Italy is filled with Renaissance beauty: Florence, Perugia, and Siena. Mantova, Pavia and Ferrara, just to name a few.  This is not surprising, because the Renaissance, the historical and cultural period that, in Italy, runs from the very early 14th century to the end of the 16th, is as much a symbol of our art, culture and contribution to civilization as Classical Rome is.

Renaissance: a name chosen for its deepest meaning, that of being born again, after the dark centuries of the Middle Ages. Today, we all know that medieval times weren’t the empty cultural vessel earlier historians believed, but the word Rinascimento stuck nevertheless, and rightly so because, during those centuries, the way Humankind looked at its role in the universe changed; it started questioning cultural and religious dogmas and embraced pleasure and beauty as a way of life again.