Note: The text below is the transcript of the YouTube video above.
The Renaissance.
When we hear this word, we think of the glorious art that flourished in Florence and Rome.
But what if the entire story actually began in a small chapel, in a quiet town just a short distance from Venice?
Why did such an important change in art happen in this small town?
Today, I’ll take you through that story.
Hi, I’m Satomi. I’m a Japanese artist living in London, and I believe the world is full of captivating stories. On this channel, I take you with me on my travels as I search for that inspiration. Together, we’ll discover the hidden stories behind incredible art, craftsmanship, and design.
A couple of months ago I left my full-time job, spent some time in the south of France, and now I’ve been in Venice for a couple of weeks. Today’s journey is a day trip to the quiet university town of Padova.
My destination was the origin of a particular story… The story of Giotto—the artist who first painted gods and saints as weeping humans, completely changing painting and becoming known as the “Father of Western Painting.”
When I arrived in town, I first headed to Caffè Pedrocchi, a historic café that’s been running since the 18th century.
The interior was so stunning that as soon as I sat down, I just had to start sketching.
Then, a staff member who’d been watching me gently approached. He asked what I was drawing, and when he saw my sketch, he smiled and said “Beautiful!”—and surprised me with a little dessert.
It was such a heartwarming moment, and what a lovely way to start my day in Padova.
Now, to my destination—the Scrovegni Chapel.
But here’s where I made a mistake… I didn’t know this chapel requires advance reservations. When I asked for same-day tickets, I got a really late slot—at 8 PM.
So for anyone planning to visit, I absolutely recommend booking in advance.
But I used that long waiting time to explore Padova. I visited other beautiful churches and stopped by Palazzo Zabarella, which has some fantastic modern and contemporary art. It actually turned out to be a wonderful way to spend the day.
And then finally it was 8 pm. And I returned to the chapel.
The moment I stepped inside… I mean, I was just completely overwhelmed by the entire space.
In the silence of the night, the illuminated frescoes felt somehow mystical…
And this blue. It’s completely different from what you see in photographs—it’s this deep, captivating blue. This is the colour of lapis lazuli, that precious pigment. It really felt like being surrounded by the blue sky itself.
And this intricate, magnificent story covering every single wall. I’ve never seen wall paintings on this scale in Japan or Britain. You can feel the power of Italian art that gave birth to the Renaissance—I was simply breathless.
While I was still overwhelmed, I started to wonder: why was such a masterpiece created in this city?
The reason is actually in the patron’s story. This chapel was built by Enrico Scrovegni, Padova’s wealthiest banker.
His father was an infamous usurer—so notorious that Dante actually depicted him as a sinner being punished in hell in his “Divine Comedy.”
To atone for his father’s sins and save his family’s souls, Enrico invested his fortune to dedicate this chapel to the Virgin Mary.
So this place was basically one sinner’s desperate prayer, made real.
But what really amazed me was discovering how Giotto transformed this into something that would change art forever.
And it’s as if Giotto, answering that prayer, did three incredible things right here on these walls.
So the first thing, and this was what struck me, was how he showed human “emotion.”
While religious figures in previous paintings were expressionless, Giotto was the first to give gods and saints real human feelings, suffering, grief, and tears.
The second was how he showed realistic “space.”
By painting backgrounds as blue sky rather than gold, and creating stage-like architectural settings, he brought three-dimensional depth to a two-dimensional wall.
This was way ahead of its time—200 years before Leonardo da Vinci perfected perspective techniques.
And the third thing? It was the meaning he put into “colour.”
This mesmerising blue wasn’t just beautiful—it was also proof of the patron’s wealth and his obsession with atonement.
And on top of all of this was the chapel’s design itself. Even the position of the windows was planned to show the fresco narrative in the most beautiful light.
This place wasn’t just a collection of paintings; it was a single, perfect work of art, created by the genius of Giotto.
When leaving the chapel, I felt like I was stepping back into the real world after being somewhere… I don’t know, magical.
So that’s the story of how this little chapel changed everything. One man’s guilt brought a genius artist to this small town, and together they created something that would revolutionise art forever.
Italy has so many places filled with art of this incredible scale that sometimes you might forget how amazing it is. But when you face it directly like this, you’re always overwhelmed by its power.
Especially this rich culture of colour and decoration—because it’s the complete opposite of Japanese aesthetics, it’s a constant and powerful source of inspiration for me.
You know, I think understanding these background stories really makes all the difference when it comes to enjoying art. Whether it’s contemporary pieces or classical works like this, knowing why something was created, what the artist was going through, or what was happening in that time period… it just opens up a whole new world. Even if you’re not usually into art, I think once you start discovering these “why” stories behind the works, you might find yourself thinking , “Oh, art is actually pretty fascinating.” So if you ever find yourself in places like this, I’d really recommend digging a little deeper into those stories. It’s amazing how much more meaningful everything becomes.
And that’s exactly what I want to keep sharing with you on this channel—these hidden stories behind art and design that make everything so much more fascinating. There’s always so much more than what meets the eye.
What about you? Have you ever been strongly drawn to a culture or place completely different from your own? I’d love to hear your story in the comments.
Next, I’m heading to Verona. Yes, the city of Romeo and Juliet, but I want to show you some other incredible places I discovered there.
If you enjoyed this little journey of discovery, I’d be so happy if you’d subscribe and join me for the next one.
The art I create from inspirations like this, and my future projects, are shared in more detail on my Instagram, website and newsletter. If you’re interested, check the links in the description below.
Thank you so much for watching, and I’ll see you in Verona.
