In the present study the remarkable achievements of the early Renaissance are placed in a global historical perspective. Situated on both sides of the border between the visual arts and literature, the book describes the world of Dante and Giotto, analyzing the circumstances and innovations that made it possible. The political, economic, cultural and religious life of Tuscany between 1260 and 1320 is here the object of a meticulous investigation, with special emphasis being placed on the importance of relations with the papal court. It is true that papal patronage promoted classical influences on the visual arts, but in addition the papacy came to play a preponderant and guiding role in the economic and political existence of the Guelf League, in connection with Florence. Vienna, Naples and France. The papal intervention in Florence in 1301, which caused the exile of Dante, and the transfer of the papal see in 1305 to the lands of France, formed the new conditions in which the masterpieces of Dante and Giotto would emerge.