OLLI: Baroque of Rome

Having worked in Rome on architecture and stone decay for twenty years, Professor Paradise will discuss the Rome of the Great Popes, Art, and Architecture. During its Baroque era, Rome had its largest, most spectacular growth since the Era of the Empire, with the artistic direction of Bramante, Borromini, Fontana, and Bernini, under the Popes Sixtus to Urban, and the ruling families of Barberini, Chigi, and Farnese. Professor Paradise will talk about why the Rome we see today is the Rome of the Baroque Period, and not the Roman Empire. Some of Rome’s grandest buildings, and most innovative urban planning occurred during this period in a culture of creativity and patronage. Through a dramatic power point, Professor Paradise will show you how Rome evolved from a Medieval and Renaissance backwater town under the power of Florence’s Medici, and Milan’s Sforza families, to the most powerful center of art, politics, religion, and commerce in Europe.

This is a Dine & Discover class.

Instructor: Tom Paradise, Professor of Geosciences at the UofA