In describing the Italian Renaissance, both scholars and the general public have often prioritized the cities of Florence, Venice, and Rome at the expense of other regions or towns. Although these cities were fundamental to the artistic, intellectual, and economic developments of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, they were also anomalous. In recent years there has been a countervailing trend of examining small and medium-sized Italian cities, and in particular of analyzing those institutions and individuals that were more broadly representative of ordinary life in these extraordinary times. David D'Andrea's study of Treviso, and its powerful confraternity Santa Maria dei Battuti, contributes to this line of inquiry with the first scholarly English-language monograph about Treviso in the early Renaissance. Through the lens of the Battuti confraternity, D'Andrea describes a range of issues in Treviso, including public health, education, popular piety, charity, and political relations with Venice.

As the first mainland city conquered by Venice, Treviso served as an important model in determining how historic privileges and traditions might (or might not) be maintained by the Serene Republic of Venice. With its substantial revenue and important membership, Santa Maria dei Battuti was uniquely placed to represent Trevisan interests to Venetian officials. The Battuti confraternity founded the hospital that is the focus of this study, and it became their principal vehicle for distributing charity. The author exhibits a justly sympathetic attitude to the confraternity and the hospital, for it was instrumental in providing poor relief and a social safety net to thousands of citizens in this period.

D'Andrea's study is one of many recent works to consider the contributions of confraternities to late medieval and early modern European life. The introduction briefly summarizes the relevant scholarship and makes a convincing case for why these lay brotherhoods were so important to civic, religious, and socioeconomic life. It also explains the use of the term “civic Christianity” to describe the nexus of confraternity, civil government, and charity. The inclusion of floor plans, maps, and two photographs, as well as a magnificent painting of the confraternity in procession through the city center (the latter graces the dust jacket too) makes it easier to visualize the hospital.

The opening chapter narrates the founding of the confraternity and describes its role within the city in the larger context of Venetian dominion. Chapter 2 explores the identity of the confraternity's membership, arguing that it crossed gender and class lines while providing a strong sense of community and family. Interestingly, clerics were welcomed as full members, although prohibited from holding administrative offices. D'Andrea argues that the Battuti was unusually inclusive in its membership and that this must account for part of its influence. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 document the Battuti's charitable actions to benefit foundlings, pilgrims, students, plague victims, prisoners, widows, and the poor throughout the fifteenth century. Of course the confraternity also protected its own members, both artisanal and elite, by providing burial services, opportunities for leadership, student scholarships, and so forth. Chapter 6 considers the upheavals of the early sixteenth century when Venice (and thus Treviso) was faced with military invasion, economic instability, and bouts of plague.

The book is buttressed with hundreds of footnotes, reflecting the meticulous archival research conducted by the author. This can make for slow going sometimes, as we encounter dozens of brief individual examples whose stories are rarely fleshed out. When describing the various categories of Trevisans who made up the membership of the confraternity (for example, clergy, barber-surgeons, and women), we are repeatedly given lists of names but not much more. On the other hand, the material is well-organized and easy to follow, and D'Andrea's painstaking research yields numerous nuggets beyond names to illuminate daily life and confraternal practice.

In conclusion, this work adds important information to our understanding of Italian confraternities, of lay-clerical relations, and of informal power structures in provincial towns. D'Andrea's scrupulous research in the archives and his awareness of the relevant secondary literature on a range of topics makes this study a valuable one for scholars and university libraries.