There isn’t a period in history as quintessentially Italian as the Renaissance. Even though it spread throughout Europe, with the notable exception of the British islands, it is in Italy that the rebirth of culture after the “dark ages” (which in reality, were not that dark) of medieval times began.

We all know something about those centuries: European languages, English included, took their modern form, art developed the aesthetic standards we still embrace today, and the centrality of Man and of his intellect became paramount, creating the premises for the development of modern philosophy, literature and culture.