Florence : the city and its architecture
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Florence : the city and its architecture
Phaidon, 2002
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 315) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
This book offers a comprehensive account of the architecture of Florence, setting the city's extraordinarily beautiful buildings within the political, economic and cultural contexts in which they were designed and constructed.
The rapid expansion of its banking interests and its wool and textile industries brought Florence unique prosperity: it became, under Medici power, the heart of the European Renaissance and the sponsor of pivotal architectural works. Stretching from the city's foundation by Julius Caesar in 59 BC to modern times, the text sets out a thematic approach that is at once in-depth and wide-ranging.
It begins with a rigorous historical overview, then proceeds to examine buildings associated with the powers of Church and State, followed by the practicalities of building and the main architectural types, ending with modern developments. Buildings covered range from the Duomo, with Brunelleschi's prodigious cupola, and the sprawling grandeur of the Palazzo Pitti, to neighbourhood churches and lesser known but mesmerizing piazzas. Landmark modernist buildings include those by the notorious architect Pier Luigi Nervi.
The astounding visual wealth of the city is reflected in specially commissioned photography, while original plans and paintings by Florentine masters illuminate the historical context. In addition to a glossary of Italian terms and biographical notes on major figures, the book includes a foldout map with a key to the buildings discussed.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Part 1: The City and Its History 1. The Origins of the City 2. The Maturing Medieval City 3. Florence and the Medici 4. Florence under Foreign Rule
- Part 2: The Nuclei of Power 5. The Church: The Duomo and San Giovanni, Spiritual Heart of the City 6. The Governments of Florence: From Piazza della Signoria to Palazzo Pitti, the Political Axis
- Part 3: The Architecture of Florence 7. The Men Who Built the City: Materials, Craftsmen, the Building Industry, and the Architect 8. The Defense of the City: Walls, Gates, Towers, Fortresses 9. The Social Networks 10. The Churches of Florence 11. The Houses of Florence 12. The Florentine Palazzi
- Part 4: Florence Since Unification 13. The Form of the City in the Modern Era 14. The Architecture of Florence Since Unification
- Postscript
- Notes on the Text
- Biographical Notes
- Map of Florence
- Glossary of Terms
- Bibliography
- Index
by "Nielsen BookData"