| Description: | This course will explore the factors that have led to the development of Florence, its architecture and open spaces. The construction of the city up to the architecture of the early 17th century will be studied from the architectural and historical points of view. This course is divided into lectures in class, walking tours, visits, field trips and sketching on site, all fundamental for the understanding of the city. We will draw on the parallel history of the town of Florence to understand the growth of the city, but the main interest will be on the architecture and the way it developed. To better understand the historical development of the city the course will also focus on the history, the artistic productions of the time, the philosophical currents and the powerful families that ruled and determined different architectural choices. |