ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on linguistic debates and parallel architectural developments in the cities of Florence and Rome during the early modern period. It considers the impact of humanist debates on the relationships between the spoken vernaculars and Latin and architectural and urban developments in the city. The book explores humanistic interests in oratory, ancient inscription, writing and pictorial depiction and how these collectively contributed to a revived interest in the civic realm of the city. It presents an array of examples of architectural and artistic relationships in relation to key linguistic themes and metaphors, from optics and perspective to poetics. The book aims to contribute to the ongoing debates about the relationships between architecture and language, emphasising the importance of historical enquiry of the early modern period to better understand the deeper cultural contexts of the communicative dimensions of architecture and urban settings.
