Medici Dynasty Show in Florence

I'm not big on 'historically based' dramas in so far as they often take enormous liberties with the historical record. Stills of costuming alone killed whatever lingering interest I might have had in the show.

Books, on the hand, are usually a far better source of information and needn't be dull or overly academic to do be informative and entertaining. Two personal favorites for those beginning to take the plunge into Florentine history are:

The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall by Christopher Hibbert. This book covers the Medici, arguably the most important dynasty in Florence, from it's start in the 15th century to the 18th century when it finally petered out. It moves along nicely and covers not only the acts but personalities of the major figures in an entertaining fashion.

Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture by Ross King. This well-researched book covers the life, works and influence of Filippo Brunelleschi in a way that is highly readable.

Both of these are available on Amazon. Inexpensive used copies abound on Ebay.

Hi, Kathy. I was in Florence 3 years ago and did not run across this show. Thanks for bringing it to the forum's attention. I was intrigued enough to go look at the website and the Trip Advisor reviews.

I suspect most of the responses on this forum will be similar to Jeff's in that they will say something like, "That doesn't sound like something that would appeal to me," followed by helpful recommendations on other ways to get a Medici fix before/during Florence. Few, if any, though, will have actually seen the show.

The best place to get opinions of people who have actually seen the show (as you probably already know) is to look at Trip Advisor reviews. As you also probably know, you want to rely on the reviews whose authors have written a lot of reviews; you don't want to give much credence to reviewers who have a single review (which are often "plants" designed to raise TA rankings); and be sure to look at the negative reviews for why people did not like it.

Florence is awesome! You'll love it no matter what you do...

I figured I'd add that I thought the OP was referring to the Medici TV series that came out a little while back, and not a multimedia production actually staged in Florence.

Yep. I'm and idiot and I seem to have a talent for displaying that in front of everybody.

Jeff...

Thanks for the explanation. I was scratching my head a little over the comment about stills of costuming killing any interest you had in the show. It seemed a little harsh based on what I saw on the website! :)

I recommend the Medici mini-series on NetFlix for anyone (who can handle some risque scenes) which I think is what Jeff is mentioning. It follows Cosimo and I hear season 2 will be about Lorenzo the Magnificent. It's not the Smithsonian Channel but "based on" true events and entertaining.

Jeff, thanks for the tips about the books. I've heard of both of them, and I plan to get them at the library. I was just curious about the Medici performance as something a little different to do in Florence that will give me a bit of break from the museums. I like live shows but not sure this one would be worth the money. I have a working knowledge of the Medicis, but figured I can always learn more. Dave, thanks for the link to the TripAdvisor reviews. They look pretty positive. This will be my second trip to Florence, so I already know I love the city!

There are also a few very short videos about the show on You Tube. Just search "Medici Dynasty Show". May give you a little bit more info.

I went to the Medici Show two years ago when I was in Florence for two months. July was hot with no air conditioning but I enjoyed the show and found it interesting. I've read dozens of books about the Medici and have seen the tv series. The location was beautiful, there was a very small audience and we were several feet away from the actors. I believe the location may have changed.