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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006
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Rome that brought peace to Italy
until his death in 1492.
Lorenzo was a template for the
Renaissance ideal of l’uomo
universale, the universal man.
Manhood did not consist of
tattoos and a hoard of muscles (Da
Vinci, however, did bend horse
shoes). The test of manhood was
defined by knowledge in all fields
and the ability to write poetry,
sing, fence, command, and love –
a standard that produced Alberti,
Cellini, Leonardo, and
Michelangelo. Lorenzo wrote
excellent poetry about seizing the
day; he was a humorist, a
philosopher, a musician, and a
soccer player. He ruled a state that
was liberal and festive, and
developed the Platonic Academy
whose ideas soared through
Western thought and art. He also
found time to run efficient farms,
compose hymns and attract
mistresses. As l’uomo Universale,
he exemplified the Humanism of
the Renaissance which has been
part of the basis of what we are
today.
Storm clouds, however, were
gathering before his early death in
1492. Critics did not like his
lifestyle, saw his trip to Naples as
a show piece, and accused him of
being vindictive. Florence began
a financial slide. Benevolent
tyrants last as long as they can
afford to be benevolent and states
dissolve when money runs out.
As his fortunes waned, a lonely
monk came to Florence from
Bologna. He preached at San
Marco. Charismatic and
convincing, he packed the
churches and was relentless in his
attacks. It was Girolamo
Savonarola, Lorenzo’s final
nemesis who had predicted that
Lorenzo would die in 1492. In
Florence you can visit San Marco
and the cell in which he worked
and contrast its bareness and
ascetic ambiance to the palaces of
Lorenzo. But architecture was
only one measure of the distance
between them.
After some worshipful praise of
Lorenzo, Machiavelli has written,
“as soon as Lorenzo died, all those
bad seeds began to sprout which
not long after, he who could quell
them being no longer alive, ruined
and are still running Italy.”
RELIVE THE ITALIAN YBOR CITY
Dr. Frank Urso’s
A STRANGER IN THE BARRIO
Memoir of a Tampa Sicilian
“A masterful memoir—earthy and emotional—never a dull word in this
fascinating story.”—L. Hawes, The Tampa Tribune
Raw and unvarnished . . . an autobiography that adds to our understanding
of that remarkable place called Ybor City.”—Prof. Mormino, USF
At Tampa bookstores & online, Ybor City Museum & Amazon.com, frankurso.com, iuniverse.com or call
1-800-AUTHORS. Check out www.frankurso.com.
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