A Life Immersed in Antiquity: Pirro Ligorio and the Renaissance Rediscovery of Rome Pirro Ligorio, born around 1510 in Naples during a period of Spanish rule, was more than simply an artist; he was a polymath consumed by the spirit of classical antiquity. While biographical details of his early life remain shrouded in some mystery—a common fate for figures navigating the complex world of Renaissance patronage—it’s clear that a thirst for knowledge and artistic expression propelled him from his native city to the burgeoning art scene of Rome around age twenty. Naples, though vibrant, offered…