Think of Siena – the Piccolomini chapel. This book gives all the background to the stories painted there as well as describing Siena’s relationship with Florence, Mantua and Milan; famous personalities such as Cardinal Bessarion is mentioned frequently, as is Ferrante, King of Naples, Emperor Frederick III, French King Louis XI; the ancient ruins of Rome, Ostia and Albano.
This is the only autobiography of a pope, so there is a lot of first-hand insight into the 1400’s. Really provides a more developed understanding of the people and the times.
€5.
