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66-574: Lunigiana, a mountainous region dissected by the Magra river, covers an area which runs from the Apennines to the Mediterranean Sea, now belongs in part to Tuscany and in part to Liguria . It takes its name from Luni , a Roman town, perhaps pre-dated by an Etruscan settlement, which became the principal urban center on the northern Tuscan coast. Some contend that the name Luni refers to

132-519: A moral object, three elements which we shall find again in the Divine Comedy . Francesco da Barberino , a learned lawyer who was secretary to bishops , a judge , and a notary , wrote two little allegorical poems, the Documenti d'amore and Del reggimento e dei costumi delle donne . The poems today are generally studied not as literature, but for historical context. A fourth allegorical work

198-457: A strong linguistic and cultural identity, it is sometimes considered "a nation within a nation". Tuscany is the second-most-popular Italian region for travellers in Italy , after Veneto . The main tourist spots are Florence , Castiglione della Pescaia , Pisa , San Gimignano , Lucca , Grosseto and Siena . The town of Castiglione della Pescaia is the most visited seaside destination in

264-503: A title, usually without even a formal office. These rulers presided over the Florentine Renaissance . There was a return to the republic from 1494 to 1512, when first Girolamo Savonarola then Piero Soderini oversaw the state. Cardinal Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici retook the city with Spanish forces in 1512, before going to Rome to become Pope Leo X . Florence was dominated by a series of papal proxies until 1527 when

330-569: Is a region in central Italy with an area of about 23,000 square kilometres (8,900 square miles) and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ( Firenze ). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its influence on high culture . It is regarded as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and of the foundations of the Italian language . The prestige established by

396-517: Is blind to blasons but not to a good heart when it finds one: when it succeeds it is the result of the spiritual, not physical affinity between two souls. Guinizzelli's democratic view can be better understood in the light of the greater equality and freedom enjoyed by the city-states of the center-north and the rise of a middle class eager to legitimise itself in the eyes of the old nobility, still regarded with respect and admiration but dispossessed of its political power. Guinizelli's Canzoni make up

462-613: Is indelibly connected with the name of Guido d'Arezzo , the 11th-century monk who invented modern musical notation and the do-re-mi system of naming notes of the scale; Lucca hosted possibly the greatest Italian composer of Verismo , Giacomo Puccini together with Alfredo Catalani , while Pietro Mascagni was born in Livorno ; and Siena is well known for the Accademia Musicale Chigiana , an organization that currently sponsors major musical activities such as

528-520: Is made from Moraiolo, Leccino and Frantoiano olives. White truffles from San Miniato appear in October and November. Beef of the highest quality comes from the Chiana Valley , specifically, a breed known as Chianina used for Florentine steak . The indigenous Cinta Senese breed of pork is also produced. Wine is a famous and common produce of Tuscany. The red wine Chianti is perhaps

594-652: Is now the province of Reggio Emilia . Upon significant sections of this Roman road, the Lombards would later build the Via Francigena , for the control of which there were bloody and ferocious struggles among the local nobility, concerned with the maintenance of their dominion and fiefdoms , as well as between the states of Pisa and Lucca and, later still, between Florence , Milan and Genoa . The most important castles in Lunigiana, including La Verrucola ,

660-558: The Apuani (from which is derived the name of the Apuan mountain chain), an ancient Ligurian people, as well as Etruscans who may have inhabited towns along the coast and even the hamlets near in-land trade routes. Curiously, while evidence of both Roman and later Medieval settlements are ample, the wondrously appealing stele , late pre-historic and Bronze Age stone statues which have been found in large numbers in this part of Tuscany, remain

726-589: The Goths (Eastern - Ostrogoths and Western - Visigoths ), then was re-conquered by the revived Eastern Roman Empire (later Byzantine Empire ) under the Emperor Justinian . In the years following 572, the Lombards arrived and designated Lucca the capital of their subsequent Tuscia . Pilgrims travelling along the Via Francigena between Rome and France brought wealth and development during

