Ludovico Ariosto
(Reggio Emilia 1474 - Ferrara 1533)
Born in Reggio Emilia in 1474 into a noble Ferrarese family, Ludovico Ariosto settled in Ferrara in 1484. Here he was sent to study law, but abandoned it to devote himself to literary and philosophical studies.
In 1503, following the death of his father and in order to cope with the financial difficulties of his large family, he found employment with Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, Duke Alfonso I’s brother, and covered numerous administrative and diplomatic roles. He had little vocation to be a courtier and this caused him much unease and bitterness in those years. However, he managed to cultivate his studies and in 1516 the first edition of Orlando Enraged was published. In 1517 he passed over to the service of Alfonso I. Due to economic difficulties, Ariosto was forced to accept the office of the Duke’s Commissioner in Garfagnana from 1522 to 1525. It was in this period that he wrote some of his famous Satires. Once back in Ferrara, he spent the last years of his life writing the final edition Orlando Enraged which was published in 1532, a year before he died.
The most important works by Ludovico Ariosto:
- La Cassaria (1508);
- I Suppositi (1509);
- Orlando furioso (1516);
- Satire (1517);
- I Studenti (1518);
- Il Negromante (1520);
- La Lena (1528).
The author's places
Ariostea Library (Ferrara)
Via delle Scienze 17
The main public library, named after the poet, holds most of Ariosto's manuscripts and around 650 editions of his works. One room contains the magnificent Tomb of Ariosto, made of polychrome marble and surrounded by frescoes.
Case degli Ariosto (Ferrara)
Casa di Ludovico Ariosto (Ferrara)
House of Pandolfo Ariosto (Ferrara)
Piazza Ariostea (Ferrara)
House of Virgilio Ariosto (Stellata di Bondeno)
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