Building on the work of our immersive, five-day course in Florence, “Creating the Best Possible World: The Energizing Ideas of the Italian Renaissance,” we are excited to announce a one-day symposium at the historic Palazzo Rucellai, in collaboration with the International Studies Institute.
Palazzo Rucellai, shown above, stands as an integral piece of Florentine history. Its façade was conceptualized by the renowned Renaissance polymath, Leon Battista Alberti, whose contributions spanned architecture, art theory, and philosophy, amongst other fields.
The symposium consists of scholarly presentations, each followed by a stimulating discussion.
The presentations, which you can read about below, include topics such as Stoicism in Renaissance humanism, Marsilio Ficino and Renaissance Platonism, the reception of Hermetic ideas during the Renaissance, as well as the civic and artistic dimensions of Renaissance thought.
Participants of our five-day course are encouraged to attend the symposium at no charge and to engage in the discussions.
Before lunch, Stefano Baldassari, of the International Studies Institute, will give us a thirty-minute tour of Palazzo Rucellai.
In addition to the symposium, we will have a wonderful, two-hour lunch break at Ristorante La Spada, right next to Palazzo Rucellai.