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792-620: The Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea , among which is the Tuscan Archipelago , of which the most significant island is Elba . Tuscany has an area of approximately 22,993 square kilometres (8,878 sq mi). Surrounded and crossed by major mountain chains and with few (but fertile) plains, the region has a relief that is dominated by hilly country used for agriculture . Hills make up nearly two-thirds (66.5%) of

858-659: The Natura 2000 European network. [REDACTED] Media related to Magra River at Wikimedia Commons This Province of Massa-Carrara location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Liguria location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Italy is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tuscany Tuscany ( / ˈ t ʌ s k ə n i / TUSK -ə-nee ; Italian : Toscana , Italian: [tosˈkaːna] )

924-566: The Romans by the first century BCE. From the Etruscans, Tuscany took the name of Etruria, Tuscia for the Romans and subsequently Tuscania and Tuscany. While the areas of north-western Tuscany were inhabited by the ancient Ligures . In northwestern Tuscany, the area between the Arno and Magra rivers was culturally aligned with the Etruscans in the early Iron Age, and came under Ligurian control in

990-804: The medieval period . The food and shelter required by these travellers fuelled the growth of communities around churches and taverns. The conflict between the Guelphs and Ghibellines , factions supporting the Papacy or the Holy Roman Empire in central and northern Italy during the 12th and 13th centuries, split the Tuscan people. The two factions gave rise to several powerful and rich medieval communes in Tuscany: Arezzo , Florence , Lucca , Pisa , and Siena . Balance between these communes

1056-686: The province of Pistoia : In the province of Prato : In the province of Siena : Apart from standard Italian , the Tuscan dialect ( dialetto toscano ) is spoken in Tuscany. The Italian language is based historically on literary Tuscan, specifically the Florentine dialect . It became the language of culture for all the people of Italy, thanks to the prestige of the masterpieces of Dante Alighieri , Petrarch , Giovanni Boccaccio , Niccolò Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini . It would later become

1122-418: The 13th century, there were several major allegorical poems . One of these is by Brunetto Latini , who was a close friend of Dante. His Tesoretto is a short poem, in seven-syllable verses, rhyming in couplets, in which the author professes to be lost in a wilderness and to meet with a lady, who represents Nature, from whom he receives much instruction. We see here the vision, the allegory, the instruction with

1188-531: The Middle Ages) played an import part in both the local politics of Lunigiana and the politics of northern Italy, they built a great number of castles, which were used as residences and fortifications by which several branches of the dynasty defended the territory. Some scholars contend that with the growth of flourishing branches of the Malaspina dynasty, the inheritance of Lunigianese feudal territories by

1254-677: The Modense and Florentines made war on them all. While the Genoese were able to gain control of La Spezia , Lerici , Sarzana and much of the littoral coast all the way from the Cinque Terre to ancient Luni itself, the Milanese took more northern parts of Lunigiana. Meanwhile, some northeastern Lunigianese towns came under the control of either Parma or Modena . Nevertheless, the most strategic parts of ancient Lunigiana began to come under

1320-497: The Moon, a celestial body whose beauty is made all the more attractive when framed by the white-peaked Apuan Alps and high Apennine Mountains . Others maintain, though little or no evidence exists, that the region was populated by those who worshiped the Moon. As if to unite history and myth, the symbol of contemporary Lunigiana is a crescent moon held in the claw of a bear. The earliest recorded inhabitants of this region may have been

1386-457: The Sicilians was led by Dante da Maiano , but its literary originality took another line – that of humorous and satirical poetry. The democratic form of government created a style of poetry that stood strongly against the medieval mystic and chivalrous style. Devout invocation of God or a lady came from the cloister and the castle ; in the streets of the cities everything that had gone before

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1452-750: The Siena Music Week and the Alfredo Casella International Composition Competition. Other important musical centres in Tuscany include Pisa and Grosseto . Several famous writers and poets are from Tuscany, most notably Florentine author Dante Alighieri . Tuscany's literary scene particularly thrived in the 13th century and the Renaissance. In Tuscany, especially in the Middle Ages, popular love poetry existed. A school of imitators of

