The Siege of Malta and its protagonists in Giano Pelusio’s poetry

Abstract

The learned society founded in Cosenza between 1511 and 1512 by Aulo Giano Parrasio (Giovanni Paolo Parisio, 1470-1521) was one of the earliest of its kind in Europe and the centre of humanism in 16th century Calabria. The scholars connected to what became known as the Accademia Parrasiana focused their attention mainly on classical philology and literature, but they also engaged with the scientific and political developments of their time. Many members of the Accademia were keen on reviving the classical culture and history of Magna Graecia, but their works, letters and travels brought them into close contact with the humanist culture flourishing elsewhere in Italy during the Renaissance.' When the philosopher Bernardino Telesio (1509-1588) took the helm after Parrasio's death, the society become known as the Accademia Telesiana, until his successor Sertorio Quattromani gave it the name by which it is most commonly known, the Accademia Cosentina. [Excerpt]