Despite the fact that Renaissance occurred several centuries ago, it continues to fascinate people and attract substantial attention from researchers. Many books talk about the Renaissance period in European history, particularly in Italy. The conventional view of people about the Renaissance rests on the idea that it was the era of great advancements in technology and art. As a result, the majority of people’s understanding of the period is limited by the knowledge about artists such as Da Vinci, who lived during Renaissance. Therefore, the information about the life of ordinary people of the period is often ignored. Nevertheless, there are many researchers who extensively study the unexplored aspects of the Renaissance era and uncover much interesting evidence. One the such researcher is Rudolph M. Bell, who wrote the book “​Street Life in Renaissance Rome.” ​ Bell offers an alternative perspective on the period and focuses on the streets of Rome. The book complicates the readers’ understanding of the Renaissance by allowing them to view the life of ordinary citizens, social rejects, and the experiences related to urban existence in Rome.
One of the most interesting phenomena described by Bell in his book was the concept of pinzochere, a name for women who were regarded as part of the existing religious communities. At the same time, pinzochere did not have the status of nuns, and quite often, they were former prostitutes. Nevertheless, the pinzochere community was not homogenous; generally, two types of pinzochere were common in Rome. The first type of pinochle were women who blinged to Christian religious orders, many of whom were venerated by Romans for their work. For instance, St. Catherine was a notable pinzochere who actively called for Pope to move to Rome and establish his residence there (Bell 43). The information presented by Bell about the existence of pinzocheres, such as St. Catherine, demonstrates that the politics of Rome was not only influenced by the people who had religious or secular authority. Such evidence complicates the understanding of the Renaissance in a way that the conventional view of the period promotes the idea that it was the time when only the rich and powerful impacted society.
At the same time, Bell presents evidence about the second type of pinzocheres, namely, former prostitutes who were encouraged by the religious communities to leave their profession and devote their lives to Christ. There were many women who were denied the right to belong to a religious order due to the fact that they were married or had been observed to lead sinful life. Simultaneously, the local magistrates forced many such women to abandon prostitution and thus had to find new ways to earn a living. Many of such pinchers turned to sell magic potions on the streets of Rome. There are many sources that talk about the life of such women. For instance, Bell presents a carnival song about pinzocheres in which they present their services and even promise to “stretch the wrinkle and harden the breast” (Bell 54). The stories about pinzocheres complicate the understanding of the Renaissance by presenting information that it was not only a time of freedom but also of oppression (Dabashi 47). Such evidence demonstrates how sex workers were negatively treated and ridiculed in Roman society.
Another interesting piece of information that defies the common understanding of the Renaissance is the description of the dietary habits of Romans. Quite often, people perceive Renaissance as a period of time when the majority of people struggled to ensure proper nutrition and starved (Wolf 82). Yet, the evidence offered by Bell indicates that people in Rome had appropriate diets and consumed sufficient amounts of food. Specifically, Bell presents the notes of a popular Roman doctor and philosopher named Alessandro Petronio. The doctor recorded his observations about the diets espoused by Romans and their health habits. For instance, Petronio wrote, “they eat at least twice a day… they eat more meat than elsewhere…” (Bell 64). Although it is unclear whether Petronio describes the average diet in Rome or the habits of those who were more privileged, it is still certain that during Renaissance in Rome, food was not a luxury. At the same time, such information complicates the understanding of the Renaissance because it is unknown what foods the poorest Romans consumed and how nutritious they were. Thus, Bell once again offers an unconventional aspect of the Renaissance period.
Finally, the book further complicates the understanding of the Roman Renaissance by providing information about street life in Rome. It is a common view of the Renaissance as the time period during which society was significantly influenced by Christianity and its main values (Meserve 56). Yet, in reality, Rome in the Renaissance era was a city where people engaged in all kinds of sinful activities which were normally prohibited by the church. Nevertheless, Romans generally did not experience any difficulty finding a prostitute or participating in a brawl.
Benvenuto Cellini, a notable sculptor of the period, described in detail all aspects of street life in Rome during the Renaissance period. Nevertheless, the most interesting story described by Cellini concerns his killing of another individual in Rome. Most importantly, despite Cellini committing the murder, the Pope allowed him to flee the city to avoid facing punishment (Bell 120). Such a decision is difficult to understand, given the fact that Christianity condemns murder and views it as a sin. Yet, the story of Cellini once again complicates the understanding of Renaissance Rome as the place where anything was possible.
The book “​Street Life in Renaissance Rome” written by ​Rudolph M. Bell, is a source of quality information about the unexplored history of Rome during the Renaissance period. The author offers an alternative description of Roman society, which is different from the conventional view. Bell primarily focuses on the streets of Rome by providing primary sources on the life of ordinary people. Bell particularly highlights the experiences of women and other less privileged people of the Renaissance period. Bell utilizes an extensive selection of sources, including those which are often neglected by researchers, such as poetry, autobiographical stories, songs, and diaries. For instance, Bell presents information about the experiences of pinzocheres, women who previously led unacceptable lifestyles and often were forced to abandon their primary profession and enter religious orders. Yet, most importantly, Bell complicates the reader’s understanding of Renaissance Rome by featuring information that does not fit the mainstream narrative. At the same time, as more information the reader discovers by reading Bell’s book, the more questions they may have about Renaissance Rome.
Works Cited
Bell, Rudolph M. Street Life in Renaissance Rome: A Brief History with Documents. Macmillan Learning, 2013.
Dabashi, Hamid. The End of Two Illusions: Islam After the West. The University of California Press, 2022.
Meserve, Margaret. Papal Bull: Print, Politics, and Propaganda in Renaissance Rome. Johns Hopkins University, 2021.
Wolf, Norbert. The Renaissance Cities: Art in Florence, Rome and Venice. Prestel Verlag GmbH & Company KG, 2021.