The Renaissance Program in Florence, Italy
Our March 2026 Program Has Now Concluded
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The Renaissance Program in Florence explores the profound ideas that shaped the Italian Renaissance. It also asks what those ideas — and the thinkers behind them — might still offer us today.
Each morning begins with a short talk or presentation, followed by guided visits to famous sites and masterpieces across the city.
The talks and visits are designed to complement one another: Florence becomes an open-air classroom, showing how key ideas were embodied in practice — through art, architecture, and civic life.
After five days together in Florence — thinking, exploring, and engaging in conversation — the final part of the course includes two online sessions, which are also recorded. These sessions extend the conversation and explore how Renaissance ideas can contribute to life today.
THE RENAISSANCE PROGRAM IN FLORENCE
Our March 2026 Program — Now Concluded
Our most recent Renaissance Program in Florence, held in March 2026, was a rousing success. Around twenty participants from eight countries gathered for our morning talks and discussions about the ideas that shaped the Renaissance, followed by afternoon visits to important sites and artworks across the city.
We expect to hold the next Renaissance Program in November 2027. In the meantime, you can read about the March 2026 program below.
To receive updates, please join our mailing list using the contact form at the bottom of this page.
What follows is a description of our March 2026 progam
The Energizing Ideas of the Italian Renaissance
“We must always remember that the Renaissance was a state of mind in so many ways: The concrete effects followed from those fundamental attitudes.” — Kenneth Bartlett, University of Toronto
The core ideas that allowed the Italian Renaissance to emerge and flourish are beliefs that have deeply shaped our modern world and values. These ideas of Renaissance humanism include:
- A belief that the study of ancient literature and philosophy can create a better society and more virtuous leaders
- A belief in human dignity, the power to shape our own lives, and a belief that human beings can create works of lasting greatness
- A belief that beauty is essential because it can enhance, elevate, and deepen human life
- A belief that learning and education can make a profound contribution to human life — and that a person‘s life, and the city itself, can become a work of art
Join us in Florence, Italy, for five days to explore the energizing ideas of the Renaissance humanists and how Renaissance ideas can benefit the world today.
The program will combine five days of presentations and discussions with visits to the most important historical sites and artworks of Renaissance Florence. Day 5 includes special guest presentations at Palazzo Rucellai.
- Day 1: The Birth of Renaissance Humanism, the Discovery of the Modern Self, and the Recovery of Ancient Knowledge
- Day 2: Civic Humanism: Creating the Best Possible World
- Day 3: What it Meant to be Human in the Renaissance: Human Dignity, Human Potential, and Shaping a Self
- Day 4: Art, Architecture, and Philosophy: Beauty, Goodness, and Harmony
- Day 5: “Seeing Things in Perspective”: Renaissance Visions of the Whole
- Day 6 (Saturday morning): Visit to Villa Medici in Fiesole, overlooking Florence, where humanists like Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola used to gather for conversations — followed by a farewell meal at a nearby restaurant
Each day of the Renaissance Program begins with a two-hour slide lecture and discussion. The site visits, which follow, relate to the topics discussed in the lectures. They include the Duomo (Brunelleschi’s dome), the Bargello Museum (Donatello’s David), San Marco, the Accademia Gallery (Michelangelo’s David), Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi Gallery (Botticelli and Leonardo) — and on Friday afternoon, a visit to the Brancacci Chapel (“The Masters of Perspective”) and the Basilica of San Lorenzo (the first large-scale example of Renaissance architecture, designed by Brunelleschi). Saturday morning, we will visit the Medici Villa overlooking Florence and have a farewell lunch at a nearby restaurant.
Short video clip: Preparing for the Renaissance Program
Renaissance Program Presenters
David Fideler is a writer, philosopher, and founder of the Renaissance Program. He has spent decades studying the ideas of classical philosophy and the Renaissance. He has also studied the influence of classical ideas on Renaissance art and architecture.
David’s writings have appeared in many publications, including The New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. His book on the Roman philosopher Seneca has been published in seventeen languages.
Chandi Wyant is a licensed guide to the museums of Florence and holds a master’s degree in Florentine Renaissance history.
Chandi is interested in the intersection between humanist and artistic innovations in fifteenth-century Florence, and she’s passionate about the ideas that brought the Renaissance into being. Originally from California, she lives in Florence.
Special Guest Speakers
Our guest speakers will contribute to our Friday morning course session at Palazzo Rucellai, “Seeing Things in Perspective.”
Stefano Baldassarri is the director of the International Studies Institute in Florence, a widely respected scholar of Renaissance studies, and the author and translator of numerous works on the Renaissance into both English and Italian.
His many publications include translations of Renaissance texts published by Harvard University Press. Stefano serves as an advisor to the Renaissance Program and was instrumental in helping to organize our first event in Florence.
Shawn Eyer works with nonprofits, museums, and foundations. He teaches part-time at Harvard University and works in a tech startup based out of the Harvard Innovation Labs. He also has an academic background in religious studies.
Esmé Partridge studied Renaissance philosophy at Cambridge, focusing on how it influenced later ideas of religious pluralism and tolerance.
Esmé’s articles have appeared in numerous periodicals. She has also moderated and participated in many public conversations in the UK. Currently a researcher for Parliament in the House of Commons, Esmé is also a fellow of Civic Future.
