Chapter Stratificazioni sociali, percezione della bellezza urbana e costruzione del consenso (città italiane, XIII-XIV secolo)

Overview & Synopsis

The beauty of the Italian cities of the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries would not have been built without a sort of large consensus. This beauty was built with public funds, protected by regulations designed to guide and preserve urban design, and sought to enhance the city’s reputation. It consisted of public buildings and imposing walls, but it also permeated the places of everyday life, such as streets, fountains, hospitals, etc. In this respect, this beauty responded to a growing need to organize the city, to make it functional and to improve hygiene and urban decorum. The question arises as to whether this beauty was a container for messages to build a political consensus across the different social strata. It is also questionable whether this beauty was perceived and whether it created a sense of belonging among the city's inhabitants beyond the existing economic and social inequalities.