Sicilian Poetry

A Timeline of Sicilian Poetry is available here.

The earliest written record of Italian poetry dates from the 1200s and is the so-called Sicilian school that flourished under Frederick II in Palermo, Sicily. During the early part of the thirteenth century he attracted poets to his court from many parts of the Italian peninsula. With his death in 1250, the cultural center slowly began to shift away from Palermo. Francesco Bonomi has put online a collection of poetry of the Duecento (the 1200's) that includes Italian poetry from its beginnings up to and including the works of Dante (1265-1321). The effort had been three years in the making and is a veritable gold mine. The first subdivision is devoted to the poetry of the Sicilian School.

The Duecento web site is being updated continually and is worth second visits.

Dante noted the impact of the Sicilian School on Italian culture in De Vulgari eloquentia (Book I, Chapter XII, verse 2-4) where he says that at the present time, Italian poetry consists of the Sicilian School. The complete text of De Vulgari eloquentia is available at: http://www.filosofico.net/devulgarieloqquentia.htm