1518-686: The Tuscan dialect's use in literature by Dante Alighieri , Petrarch , Giovanni Boccaccio , Niccolò Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini led to its subsequent elaboration as the language of culture throughout Italy. It has been home to many figures influential in the history of art and science, and contains well-known museums such as the Uffizi and the Palazzo Pitti . Tuscany is also known for its wines , including Chianti , Vino Nobile di Montepulciano , Morellino di Scansano , Brunello di Montalcino and white Vernaccia di San Gimignano . Having

1584-484: The bible of Dolce Stil Novo , and one in particular, "Al cor gentil" ("To a Kind Heart") is considered the manifesto of the new movement which would bloom in Florence under Cavalcanti , Dante and their followers. His poetry has some of the faults of the school of d'Arezzo. Nevertheless, he marks a great development in the history of Italian art, especially because of his close connection with Dante's lyric poetry . In

1650-587: The bridge at the time due to the coronavirus lockdown then in force, and only two people were injured. Since 1995 an area of 4,320.8 hectares (10,677 acres) surrounding the Magra and Vara rivers is protected by a natural park of the regione Liguria , placed near the border with the Tuscany region. Due its biodiversity , the Regional Natural Park of Montemarcello -Magra-Vara is part of

1716-409: The capital, Florence , Empoli , and Pisa . The climate is fairly mild in the coastal areas, and is harsher and rainy in the interior, with considerable fluctuations in temperature between winter and summer, giving the region a soil-building active freeze-thaw cycle, in part accounting for the region once having served as a key breadbasket of ancient Rome . The pre-Etruscan history of the area in

1782-626: The central European Urnfield culture system. Following this, at the beginning of the Iron Age , the Villanovan culture ( c.  900  – c.  700 BC), regarded as the oldest phase of Etruscan civilization , saw Tuscany, and the rest of Etruria, taken over by chiefdoms . City-states developed in the late Villanovan (paralleling Greece and the Aegean) before " Orientalization " occurred. The Etruscans (Latin: Tusci ) created

1848-542: The citizens declared the republic again, only to have it taken from them again in 1530 after a siege by an Imperial and Spanish army. At this point Pope Clement VII and Charles V appointed Alessandro de' Medici as the first formal hereditary ruler. The Sienese commune was not incorporated into Tuscany until 1555, and during the 15th century, Siena enjoyed a cultural 'Sienese Renaissance' with its own more conservative character. Lucca remained an independent republic until 1847 when it became part of Grand Duchy of Tuscany by

1914-470: The control of the Florentine state in the early 15th century. By the second half of that century, Tuscan possession of most of Lunigiana was secured with the incorporation of Fivizzano and its vast territory into the Tuscan state. With Italian unification in the mid-nineteenth century, most of Lunigiana, though divided for centuries among the contesting duchies and city-states of northern Italy, came into

1980-599: The cost of weakening the overall power of the family at each generation. As a region which controls the passage from Tuscany to the northern territories of Lombardy and Parma , as well as from Tuscany to the eastern lands of Liguria and across the Apennines into Reggio Emilia, Lunigiana was fought over for centuries in countless wars which pitted the native feudal dynasties against one another. Then, in order to gain control of this strategic region, Luccans fought Pisans, Pisa struggled with Genoese, Milanese struck out against

2046-646: The country be ruled by his son. The dynasty of the Lorena ruled Tuscany until 1860, except during the Napoleonic period , when most of the country was annexed to the French Empire . After the Second Italian War of Independence , a revolution evicted the last Grand Duke, and after a plebiscite, Tuscany became part of the new Kingdom of Italy . From 1864 to 1870 Florence became the second capital of

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2112-409: The ever contesting large and small branches of the family eventually brought about a diminution of individual holdings causing, in the end, the parceling of fiefdoms into increasingly smaller estates, all of which needed to be protected through the building of castles and other stone fortifications. Thus, through the centuries, many large and small (now picturesque) castles were built in Lunigiana, but at

2178-633: The famous castle of Fivizzano formerly inhabited by the late artist Pietro Cascella , and the castle of the Piagnaro in Pontremoli , the Rocca of Villafranca , the Malaspina castle in the city of Massa and the fortified village of Filetto , had been built as a result of these monumental struggles for control of Lunigiana. Moreover, when the Malaspina (one of the leading Lunigianese dynasties during

