Cecchi also examines the siege's impact on the lives of leading artists residing in Florence. Michelangelo, for example, oversaw the restoration and construction of battlements, towers, and other fortifications of the city. Andrea del Sarto and Pontormo worked on commissions that served as republican propaganda. Moreover, some artists hedged their bets and fled before hostilities began. Others, like Michelangelo and del Sarto, remained steadfast in their loyalty to the republican government and

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... stayed to support the republic with different consequences. Michelangelo, due to his fame and the wide appreciation for his style, was able to rely on powerful patrons to protect him from repercussions during and after the siege. Meanwhile, del Sarto died of the plague after the conflict's end in September 1530, and was buried without ceremony at Santissima Annuziata. It is fitting, therefore, that the volume concludes with del Sarto's death and the drawing up of his will, which left his inheritance to the Spedale degli Innocenti. Cecchi's study of the siege's impact on art and artists is perhaps the most engaging and original aspect of his narrative. However, it is the very narrative structure of the book that ultimately makes it a frustrating read. At times, one hopes for a deeper analysis of the society and culture of Florence's last republic. One could have wished for more accounts and testimonies of those defending the republic, detailing the fear and suffering they and noncombatants experienced during the siege, with the concomitant dearth and plague that it produced. Instead, Cecchi focuses entirely on military and diplomatic events, to the exclusion of social and even ideological developments (a problem considering he never discusses how deep the commitment to liberty was among the Florentine populace). Nevertheless, In difesa della "dolce libertà" fills a lacuna in the historiography of Florentine history by examining the much-neglected Siege of Florence. It should be the standard work of consultation for years to come.