You can't have an art boom without money,
and the Medici family,
who ruled Florence for generations
from palaces like this, was loaded.
It was the Medici wealth -- they were bankers --
along with their passion for art and super-sized egos
that helped Florence fund the Renaissance,
making this city the art capital of the western world.
The statues in their garden are a reminder that
it was in Florence that art was first commissioned
simply to be enjoyed by a wealthy elite.
With the Renaissance, you had art not just
to teach Bible stories or to glorify kings.
Now, rich people sponsored art just for art's sake.
The art-loving Medicis
hosted lots of famous artists, philosophers, and poets.
Imagine -- a teenage Michelangelo
lived with them almost as an adopted son,
Leonardo da Vinci played the lute at their parties,
and Botticelli actually studied the classical statues
that dotted their gardens.
Today, the plush world of the Medici
is on display in their palaces.
This lavishly frescoed family chapel
takes you back to Florence -- at least the Florence
of its aristocratic class -- in the 1400s.
The walls around the altar display
"The Journey of the Magi," or Three Kings,
on their way to Bethlehem, by Benozzo Gozzoli.
Showing no shortage of ego, a Medici prince portrays himself
as one of the Three Kings.
This is an idealized image of Lorenzo the Magnificent
leading a parade of Florentines through a rocky landscape.
Rather than the Holy Land,
the scene is set in 15th-century Tuscany.
Behind the king are other family members
along with the city's rich and powerful of the day.
These elegant Florentine dandies
are actually realistic portraits,
showing the leading characters of Florence around 1450.
They're wearing colorful clothes
that set trends throughout Europe.
The chapel doubled as the place the Medici
received important guests, and by portraying their family
in this religious setting, the Medici made
an impressive display of power and sophistication.
When potential rivals would drop by and see this,
they could only think, "Damn, those Medici are good."
On the city's main square stands the Palazzo Vecchio,
Florence's City Hall.
While the exterior is medieval, Michelangelo's "David" --
this one's a replica -- seems to welcome you into
the Renaissance world and the dawn of our Modern Age.
The elaborate courtyard,
with its Roman-inspired decoration,
is textbook Renaissance.
The enormous main hall is designed to impress
500 guests at the same time.
In an age before it was possible to buy mass media,
this was how you shaped public opinion.
The art trumpeted the glory of Florence thanks to the Medici.
The frescos recall great military victories --
Florence beating Pisa, 1497...
Florence trouncing Siena in 1555.
The ceiling heralds the divine glory
of the Grand Duke Cosimo de' Medici.
Dressed as an emperor and blessed by the pope,
he was the first Medici to rule like a king.
In front, you've got Leo X,
the first of three Medici popes,
giving the family some nice connections
in both Rome and heaven and explaining how
the Medici family became the bankers of the Vatican.
The hall is flanked by statues showing
the heroic labors of Hercules,
a mortal who became a half-god through his labors,
a parallel not lost on wowed Florentines.
Again, you've got to be impressed by those Medici.
The Doge's Palace -- the ruling center and residence
of Venice's duke -- was built to show off the
power and wealth of the Republic and to remind
visitors that Venice was number one. Its lacy
exterior, a distinct blend of east and west, is Venetian Gothic.
For four centuries, this was the most powerful
piece of real estate in Europe. The sprawling
palace is a maze of richly decorated rooms.
Here in the doge's lavish apartment, a map
illustrates the reach of the Venetian maritime
empire -- which stretched across most of the
eastern Mediterranean.
While it didn't have vast land holdings, Venice
was a mighty trading empire -- built upon a network
of ports and a mastery of the sea. The city was
driven by an interest in dominating Mediterranean
trade. And, until the 16th century after explorers
like Vasco da Gama and Columbus opened up
the world leaving Venice stuck in a
geographic hole, Venice did dominate.
Here in the Senate Hall, nobles gathered to
address their colleagues, debate, and pass laws.
Glorious paintings throughout the palace
reminded Venetians of their heritage and divinely
ordained greatness.
Tintoretto's "Triumph of Venice" shows the
city -- always represented blond and virtuous --
in heaven among the Greek Gods,
receiving the wealth of the sea.
The doge was something of an elected king -- which
only makes sense in an aristocratic republic
like Venice. Technically, he was a noble selected
by other nobles to oversee the carrying out
of their laws and decisions. There were 120
doges over 1100 years.
The vast Hall of the Great Council could host a
meeting of 2,500 nobles. Tintoretto's monsterpiece,
"Paradise" -- the largest oil painting anywhere -- reminded
lawmakers that making wise decisions would
ultimately put you in the company of 500 saints.
And for further encouragement, the famous
Bridge of Sighs led directly from the palace
to its infamous prison. According to the romantic
legend, gazing out the window, prisoners tried
to enjoy their last view of Venetian beauty,
sighed...and were taken to their cell.
Opponents of the government were dealt with swiftly
and decisively. This prison -- with discouraging
bars -- held commoners and nobles alike.
The great Venetian rogue Casanova did time here.
While this prison was considered relatively
comfortable in its day, wasting away in here,
with so much beauty so close, must have been
a particularly cruel punishment.
The palace kept an armory on display -- an intentionally
intimidating array of weaponry designed to
dishearten potential adversaries. Along with
a powerful collection of weapons-state of
the art in its day, it comes with some fun
curiosities: tiny crossbows, thumbscrews,
and a particularly effective chastity belt.
Along with economic might, the splendor of
Venice was built upon a foundation of military
power. Its formidable navy saw lots of action.
Nearby stand the imposing gates of the Arsenal --
Europe's first great military industrial complex.
The Republic's fortified shipyard, with 3,000
workers using an early form of assembly line
production and standardized parts,
could produce one warship a day.
The Arsenal put the "fear of Venice" into
visiting rulers. When the king of France came
to town, he was taken here for a humbling
spectacle: the creation of an entire warship
before his very eyes.
Then, after a quick glide down this canal, the
vessel was completely outfitted and ready
to bolster Venetian dominance of the Mediterranean.
Because of its former wealth, Venice is a
city of palaces. The most lavish face the
Grand Canal. Enjoying the views from a vaporetto
is the best way to really appreciate the front
doors of this historic chorus line of mansions,
most from the 14th and 15th centuries.
Palaces like these are reminders that Venetian
merchants amassed lots of capital. With clever
alliances and aggressive trade policies, for
Venice, the eastern Mediterranean was a virtual
free-trade zone.
As Venetian nobles traded their way into fabulous
wealth, they built luxurious palaces like
this one which has been owned by the Pisani
family for nearly 400 years. Their counterparts
on the mainland had to fortify their places
with heavy stone and tall towers. But, with
their natural lagoon defenses, Venetian palazzos
could be sumptuous rather than fortified.
A palace served all the family's needs -- import/export
warehouse at water level, business offices
above that, and plush living quarters above that -- all under one roof.
The goods -- in the case of this family: furs,
salt, cotton, and coffee -- came off ships through
this loading dock.
Today many former palazzos survive as hotels.
While there are a number of luxurious hotels
in town, my favorites are the smaller, family-run
ones -- which combine historic character, a warm
and friendly welcome and plenty of travel tips.
At this hotel, I'm splurging to enjoy that
"prince for a day" feeling in the lounge, a
bedroom with all the comforts, and a
terrace with a view of the Grand Canal.