The Florentine merchant Giovanni Rucellai (1403-1481) wrote a description of Florence in 1457. This work, which was found in his diary, offers some insights into the optimism of the Renaissance, when art and learning were flourishing, with Florence at the heart of these achievements.
A full translation of Giovanni Rucellai’s note about Florence can be found in Images of Quattrocento Florence, edited by Stefano Ugo Baldassarri and Arielle Saiber, published by Yale University Press in 2000.
Learn more about Florence:
Renaissance Florence on Five Florins a Day
Florence Cathedral: The Design Stage
Past/Present: Leonardo Bruni’s History of Florence
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