2244-420: The first major civilization in this region, large enough to establish a transport infrastructure, to implement agriculture and mining and to produce vibrant art. The Etruscans lived in the area of Etruria well into prehistory. The civilization grew to fill the area between the Arno and Tiber from the tenth century BCE, reaching its peak during the seventh and sixth centuries B.C., finally succumbing to

2310-482: The first year." In 1630, Florence and Tuscany were once again ravaged by the plague . Tuscany, especially Florence , is regarded as the birthplace of the Renaissance . Though "Tuscany" remained a linguistic, cultural, and geographic conception rather than a political reality, in the 15th century, Florence extended its dominion in Tuscany through the annexation of Arezzo in 1384, the purchase of Pisa in 1405, and

2376-630: The historical centre of San Gimignano (1990); the historical centre of Siena (1995); the historical centre of Pienza (1996); the Val d'Orcia (2004), the Medici Villas and Gardens (2013), and Montecatini Terme as part of the Great Spa Towns of Europe (2021). Tuscany has over 120 protected nature reserves , making Tuscany and its capital Florence popular tourist destinations. In 2018, Florence alone had over 5 million arrivals, making it

2442-590: The introduction of aqueducts and sewers, and the construction of many buildings, both public and private. However, many of these structures have been destroyed by erosion due to weather. The Roman civilization in the West of the Roman Republic and later Roman Empire collapsed in the fifth century, and the region fell briefly to barbarians migrating through the Empire from Eastern Europe and Central Asia of

2508-574: The kingdom. Under Benito Mussolini , the area came under the dominance of local Fascist leaders such as Dino Perrone Compagni (from Florence), and Costanzo and Galeazzo Ciano (from Livorno ). Following the fall of Mussolini and the armistice of 8 September 1943, Tuscany became part of the Nazi-controlled Italian Social Republic and was conquered almost totally by the Anglo-American forces during

2574-606: The late Iron Age. One reason for the eventual demise of this civilization was the increasing absorption by surrounding cultures, including the adoption of the Etruscan upper class by the Romans. Soon after absorbing Etruria (to the north, northeast, east, and a strip to the south), Rome established the cities of Lucca , Pisa , Siena , and Florence , endowed the area with new technologies and development, and ensured peace. These developments included extensions of existing roads,

2640-406: The main cities, such as Florence and Siena , but also in smaller villages scattered around the region, such as San Gimignano . Tuscany has a unique artistic legacy, and Florence is one of the world's most important water-colour centres, even so that it is often nicknamed the "art palace of Italy" (the region is also believed to have the largest concentration of Renaissance art and architecture in

2706-735: The medieval period and the Renaissance, four main Tuscan art schools competed against each other: the Florentine School , the Sienese School , the Pisan School, and the Lucchese School . In the province of Arezzo : In the province of Florence : In the Province of Grosseto : In the province of Livorno : In the province of Lucca : In the province of Massa and Carrara : In the province of Pisa : In

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2772-640: The middle and late Bronze parallels that of the archaic Greeks . The Tuscan area was inhabited by peoples of the so-called Apennine culture in the second millennium BC ( c.  1400  – c.  1150 BC) who had trading relationships with the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations in the Aegean Sea , and, at the end of the Bronze Age, by peoples of the so-called Proto-Villanovan culture ( c.  1100  – c.  900 BC) part of

2838-545: The most well-known internationally. Due to the many British tourists who come to the area where Chianti wine is produced this specific area has been nicknamed " Chiantishire ". Between 1851 and 1860, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany , an independent Italian state until 1859 when it joined the United Provinces of Central Italy , produced two postage stamp issues which are among the most prized classic stamp issues of

2904-427: The new Kingdom of Italy as part of Tuscany proper. Magra The Magra is a 62-kilometre (39 mi) long river of Northern Italy, which runs through Pontremoli , Filattiera , Villafranca in Lunigiana and Aulla in the province of Massa-Carrara ( Tuscany ); Santo Stefano di Magra , Vezzano Ligure , Arcola , Sarzana and Ameglia in the province of La Spezia ( Liguria ). In Roman times, it