Where We Will Meet
The Renaissance Program will be held at The Social Hub in Florence.
The Social Hub is located within easy walking distance of all the major sites and museums in Florence.
Our morning classes will be offered at The Social Hub and you are welcome to stay there.
There are also several other places you could stay within a two- to seven-minute walk of The Social Hub, pending the availability of rooms.
You can read about all these options by following the links at the bottom of this page.
About Our Friday Morning Class at Palazzo Rucellai
Our Friday morning class at Palazzo Rucellai — designed by the Renaissance architect Leon Battista Alberti — will be on the theme of “Seeing Things in Perspective” and will contain several guest presentations:
Stefano Baldassarri: “Welcome to Palazzo Rucellai” and “Leon Battista Alberti: A Bridge Between Humanism, Art, and Architecture”
David Fideler: “Seeing Things in Perspective: Renaissance Visions of the Whole.” Why “seeing things in perspective” was important in the Renaissance and why “seeing the big picture” remains important today.
Esmé Partridge: “Visions of Unity in Renaissance Humanism” — how the ideas of Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola encouraged religious pluralism and tolerance.
Shawn Eyer: “The Divine Architect: Renaissance Creation Myths and the Humanist Transformation”
Stefano will also give us a short tour of Palazzo Rucellai.
Why You Should Attend the Renaissance Program
The Italian Renaissance was one of the most incredible periods of transformation in the Western world.
Sparked by a belief that the collapse of Rome had marked a profound period of cultural decline, the Renaissance humanists sought to recover the lost knowledge and the best values of classical civilization.
Perhaps surprisingly, their recovery of classical knowledge and values was highly successful. Not only did it lead to a belief in human dignity, but it also led to a belief that human beings could create great and lasting accomplishments — if they set their mind to it.
In this course, we will explore the core ideas that gave birth to the Renaissance, the great works they inspired in Florence, and the potential of these ideas to enhance our world today.
By combining the study of Renaissance ideas with visits to the magnificent works they gave birth to, we have created an unforgettable event wherein participants can deeply understand Renaissance ideas and experience first-hand the enduring works they inspired.
Tickets and Entrance Fees Are Included
The cost of the program includes tickets for the San Marco, Bargello, Accademia, and Uffizi Galleries and Museums, our Friday afternoon visits, and transportation and entrance to the Medici Villa (see below).
The tickets include timed entries to the Accademia and Uffizi Galleries so it will not be necessary to wait in line.
Our Visit to the Medici Villa Overlooking Florence
The Renaissance Program will conclude with an unforgettable Saturday morning visit to the Medici Villa in Fiesole, a beautiful twenty-five minute drive from our classroom.
Transportation will be provided.
The first Renaissance villa built with a formal garden, it served as a model for many other villas and gardens that followed.
Significantly, this villa was a meeting place for Lorenzo de’ Medici and the philosophers Pico della Mirandola and Marsilio Ficino (the first person to translate Plato’s writings into Latin).
Overlooking Florence (with stunning views) and normally closed to the public, we will be able enter the villa — a once-in-a-lifetime experience — and enjoy the gardens.
The visit will be followed by a farewell lunch, a few minutes away.
View of the lower garden at the Villa Medici in Fiesole, overlooking Florence.
Feedback from Renaissance Program Participants
I will remember the event for the rest of my life, and I highly recommend it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that blends meaningful education with hands-on experiences in Florence.
— Edward Carrol
The Renaissance Program’s genius is in the pairing of stimulating morning presentations with inspiring afternoon visits to the various sites in Florence. It is a perfect melding of theory and practice. Personally, the program not only opened my eyes to the many treasures of the Renaissance—its art, architecture, and literature—it also clarified its implicit values and how those values created narratives that changed the world for the better, which has given me hope that we could do it again.
— Mel Berry
A dream come true for Renaissance enthusiasts, the 2026 program brought us from eight countries to Firenze for a vibrant exchange of ideas and perspectives. It wasn’t just an inspiring learning experience, but a rare opportunity to truly step into humanist history and carry its spirit forward.
— Ashley S. Wu
The Renaissance Program was one of the most special experiences of my life. The lessons I learned and people I met continue to inspire me — to bring positive energy to each interaction, to shape my surroundings in uplifting ways, and to act as a thoughtful steward of the resources I’ve been given. It left me with a deep love and respect for both aesthetic harmony and inherited wisdom, two tools for living more fully. Above all, the program left me profoundly grateful for the efforts of earlier generations who helped make our world possible. I can’t recommend it highly enough!
— Carlo DiCelico
The Renaissance Program was excellent. Its goal is to foster virtuous leadership by reconnecting with the thinkers who sparked the Renaissance and helped shape the modern mind. I believe this is exactly the kind of approach needed to face the challenges of Western society today. I look forward to the next iteration. In my opinion, it is invaluable.
— Richard Pesce, MD
To Receive Further Information
To receive further information, please complete the form below, and we will keep you posted with updates. We’re also happy to answer any questions you might have.
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The first Renaissance Program in Florence in 2023 was launched with the help and support of our friends in Florence and around the world, including the International Studies Institute (ISI Florence), the British Institute of Florence, The Social Hub in Florence, the owners of the Medici Villa in Fiesole, the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents program at the University of Amsterdam, the Temenos Academy, and other supporters.
