Life
A hinge figure between two eras, his training took place in the full culture of late 16th-century Mannerism, while his artistic maturity was fully expressed in the first phase of the Baroque.
Cosimo Bottegari was born in Florence on September 27, 1554. Raised in a lively and cultured environment, he soon showed a predisposition for music, which led him to become a singer and a virtuoso of the lute. His career developed between Italy and European courts.
Aneddoto
The lute at the Bavarian court
During his stay in Munich, Bottegari became famous for the musical evenings in which he accompanied princes on the lute, helping to create a cultural bridge between Italy and Germany.Works
His primary work is the Libro di Villanelle, a collection that saw wide distribution and represents a precious source for understanding the secular Florentine music of the time.
Bottegari also wrote madrigals and vocal pieces that circulated among Italian and European singers, receiving great appreciation for their immediacy and pleasantness.
Briciole di storia
The fire that almost erased the glory of Venice
On the night of December 20, 1577, a fire broke out in Venice at the Doge's Palace, the political and artistic heart of the Republic, completely destroying the Great Council Chamber and the Scrutinio Room. It reduced to ashes a cycle of frescoes and canvases recounting the glory of the city, including priceless masterpieces by artists such as Bellini, Titian, and Tintoretto. Faced with the smoking ruins, a debate began: whether to tear down the old and fragile Gothic structure to build a new, modern palace in the Renaissance style, or to save what could be saved. With a decision we would today call "conservative," the Senate chose to rebuild the palace as it was and where it was, to preserve the historic identity of the building.
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
