Tempietto del Petrarca is commemorative structure near the river Enza in Selvapiana, that is an hamlet in the municipality of

Canossa Canossa ( Reggiano: ) is a '' comune'' and castle town in the Province of Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It is where Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV did penance in 1077 and stood three days bare-headed in the snow to reverse his ...

in the

Province of Reggio Emilia The Province of Reggio Emilia ( it, Provincia di Reggio nell'Emilia, Emilian: ''pruvînsa ed Rèz'') is one of the nine provinces of the Italian Region of Emilia-Romagna. The capital city, which is the most densely populated comune in the provin ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The structure was built to recalls the stay here by

Petrarch Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited ...

during 1343, when he was hosted by the

condottiero ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Euro ...

Azzo da Correggio. Construction of the charming tempietto (''small temple or chapel'', although secular) was begun in 1839 during the flourishing of Romanticism's attachment to classical literature, and completed in a few years. It houses a marble statue of

Petrach Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited ...

by Tommaso Bandini, and ceiling frescoes by Francesco Scaramuzza. Reggio Emilia Turismo
website, entry on Tempietto.

Sources

Buildings and structures in the Province of Reggio Emilia Tourist attractions in Emilia-Romagna Religious buildings and structures completed in 1841 {{Italy-struct-stub