The World of the Italian Renaissance
Routledge Library Editions: The Renaissance Series

Originally published in 1982, this book tackles the underlying problem of what is meant by ?the Renaissance? and outlines those social, economic and topographical factors which triggered it off. It covers a number of subjects, the family, war, trade, religion and art but recognizing that the Renaissance was essentially an urban growth it focusses on 7 great Italian cities: Florence, Rome, Venice, Milan, Urbino, Mantua and Ferrara. It also includes studies of some extraordinary Renaissance individuals: Federigo Montefeltro, Isabella d?Este, Machiavelli, Baldasssare Castiglione, and the Medici clan, among others.

Introduction 1. The Geographical Expression 2. Florence: The Search for the Past 3. The Throne of St. Peter 4. The Paradox of Venice 5. The Warrior Princes 6. Domestic Interior 7. The Social Matrix 8. The Renaissance Manifest 9. The Golden Age