2970-471: The official language of all the Italian states and of the Kingdom of Italy , when it was formed. Many Tuscan terms are also common in the dialects of Umbria and some parts of Emilia Romagna . Tuscany has a rich ancient and modern musical tradition, and has produced numerous composers and musicians, including Giacomo Puccini and Pietro Mascagni . Florence is the main musical centre of Tuscany. The city

3036-433: The prodigious expression of art and architecture in Florence. His famous descendant Catherine de' Medici married Prince Henry (later King Henry II ) of France in 1533. The Black Death epidemic hit Tuscany starting in 1348. It eventually killed 70% of the Tuscan population. According to Melissa Snell, "Florence lost a third of its population in the first six months of the plague, and from 45% to 75% of its population in

3102-463: The region's total area, covering 15,292 square kilometres (5,904 sq mi), and mountains (of which the highest are the Apennines ), a further 25%, or 5,770 square kilometres (2,230 sq mi). Plains occupy 8.4% of the total area—1,930 square kilometres (750 sq mi)—mainly around the valley of the Arno . Many of Tuscany's most significant cities lie on the banks of the Arno, including

3168-523: The region, with seaside tourism accounting for approximately 40% of tourist arrivals. The Maremma region , Siena , Lucca , the Chianti region , Versilia and Val d'Orcia are also internationally renowned and particularly popular spots among travellers. Eight Tuscan localities have been designated World Heritage Sites : the historic Centre of Florence (1982); the Cathedral square of Pisa (1987);

3234-476: The settlement of Luni , founded by the Romans in 177 BC, (today a site of significant Roman ruins and a modern museum) was a flourishing city and harbour, the Romans had already built solid defensive posts along the Via Aurelia , a major road which linked up central Italy to Lunigiana and from Lunigiana to both the coastal road through Liguria and to Gaul (modern France) and across the Apennines into what

3300-616: The summer of 1944. Following the end of the Social Republic and the transition from the Kingdom to the modern Italian Republic , Tuscany once more flourished as a cultural centre of Italy. Since the establishment of the regional government in 1970, Tuscany has always been ruled by centre-left governments. Tuscany has an immense cultural and artistic heritage, expressed in the region's churches, palaces, art galleries, museums, villages, and piazzas. Many of these artifacts are found in

3366-565: The suppression of a local resistance there (1406). Livorno was bought in 1421 and became the harbour of Florence. From the leading city of Florence, the republic was from 1434 onward dominated by the increasingly monarchical Medici family. Initially, under Cosimo , Piero the Gouty , Lorenzo and Piero the Unfortunate , the forms of the republic were retained and the Medici ruled without

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3432-553: The symbol of this ancient land. They are the first expression of the art and, perhaps, of the religious beliefs of the peoples that inhabited northern Tuscany from the Bronze Age to start of the Roman Empire . During the Middle Ages , there were 160 castles in Lunigiana, only thirty of which have reached our times in a good state of preservation; others, such as the castle of Agnino di Fivizzano , have fallen into ruin. It

3498-452: The will of its people. Piombino and other strategic towns constituted the tiny State of the Presidi under Spanish control. In the 16th century, the Medicis , rulers of Florence, annexed the Republic of Siena , creating the Grand Duchy of Tuscany . The Medici family became extinct in 1737 with the death of Gian Gastone , and Tuscany was transferred to Francis , Duke of Lorraine and husband of Austrian Empress Maria Theresa , who let

3564-419: The work of Cecco Angiolieri of Siena, the oldest humorist we know, a far-off precursor of François Rabelais and Michel de Montaigne . Another type of poetry also began in Tuscany. Guittone d'Arezzo made art abandon chivalry and Provençal forms for national motives and Latin forms. He attempted political poetry, and although his work is often obscure, he prepared the way for the Bolognese school. Bologna

3630-413: The world's 51st most visited city . Roughly triangular in shape, Tuscany borders the regions of Liguria to the northwest, Emilia-Romagna to the north, Marche and Umbria to the east, and Lazio to the south and southeast. The comune (municipality) of Badia Tedalda , in the Tuscan Province of Arezzo , has an exclave named Ca' Raffaello within Emilia-Romagna. Tuscany has a western coastline on

