Magnifico
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31 Dezember 2021 - Europe
There is always a balance to be struck in visiting a place between learning everything about it beforehand so you can really appreciate it or letting your experiences of it color and connect your later learning. When I went to Firenze in 2019 I knew a lot about the history of the city and her place in the world, but also in my mind were the scene at the end of the Dark Knight Rises and seeing the works of the four Ninja Turtles' namesakes. There were long lines for the museums, so I just ran the limestone streets of the city taking in the architecture. Thus I knew Il Duomo, the Palazzo Vecchio, etc. firsthand already as I read Miles Unger's Magnifico and could place myself in 15th century Firenze, or Florence as it is often called in English.
Unger's enchanting book follows the life of Lorenzo de' Medici and does an excellent job placing the starring character of his book within the context of his place and time. Lorenzo de' Medici was an important politician as well as patron of the arts and it is in the latter role that he more often appears today, because who today doesn't know a bit of something about Renaissance artists? But while maybe we know Michaelangelo painted the Sistine chapel, who knows that as a young boy his skill was nurtured by the beneficence of de' Medici at it was only upon his death that Florence fell in stature and the artist departed for Rome along with so many of his contemporaries? Unger focuses mostly on de' Medici's political role as head of the city's first family.
We are introduced to de' Medici through the event which first showed his gift for persuasion: the attempted abduction of his father during a political revolt against the family and their allies. This skill would serve de' Medici time and again throughout his life, most notably when he ended a war that Firenze was losing by sailing to the enemy king in Naples and convincing him to switch sides. He also built his family: his son would become pope and later generations would sit on thrones around Europe.
I'm glad to have read Unger's book and would recommend it to anyone wishing to deepen their knowledge of Italy.
