthy companion for before and after.