3696-406: The world's most precious works of art. Such museums include the Uffizi , which keeps Botticelli's The Birth of Venus , the Palazzo Pitti , and the Bargello , to name a few. Most of the frescos, sculptures, and paintings in Tuscany are held in the region's abundant churches and cathedrals, such as Florence Cathedral , Siena Cathedral , Pisa Cathedral and the Collegiata di San Gimignano . In

3762-521: The world). Painters such as Cimabue and Giotto , the fathers of Italian painting, lived in Florence and Tuscany, as well as Arnolfo and Andrea Pisano , renewers of architecture and sculpture; Brunelleschi , Donatello and Masaccio , forefathers of the Renaissance; Ghiberti and the Della Robbias , Filippo Lippi and Angelico ; Botticelli , Paolo Uccello , and the universal genius of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo . The region contains numerous museums and art galleries, many housing some of

3828-435: The world, and include the most valuable Italian stamp. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was an independent Italian state from 1569 to 1859 but was occupied by France from 1808 to 1814. The Duchy comprised most of the present area of Tuscany, and its capital was Florence. In December 1859, the Grand Duchy officially ceased to exist, being joined to the duchies of Modena and Parma to form the United Provinces of Central Italy, which

3894-405: Was annexed by the Kingdom of Sardinia a few months later in March 1860. In 1862 it became part of Italy and joined the Italian postal system. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 117.5 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 6.7% of Italy's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 31,400 euros or 104% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee

3960-441: Was at the heart of much of the Western musical tradition. It was there that the Florentine Camerata convened in the mid-16th century and experimented with setting tales of Greek mythology to music and staging, resulting in the first operas , fostering the further development of the operatic form, and the later developments of separate "classical" forms such as the symphony . There are numerous musical centres in Tuscany. Arezzo

4026-411: Was ensured by the assets they held: Pisa, a port; Siena, banking; and Lucca, banking and silk. But by the time of the Renaissance , Florence had become the cultural capital of Tuscany. One family that benefitted from Florence's growing wealth and power was the ruling Medici family . Its scion Lorenzo de' Medici was one of the most famous of the Medici. The legacy of his influence is visible today in

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4092-400: Was in these castles that Dante found respite during his stay in Lunigiana. The historical origins of these castles date back to times when the Lombards dominated most of the Pianura Padana and, seeking an outlet on the Ligurian/Tuscan coast, they found in the Cisa Pass and the Cerreto Pass , near the town of Fivizzano, the easiest ways to cross the Apennines. During ancient times, when

4158-431: Was known as the Macra and marked the eastern boundary of the territory of Liguria. The river's drainage basin occupies around 1,700 km (660 sq mi). Its most important tributary is the Vara which joins the Magra from the right within the commune of Santo Stefano di Magra . In April 2020 a 260 metre long road bridge across the Magra at Albiano Magra near Aulla collapsed. Very few vehicles were using

4224-457: Was the Intelligenza , which is sometimes attributed to Compagni but is probably only a translation of French poems. In the 15th century, humanist and publisher Aldus Manutius published the Tuscan poets Petrarch and Dante Alighieri ( Divine Comedy ), creating the model for what became a standard for modern Italian. Simplicity is central to Tuscan cuisine . Legumes , bread, cheese, vegetables, mushrooms, and fresh fruit are used. Olive oil

4290-428: Was the city of science, and philosophical poetry appeared there. Guido Guinizelli was the poet after the new fashion of the art. In his work, the ideas of chivalry are changed and enlarged. Only those whose heart is pure can be blessed with true love, regardless of class. He refuted the traditional credo of courtly love , for which love is a subtle philosophy only a few chosen knights and princesses could grasp. Love

4356-399: Was treated with ridicule or biting sarcasm . Folgóre da San Gimignano laughs when in his sonnets he tells a party of Sienese youths the occupations of every month in the year, or when he teaches a party of Florentine lads the pleasures of every day in the week. Cenne della Chitarra laughs when he parodies Folgore's sonnets. The sonnets of Rustico di Filippo are half-fun and half-satire, as is

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