Etica, estetica e politica del cibo in Petrarca

The research considers the combined attitudes of Petrarch in comparison with food, attested by a long series of scattered steps in his work and, in particular, in some significant «Senile» letters. There are various functions resulting from this research, aimed at the discussion of nutrition: The opposing, which distinguishes between gluttony and moderate eating, artificial and natural foods, cleanliness and dirtiness —on both a social and political level, between luxury and depravation, on the one hand, and modesty and virtue, on the other. The positive, associates a good, simple natural diet with health and a peaceful, private life. The aesthetic, of no less importance than the others, tests eating habits, proven particularly important with regard to civilisation and good education. In short, for Petrarch, eating was a completely cultural event, with which one clearly overcame Christian moral dilemmas and which firmly stood by its foundations for a modern reflection on the debate.