Timeless Cities: An Architect's Reflections on Renaissance Italy

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

For Italian city builders more than a thousand years ago, the urban realm was the great theater where their best aspirations were played out, the place where society said the most substantial things about who they were and what they longed for. In this masterful blend of art and cultural history, architect David Mayernik reveals how the very different cities of Venice, Rome, Florence, Siena, and Pienza were all literally designed to be both models of the mind and images of heaven. Mayernik takes the reader on a journey into the past in Timeless Cities, but he also explains why these city-building ideas remain relevant today. For those travelling on vacation or appreciating the art and architecture of Italy from home, Mayernik helps bring the wonder and beauty of the Renaissance mind a little closer.

Reviews

"A thoughtful, passionate, learned and unexpected examination of cities past, present and ideal, written with conviction and humour." Ingrid Rowland "Erudite travelers will enjoy [Mayernik's] thoughtful meditations." Chicago Tribune "A thoughtful, passionate, learned, and unexpected examination of cities past, present, and ideal, written with conviction and humor." Ingrid Rowland"

Author Bio

In addition to having been Visiting Professor at the University of Notre Dame's School of Architecture, David Mayernik has taught with the Institute for the Study of Classical Architecture and the University of Virginia's Erasmus-Jefferson Scholars program in Tuscany. He is a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome.