'Soccorri me, che solo non so ire'. Solino in aiuto di Fazio degli Uberti

Abstract

Julius Solinus’ Collectanea rerum memorabilium was held in a really high esteem during all the Middle Ages, higher than almost any other Classical Latin prose work. A good example of Solinus’ auctoritas may be found in Fazio degli Uberti’s Dittamondo, an allegorical poem written in imitation of Dante’s Divina Commedia. Fazio degli Uberti chooses Solinus as the incarnation of Roman knowledge and his role in the poem runs parallel to the role played by Vergil in Dante’s Commedia. This paper offers a description of Solinus’ role in Fazio’s Dittamondo and emphasizes the significance of Solinus as a counterpart of Dante’s Vergil.