We’re finally ready to enter the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana – a museum and library, (Biblioteca Ambrosiana), in central Milan. We’re here to see Petrarch’s personal copy of Virgil’s classic works. That book was Petrarch’s workbook. He studied it, made notes in the margins, and took it with him everywhere he went – 600+ years ago. So here we go, in search of Petrarch.
Petrarch Recap
To recap from last time, Petrarch lived in 14th-century Europe. He was the first writer and scholar to emerge from the Dark Ages. In fact, Petrarch coined the term, “Dark Ages” to refer to the time between the fall of Rome and the 14th century.
Petrarch made a name for himself writing sonnets – no small feat in an age when few people could read. Books had to be made individually by hand. Petrarch’s most popular works described his feelings for his one true love who, unfortunately, was already betrothed. He could love her only from afar.
In the year, 1341, the king of Naples crowned Petrarch as the first “Poet Laureate” in the modern world. (In the 14th century, the Kingdom of Naples covered half of present-day Italy). Lovesick or not, the title allowed Petrarch to travel around, staying with kings or counts who were honored to have him in residence.
Petrarch was lovesick, but his life could have been worse. Then one day it did get worse. In the 14th century, the plague devastated Europe. Petrarch received word that his beloved had succumbed to it.
Petrarch continued to work, eventually becoming the pre-eminent scholar of his time. He died one night in 1374, while staying in a small Italian town. His hosts found him the next morning, his head resting on a manuscript of Virgil.
Inside Pinacoteca Ambrosiana
We’ve only scratched the surface of Petrarch’s life, but even knowing this little bit, wouldn’t it be neat to see his precious copy of Virgil? Okay, then. Without further ado, let’s go inside Pinacoteca Ambrosiana.
We opened the big glass doors and went inside. A lady sitting at a desk was checking people into the museum. We handed her our tickets. She handed us a map printed in english. We were in. Now to find Petrarch’s famous book….
I’d done some homework on-line to figure out the location of Petrarch’s book in the museum, but I wasn’t able to nail it down. I wasn’t worried, though, because the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana seemed to me to be pretty small. (First mistake).
Also, Petrarch’s book should be one of the museum’s main attractions. (Second mistake). I figured it ought to be pretty easy to find. (Third mistake). Strike three! If this was baseball, I’d be heading from the batter’s box back to the dugout.
We ventured in. I didn’t expect the book to be near the entrance, but we kept a sharp eye out anyway. No sign of it. There were some neat paintings, though. REALLY neat. Pinacoteca Ambrosiana has a lot more than Petrarch’s book in its collection.
I had to be careful now. It had already been a long day. We started early, in Bellagio. We still had a long way to go to get back. The deal we’d made was that we’d stop here to see just one thing – Petrarch’s book.
We looked at the map. It ought to be around here somewhere. Hmmm… no sign of it. But across the room I spotted a really famous painting — “Portrait of a Musician,” by Leonardo da Vinci. You can’t be standing in a room with a painting by Leonardo da Vinci and not go over to have a quick look, eh? No way!
No Pet Rocks in Here, Pal
But we’re not here to see paintings today. And we had no idea where to find Petrarch’s book. We saw a docent standing nearby. He was an older fellow, very distinguished-looking in a dark suit. We went over and asked for help.
Mio – “Scuzi. Buon giorno. Abbiamo bisogno di aiutare.”
(“Excuse me. Hello. We need some help.”)
Docente – “Buon giorno. Prego.” (“Hello. What can I do for you?”)
Mio – “Cerco il libro di Petrarch di Virgil.”
(“I’m looking for Petrarch’s book of Virgil.”)
Docente – “Un ‘Pet Rock’ che appartiene a qualcuno che è il nome è Virgil?”
(“A Pet Rock that belongs to someone named ‘Virgil’?”)
Oh, man… Is it worth trying to explain that I’m saying “Petrarch,” not “Pet Rock?” I’m not so sure.
It’s been a long day. My brain is too tired to think hard, my italian is weak, even on a good day, and our docent speaks zero english. I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this.
To be continued…
Just for fun…
Aiutare -to help
Cercare – to search for
Appartenere – to belong
Qualcuno – someone
Note:
The photo at the top of the post is a page from a 15th-century copy of Petrarch’s work, Triumphs. Credit: Cornell University Digital Collections.
