Pierantonio Serassi editore del Petrarca volgare

The article examines the two editions of Petrarch’s ‘Rime’ published in Bergamo in 1746 and 1752 by Pierantonio Serassi. It provides an analytical table of their contents, highlights their structural differences, and focuses on the manner in which the Bergamasque scholar presents the lyric corpus. The study also identifies the principal sources on which Serassi draws in composing the introductory sections and Petrarch’s biography, confirming that his “modus operandi” consists in assembling, and intricately interweaving, excerpts – at times rather extensive – from earlier works. Finally, the article publishes, in an appendix, two unfinished draft treatises by Serassi, entitled ‘Della poesia italiana’ and ‘Della cognizione dei libri toscani’, accompanied by a critical apparatus and an indication of their main sources.