The Siena-born lyric poet Cecco Angiolieri was
known chiefly for his humorous sonnets, but also
for his allegedly profligate lifestyle, though some of
that reputation derives undoubtedly from the per-
sona created in his lyrics. A contemporary and acquaintance of DANTE, Cecco devotes much of his
poetry to burlesquing the elevated view of love
presented in the DOLCE STIL NOVO (“sweet new
style”) practiced by Dante, CAVALCANTI, and other
poets of Tuscany.
Very few facts are known of Cecco’s life. He was
born in Siena, and his family seems to have been
wealthy. He is thought to have taken part (as Dante
did) in the Battle of Campaldino (1289) with the
Sienese troops, allied with the Guelfs of Florence
against the Ghibellines of Arezzo (in general, the
Guelf party was largely middle class and supported
the pope in Italian politics, while the Ghibellines
were aristocratic and supported the emperor).
Later Cecco probably went to Rome, where he was
part of the court of Cardinal Riccardo Petroni. Beyond these things, the only other facts we know are
that in 1291, Cecco was sued for criminal assault
and was acquitted; and that, upon his death, all five
of his sons renounced their inheritance because it
would have meant being responsible for Cecco’s
substantial outstanding debts. His reputation for
wild living was so widespread that BOCCACCIO included a story about him in The DECAMERON
(ninth day, fourth story), in which he loses his
money, shirt, and horse to a gambler he has taken
on as a servant.
This reputation is only enhanced by many of
the 128 extant sonnets attributed to Cecco, in
which he presents a persona who devotes himself
to carousing, brawling in taverns, chasing loose
women, and complaining that his stingy father
won’t give him enough money. Not all of his
poems are in this vein: In some, he shows the influence of the Sicilian school of love poetry established by GIACOMO DA LENTINO, who first brought
to Italy poetry in the COURTLY LOVE style of the
Provençal TROUBADOURS, and also shows his familiarity with the more fashionable Dolce Stil Novo of
Florence. But his best-known sonnets are his humorous ones.
Cecco might be considered with FOLGORE DA
SAN GEMINIANO as one of the earliest Italian poets
in the popular realistic humorous vein. Both
poets give a vivid picture of everyday life, though
Cecco certainly differs from Folg