His early years were spent as an apprentice to Cimabue, another great Florentine painter. It can easily be said that Giotto di Bondone adhered for virtually his entire career to the same style, methods and techniques. Giotto di Bondone. Giotto was probably born in a hilltop farmhouse, perhaps at Colle di Romagnano or Romignano; since 1850 a tower house in nearby Colle Vespignano, a hamlet 35 kilometres north of Florence, has borne a plaque claiming the honour of his birthplace, an assertion commercially publicised. He worked during the "Gothic or Proto-Renaissance" period. His initial innovations, largely (if not totally) unaltered, spread throughout Italy and eventually Europe like wildfire, winning him lifelong fame and attracting any number of ardent followers and imitators. Giotto di Bondone (c. 1267 – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto (Italian: [ˈdʒɔtto]) and Latinised as Giottus, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. The Estate of Giotto di Bondone and their presence hold all necessary copyrights and licences for all of his paintings and other works. He is generally considered the first in a line of great artists who contributed to the Italian Renaissance. Giotto di Bondone was born in 1267 in or around Florence. All prints, paintings and photos included in Giotto-di-Bondone.com are provided as an affiliate to Art.com who hold necessary permissions. Giotto di Bondone (c. 1267–January 8, 1337) Giotto di Bondone (c. 1267–January 8, 1337), better known simply as Giotto, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence. The first Great Artist of the Italian Renaissance.