Between solitude and friendship
It will never be my view that solitude is disturbed by the presence of a friend,
but that it is enriched.
If I had the choice of doing without one or the other,
I should prefer to be deprived of solitude rather than of my friend.
On the solitary life
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca
(July 20, 1304 – July 19, 1374)
Francesco Petrarca, known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest Renaissance humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism". In the 16th century, Pietro Bembo created the model for the modern Italian language based on Petrarch's works, as well as those of Giovanni Boccaccio and, especially, Dante Alighieri. This would be later endorsed by the Accademia della Crusca. His sonnets were admired and imitated throughout Europe during the Renaissance and became a model for lyrical poetry. Petrarch was also known for being one of the first people to refer to the Dark Ages.
