Giorgio Vasari was a very prolific and eclectic artist. He was born in Arezzo in 1511 and died in Florence in 1574, and has an important role in Dan Brown’s Inferno. He was a brilliant polymath, and his expertise covered a number of different subjects, including writing, painting, and planning.
Because of his fame and talent, Vasari was one of the most important Medici court artists. Vasari met Michelangelo, Rosso Fiorentino, and Vittore Ghiberti. He traveled frequently, visiting Rome, Venice, Bologna, Pisa, Naples, and in every city, including his hometown of Arezzo, he left an example of his art and learned something about the artistic trends of the time.