Petrarch

Francesco Petrarch(1304-1374) was an Italian scholar, poet and was also recognized as one of the earliest Renaissance humanists. He worked to perfect the sonnet. He was also one of the first people to call the Middle Ages the Dark Ages. Petrarch studied law at Montpellier and Bologna, but he was more into writing and Latin literature. He also loved to travel and therefore traveled often. Since he was one of the first people to travel for pleasure, he was known as "the first tourist". During his travels, he also served as an ambassador. Also during his travels, he collected Latin manuscripts and recovered language from writers of Rome and Greece. Francesco Petrarch's works: Canzoniere, Trionofi, Secretum, De Viris Illustribus, Rerum Memorandarum Libi, De Otro Religiosorum, De Vita Solitaria, De Remediis Utiusque Fortunae, Itinerarium, Carmen Bucolicum, Epistolae Familiares and Seniles