The best books about art & Italy

This book is as timeless as Michelangelo himself! It’s also a personal favorite of mine. I’ve read this book numerous times and, in my opinion, it is a riveting portrait of a genius which does not overlook many of his foibles. Michelangelo was passionate, hot-tempered and even had many moments of insecurity. Stone does a brilliant job of bringing the Renaissance to life and how this icon created many of the masterpieces that we revere today. The descriptions and detail of Michelangelo’s artistic prowess are sublime. For example, I loved learning how Michelangelo was the third artist to carve that piece of marble known as the “Giant" which had sat in a quarry for twenty-five years before he sculpted the iconic David.  

This novel does an excellent job of telling the story of the artistic rivalry between Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci in 16th century Florence, Italy from 1501-1504. They were completely different artists, both fueled by ambition and a desire to be the best of all time. Leonardo was in his fifties and an internationally revered Master, when a young Michelangelo created the iconic David sculpture which thrust him onto the world stage. I enjoyed how Stephanie Storey paints an intimate portrait of both men. Leonardo was fastidious, brilliant, and had an ego. Michelangelo was known as hot-tempered, passionate, and someone who became so engrossed in his work that he did not bathe or clean his clothes. A must-read for lovers of Italy and the Renaissance.

This intimate biography of Leonardo made me feel like I had a front-row seat in his life and legacy. He was best known for his two paintings: The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. His genius was unparalleled and it’s easier to list what he could not do! One of the stories that I adored learning about this Master was how Leonardo layered his brushstrokes to create an almost ethereal effect on canvas. Angels were usually depicted with a halo and yet Leonardo created faces and figures that needed no adornment. Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most extraordinary human beings of all time!  Isaacson is a gifted storyteller, bringing this legend’s life and legacy to life through his vivid descriptions and exceptional research.  

Many art historians consider this book sacred and the best first-hand account of the wondrous artists of the Renaissance. I found the stories extremely interesting about the character of these artists. Vasari was the biographer who gave the original account of how Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci hated each other. It also told the story of how both Michelangelo and Leonardo were hired to paint significant battle scenes on the same wall inside the Palazzo Vecchio. It was considered the greatest painting competition of all time as both men completed massive cartoons (preliminary drawings) on The Battle of Cascina and the Battle of Anghiari respectively.  

Life in Roma! This memoir is a gem and quite funny. Doerr’s prose is razor sharp and he cleverly shares his adventures of a year in Rome as a new parent of twins. Having just visited the Pantheon, I particularly enjoyed Doer’s description of this temple built by the emperor Hadrian in AD 125. He wrote, “When you first see it, the Pantheon is about wonder. You walk through the gigantic doorway and your attention is sucked upward toward a circle of sky. A filtering haze floats inside; a column of light strikes through the oculus and leans against the floor. The space is both intimate and explosive: your humanity is not diminished in the least, and yet simultaneously the Pantheon forces you to pay attention to the fact that the world includes things far greater than yourself.” Highly recommend his relatable adventures.