«Nulla più da sperare né da dire». Boccaccio, Petrarca e l’inquietudine del mondo

The decision of Petrarca 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 Petrarca was the first great supporter of the new signoria State, whereas Boccaccio was representative of a narrow and outdated Municipalism. Their final clarification about the Lombard residence of Petrarch, would happen under the sign of a common renunciation about all kind of reform, reputed impossible to be pursued in a world irreparably ruined.