Documentary on Giotto's Padua masterpieces to screen in Italian cinemas

A documentary titled 'Urbs Picta. Giotto e il Sogno del Rinascimento' will be released in Italian cinemas on November 6, distributed by Magnitudo Film. Directed by Francesco Invernizzi and written by Matteo Strukul and Silvia Gorg, the film explores Giotto's artistic revolution in Padua during the 14th century. Giotto was invited to Padua in 1302 by the Franciscan friars of the Basilica of Sant'Antonio, at the suggestion of their Assisi counterparts. The Carraresi family, rulers of Padua, sought to challenge the Republic of Venice culturally by commissioning great artists from across Europe. Giotto created the fresco cycle in the Scrovegni Chapel and the astrological cycle at Palazzo della Ragione, both UNESCO World Heritage sites since 2021. The documentary delves into Giotto's relationships with contemporaries, including fresco masters Guariento di Arpo, Giusto de' Menabuoi, Altichiero da Zevio, Jacopo Avanzi, and Jacopo da Verona, as well as literary figures Dante and Petrarch. It also examines female patronage, notably Fina Buzzaccarini, wife of Francesco da Carrara il Vecchio, and the political intrigues between Padua and Venice, including the descent of Louis I of Hungary into Veneto and the Battle of Castagnaro between the Carraresi and Scaligeri. The film is described by its creators as 'a fascinating narrative fresco reflecting Paduan and Veneto medievalism through the lens of patronage, telling the anticipatory dream and vision of the Renaissance.'