Rebuilding The Renaissance

This very personal podcast recounts my harrowing experience inside of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi when a severe earthquake struck the town in 1997 causing several vaults to collapse inside the Upper Basilica and killing four people.

This episode examines the history, architecture and decoration of great shrine to St. Francis in Assisi that was decorated by a veritable all-star team of late-13th/early-14th-century artists such as Cimabue, Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti and perhaps even Giotto. It also discusses the phenomenon of pilgrimage and the importance of relics in the spiritual life of medieval Christians.

This episode will examine the extraordinary life of one of the greatest revolutionaries in Western history: St. Francis of Assisi. It will also discuss how St. Francis' revolutionary natural philosophy may have sparked the historical movement known as the Renaissance.  

This episode will examine the extraordinary collection of sculptures in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy. From Donatello's "Judith and Holofernes' to Michelangelo's "David" to Cellini's "Perseus and Medusa", each sculpture represents a chapter in the extraordinary story that is the history of the great Renaissance city.

This episode will analyze the architecture of the building that was the seat of political power in medieval Florence - the Palazzo Vecchio - and the historical circumstances that led to its construction.

This episode will trace the historical evolution of Europe from the fall of the Roman Empire through Charlemagne and the creation of the Holy Roman Empire and finally to the rise of medieval city-states in Italy with particular emphasis given to the role of Florence. 

This podcast will examine the ancient Roman origins of the city of Florence and trace its urban development from its foundation in 59 B.C. to the modern city that we see today. 

This podcast will examine the transformation of a provincial Italian town named Ravenna into an Imperial capital and how the Byzantine Emperor Justinian sought to recapture the western half of his empire. 

This episode will address the rise of Christianity in the Roman world and the critical role that Emperor Constantine played in its success and changing the world forever. 

In this episode, we examine and analyze the ancient Roman temple that has been described as the most perfectly designed architectural monument in history. 

This episode examines that most decadent period in ancient Roman history when emperors provided both lavish foods and spectacular entertainment to the citizens of Rome.

In this podcast we examine the jaw-dropping spectacles and bloody contests that took place inside of the Colosseum. 

This podcast analyzes the architecture and reconstructs the engineering marvels of the mother of all amphitheaters.

This episode recounts and analyzes the rise to power of Julius Caesar and the transformation of the Roman Republic into an Empire.

This episode examines the foundation myth of Ancient Rome and how it reflects those critical historical and social factors that contributed to making Rome the most absolute empire in history.