Renaissance Florence Route: Politics, Patronage, Power

Do not organize your trip by popularity. Organize it by historical sequence.

Four Phases

1. Commune and guild authority.
2. Early Renaissance experimentation.
3. Medici consolidation and display.
4. Grand Duchy continuity and curation.

Site Pairing Grid

Ask not only what is beautiful, but what is being communicated.

Museum Micro-Questions

• Who paid for this work?
• Who was the intended audience?
• What political message is hidden in style and placement?

Bottom line

A Florence pass becomes a historical decoder when your route is chronological.