Abstract

Petrarch's decision to move to Milan, under the Visconti, provoked a tough reaction by Boccaccio. It started with a letter dictated by indignation of that moment and would fuel a confrontation that lasted for years, between silences and misunderstandings. This confrontation illuminates the actual situation of their relationship; at the same time, it allows us to test the validity of common historiography, according to which Petrarch was the first great supporter of the new "signoria" State, whereas Boccaccio was representative of a narrow and outdated municipalism. Their final clarification about Petrarch's Lombard residence would happen under the sign of a mutual renunciation about all kind of reform, which they reputed impossible to be pursued in a world irreparably ruined.