Character Catalog

A collection of 366 poems in Tuscan, mainly sonnets dedicated to Laura. Considered the masterpiece of Italian lyric poetry, it influenced all of European poetry until the 17th century (Petrarchism).

An imaginary dialogue in Latin between Petrarch and Saint Augustine, in the presence of Lady Truth. Petrarch uses it to examine his own contradictions — his love for Laura, his desire for fame, and his spiritual aspirations.

A grand Latin epic recounting the exploits of Scipio Africanus against Hannibal. Petrarch hoped it would make him immortal; it was partly on the strength of this poem that he was crowned poet laureate in Rome in 1341.

A Latin treatise in two books in praise of retreat from crowds and court life. Petrarch develops the humanist ideal of the wise man withdrawn into nature, free to read, write, and think.

An allegorical poem in terza rima depicting six triumphs — of Love, Chastity, Death, Fame, Time, and Eternity. Hugely popular during the Renaissance, it inspired iconography and the decorative arts.

A collection of 350 Latin letters addressed to friends, princes, and even ancient figures such as Cicero and Livy. An exceptional document on the intellectual life of the 14th century and the birth of humanism.

Voi ch'ascoltate in rime sparse il suono / di quei sospiri ond'io nudriva 'l core / in sul mio primo giovenile errore / quand'era in parte altr'uom da quel ch'i' sono.

I am a man of no great importance, neither very distinguished by my birth nor very humble. My family is of respectable standing and, as they say, of middling rank. I was born in Arezzo, in exile, of a father who had been driven from his homeland.

Moved by nothing but the desire to see its famous height, I climbed today the highest mountain in this region, which they call Ventoux. Ten years have passed since I left Bologna.

Solitude is the great remedy for mankind, the source of all freedom, the foundation of rest, and the condition of all serious study. Far from the crowd, the mind recovers its own measure.

Arma canunt alii bellisque ingentia facta, / nos tecum, Caesar, Romanaque tempora laudum / percurrimus.

The city where Petrarch spends most of his youth and studies law. It is in Avignon that he meets Laura in 1327 and frequents the papal court, which he will admire and then sharply criticize.

Petrarch's solitary retreat on the banks of the Sorgue river, where he regularly withdraws between 1337 and 1353 to write away from the noise of the world. It is here that he composes much of his major work, including the Canzoniere.

The iconic peak of Provence (1,912 m) that Petrarch climbs on April 26, 1336, accompanied by his brother Gherardo. This ascent is regarded as one of the first symbolic expressions of the modern sensibility toward nature.

The Eternal City where Petrarch is crowned poet laureate in 1341. For him, Rome represents the ideal of ancient civilization that he dreams of reviving; he returns there several times to study the ruins and inscriptions.

A small village in the Euganean Hills (Veneto) where Petrarch settles in his final years. He dies there in 1374; his house is today preserved as a museum and has borne his name since the nineteenth century.