ITALIAN ART HISTORY:
The Middle Ages in Tuscany (The places, the life, the art)
2 Weeks - 82 Hours

THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD
The Middle Ages is the period during which Roman, Germanic, and Christian forces met, clashed and then slowly permeated each other, thus creating Modern Europe. This period starts with the fall of the Western Roman Empire (400 AD) and continues until the 1300's. The first part of the Middle Ages, from 400 to 1000, is dominated by a closed economy and latifundium. Cities are abandoned, fields pillaged.

The Barbaric invasions follow one upon another almost uninterruptedly. Sole bearers of culture are the monasteries and convents; amidst military anarchy and socio-economic crises, governments decline. The year 1000 denotes the moment of European rebirth. Economic recovery is achieved through commerce: cities thrive again and become not only commercial centers but also seats of secular and religious culture. It is upon this second period of the Middle Ages that the seminar will focus its attention. Without denying the many negative aspects of this period, the seminar will, however, concentrate on the human activities, both creative and innovative, which have produced the many artistic and cultural masterpieces that have been handed down to us in all of their glory. In the early Middle Ages, the tomes that the monks handwrote in their monasteries were already decorated with magnificent pictures: the miniatured codes are an example of this. Ceramics and weaving become objects of trade during the Late Middle Ages (1000 - 1300), but they are also objects of art thanks to their intrinsic beauty. Masterpieces of goldsmithery decorate churches, while jewels of exquisite manufacture adorn damsels and knights. Sculpture and painting reveal a world in which churches and aristocratic abodes represent the focal point of cultural and artistic rebirth. Within Italy, Tuscany is one of the areas where this late medieval culture flourished with the greatest vigor.

SYLLABUS
During the Seminar various subjects will be introduced, especially those concerning the History of the "Minor Arts", thus making it possible to learn about the many facets of this era, and, in particular, of the Tuscan environment. The Italian Language lessons will be a way to learn the terminology of this historical, cultural, and artistic period; History of the Middle Ages and History of Monasticism will teach students about the most interesting aspects of the major events of this period, especially through guided tours to monasteries, castles and museums. In these surroundings it will be possible to view works of jewelry, weaving and ceramics. In Florence, particularly interesting tours will be those to the "Medieval Florentine House" of Davanzati Palace, to the ancient Florentine silk factory and to the San Marco museum.
To better understand the architecture of this era, students will visit parish churches, castles and monasteries in the Casentino Valley and walled towns such as Lucignano and Montalcino, which even today contain within their walls gold, silver and ceramic objects of invaluable artistic value. During the Decoration Design lessons, students will be able to reproduce details of paintings, of ancient fabrics, of miniatured codes or of splendid potteries, all evocative of that distant world.
The teachers who will lead the students into this world of the past are collaborators of the Fine Arts Council. Their research for that organization has led to the publication of many significant works.

GUIDED TOURS
Guided tours will take students to beautiful castles in the Casentino and to the museum of ancient fabrics and a medieval house in Florence. In smaller, but fascinating, towns such as Siena, Montalcino and Lucignano students will be shown ceramics, gold and silver jewelry, miniatured codes and paintings.