Earliest modern
I’m in a network of consultants meeting in Bologna, Italy, next week and thought it was a good idea to pilot a Fiat Panda (a thoroughly rubbish entry level car - what was I thinking?) through the hill towns of Tuscany for a few days prior.
We all know that Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance, but I skipped it. I was more interested in the ring of towns within 50kms of Florence that, 300 years before the Renaissance, developed pretty much all of the modern institutions we benefit from daily.
City government? Volterra had the world’s first recognisable elected government from non-nobility. Here’s their superb ‘town hall’ from 1250, still used today.
Public health care? Siena’s hospital was founded in 1090 on principles we’d recognise today. Just one feature was that abandoned infants were taken in, and raised until age 18, at which point all money they’d earned during their teens was invested, and given to them as a ‘deposit’ towards a productive life and marriage (for the girls).
Education? Bologna’s university is one of Europe’s largest and oldest, beginning in 1088. Uniquely, it was started by students, not by the church, and students employed their teachers and rector. (Fun fact: It issued degrees to women, starting in 1732).
Personal income tax? Each Sienese was assessed every seven years by three assessors. Can you imagine that? They ensured fairness and elimination of conflicts of interest by asking citizens to pay the average of the three.
It’s these systemic foundations that created a legally-minded, literate and political citizenry that could generate wealth and culture that produced not just perspective in oil painting, but double-entry bookkeeping, and even humble innovations like the lead pencil.
The Renaissance is often depicted as a sudden flourishing of enlightened human creativity and productive power but the reality is that it wasn’t an overnight phenomenon: it was built on 500 years of systems that created an educated populace, capable of experimenting with governance, science, the arts and philosophy.
Question: What systemic pre-conditions can you enable so that your organisation’s ‘Renaissance’ takes root?
Duty
I’m writing this in a beautiful, vaulted-ceilinged 16th century room overlooking the steps of Siena’s duomo. Here’s the view from my bedroom. Looks nice huh?
Yes, but it’s cold. Freezing. The temperature is 5 degrees out, but the room isn’t heated. Why not? Because, by law, all heating must go off on April 15th (it’s the 18th today). The laws ensure that Italy’s gas use is moderated, given that supply is currently threatened by the Ukraine war.
And at the Airbnb I stayed last night, I was given a lengthy (but friendly) lecture on how to separate any rubbish I might be careless enough to generate into no less than five categories. Then, I needed to use a swipe card linked to my apartment to open each of five bins in the communal area downstairs - that way, they know who’s using which bins.
It’s why to this day local government in Italy is called a ‘comune’. Because, like the way the people of Lucca built their elaborate defensive walls and clock towers (both of which were fabulously expensive, but seen as necessary), there’s a strong sense of ‘doing the right thing’ to create a good life for everyone. Some might argue that this reeks of over-regulation (see the post above) but I’d offer that Italy is a country that works because people pull together, with a palpable local identity.
Question: How can you harness ‘communal’ effort to create a good life for your constituents (and staff)?
Discovery
I’m an early adopter of many technologies, so having spent my 20s and 30s using travel guidebooks, I couldn’t wait to throw them away as soon as the internet provided a useable alternative (remember internet cafes?).
But, just this year, in Mexico, our hotel had a copy of Lonely Planet’s guidebook. I picked it up. And I read probably half of it, even for places we had no intention of going to.
I’d forgotten how intoxicating that feeling of discovery is which simply can’t be replicated when doing on-line travel searches. Why not? Well, the internet is great for pinpointed information (“Best pizza in Siena” or “Is a negroni the same in Italy as in Australia?”) but it’s hopeless for discovery (“Where are the really beautiful scenic drives within 100km of Florence?” or “If I like places like Lucca, where else should I go?”). It’s particularly hopeless when I feel like I need a spatial guide: I love a good annotated map.
So I’ve now got a good old-fashioned Lonely Planet Tuscany guide and I feel like I’ve rediscovered an old love. It’s been scribbled on, its pages are dog-eared, the lift-out map has been lifted out, I’ve cross-referenced sections with asterisks and symbols as reminders, and I go back and re-read chapters when I’m actually in the place concerned.
Question: How can you organise information in a way that stimulates discovery?
Let me know as always that you’ve enjoyed reading - just click the ‘heart’. And, next Friday, I’ll be in Bologna, so I’ll find three more strategic questions for you on my travels.
Until then, enjoy some red wine or pasta and, if you don’t, I will.
Andrew
Wow fascinating insights! Particular love the Siena hospital example - encouraging youth agency through respecting their contribution! What a pity it didn’t continue on.
Fascinating history insights Andrew- thank you. Amazed at how enlightened the citizens and youth of those days were. Loved the small towns in Tuscany - especially Siena. Enjoy!