10 days in ITALY!! Trip details/cost is here. We will begin in Venice and visit the best vendors, historical sites, and opera/fine dining of the Serenissima for 3 days at the end of Carnevale in February 2024 (because those crowds are meh). Next we will take the train to Ferrara and have a 3-day tour … More Italy with Gigi 2024
The spread of the Covid-19 virus has triggered an epidemic of advice. This advice is important, but it seems destined to make our lives more miserable and isolated. However, there is an unusual source of counsel which offers another way to deal with an epidemic. That source is the Decameron. The Italian Renaissance author Giovanni Boccaccio wrote the Decameron in … More Surviving the Corona Virus: Medieval Italian Style
The Tragic Anna Guarini (ca 1563 –1598) Italian Renaissance courts, glittering and dazzling though many were, could also often be dangerous places full of intrigue and gossip as this post on the murder of Anna Guarini, one of the most celebrated singers of late 16th-century Italy, illustrates. I first came across this story in a … More Anna Guarini
As you know, I’m obsessed with #CaterinaSforza. Her life, her Gli Experimenti alchemical still-room book, her legend, and her historical ties to the noble houses of Europe as a Sforza and a Medici have long fascinated me. I have sought out the sites of note from her life on my own during every visit to … More My Caterina Sforza Obsession
From http://www.piccoligrandimusei.it/en/blog/portfolio_page/davanzati-museum/ A rare and magnificent example of a 14th-century residence in Florence, Palazzo Davanzati represents the transitional period between the medieval tower house and the Renaissance palace. The palace was built around the mid-14th century by the powerful Davizzi family of merchants and bankers, in Via Porta Rossa where resided such wealthy Florentine families as … More Palazzo Davanzati – An Ancient Florentine Home
Pier Andrea Mattioli from http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/aconite/mattioli.html Born in Siena, Pier Andrea Mattioli (1501-1577) was personal physician to Ferdinand I and a prolific commentator on De Materia Medica of Dioscorides, the codex of which Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq had attempted to acquire from the court of Süleyman I (the Magnificent). Although he failed to procure the manuscript, he did return from Constantinople, … More Pier Mattioli’s 16th Century Herbal
My book, Zibaldone, is now available at Create Space and Amazon Kindle. To purchase now please visit https://www.amazon.com for an electronic Kindle copy or https://www.createspace.com/6387178 for a softcover physical book. Book Info: During the 15th century, a type of book called a zibaldone became popular on the Italian peninsula. A zibaldone was a commonplace book written in … More Zibaldone by Gigi Coulson
I want to take a moment to thank Signora Fabbri for agreeing to this interview. For those of us on the west side of the Atlantic, this may be the first time a modern historian of the clothing worn in 14th and 15th centuries enters into a dialogue with a living history organization. Signora Fabbri is … More Interview With Paola Fabbri: Expert in Historical Tailoring
http://germanrenaissance.net/drawn-thead-work-the-hemstitch-tutorial/ By Genoveva von Lubeck Drawn thread work likely began in the 16th century and was popular in Italy, Germany, Sweden, and England. I discovered it while researching pleated aprons and I theorize that some German aprons utilized drawn thread techniques based on imagery. Drawn thread work can be seen in a simple form on … More Repost: 16th Century Drawn Thread Handkerchief
From https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/place_settings/isabella_d_este Isabella d’Este (Gonzaga) was a powerful and well-educated political figure, humanitarian, patron of the arts, and mother of seven. Known as “The First Lady of the Renaissance,” she was related to nearly every ruler in Italy either by birth or marriage. D’Este was the oldest of six children born into the ruling family … More Art of Isabella d’Este
La Bella Donna 