"Sister Giustina Niccolini's Chronicle of Le Murate captures both the gritty realities and the soaring spirituality of convent life in Renaissance Florence. Niccolini offers an inside look at how her community grew from a small female hermitage circa 1400 into the largest, most prominent Florentine convent by 1600. As she traces this spectacular rise, Niccolini illuminates the tenor of everyday life and the complexity of interpersonal relationships within a hothouse atmosphere. This unique chronicle also bristles with insight into such important issues as collective governance, patterns of patronage, the creation of a rich visual culture, and the decisive impact of Tridentine reform. Weddle's translation successfully catches the immediacy of the author's voice as well as its stately cadences."
— Sharon Strocchia, Emory University