The Magnificent Passion of Lorenzo de’ Medici

The Medici, the dynasty that governed Renaissance Florence, blazed into the 21st century in a three-part series, now streaming on Netflix.  While many dispute its historical accuracy, the lavish production captures the seize-the-day spirit of the age.  Certainly...

Boccaccio’s Decameron: A Passion for Life in a Time of Death

The ruthless killer climbed walls, crossed moats, slipped through walls. So swiftly and fiercely did the disease strike that  robust young men and women breakfasted with their parents in the morning and dined with their ancestors in the afterlife by night fall....