Roots: Leon Battista Alberti

Before Leonardo da Vinci (during the High Renaissance) there was Leon Battista Alberti. There's a long history of architectural know-how and intense interest in the philosophy of design in Italy. We saw this, obviously, with the engineering might of Rome and we witnessed it during the Renaissance.

When we think liberal arts in education and the concept of the "Renaissance Man," Battista was the original. His influence on the Italian Renaissance can't be under stated.


Under the guidance of the men of the Renaissance, Italy (or at least its city-states) was the America of the 20th century.