Abstract

Nowadays the writings of Fausto Evangelisti Capodiferro are still almost completely unpublished. Providing the critical edition of the elegy De Elisa Estense, handed down in two manuscripts, the attention is focused on two characteristic aspects of the Roman humanist’s poetry: the encomiastic element and the celebration of relevant historical events. In this specific case, we focus on marriage between Francesco Gonzaga and Isabella d’Este, whose figure overlaps Virgil’s Dido, as well on the exploit of the Mantuan marquis in relation to the problem of Charles VIII’s presence in southern Italy.