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Pietro Aretino (1492–1556)
Aretino, Pietro (ä-rā-tē’nō). An Italian satirical poet and dramatist; born at Arezzo, April 20, 1492; died in Venice, Oct. 21, 1556. He had already won some fame as a writer of satires, when he settled in Rome in 1517, where his bent for witty effusions led to his banishment in 1524. Turning to Florence, he won the favor of John de’ Medici, and at Milan ingratiated himself with Francis I. of France, through whose intercession he was allowed to return to Rome. Of his works only his five comedies in prose, and ‘Orazia,’ a tragedy in verse, numbering among the best in Italian literature, are of lasting merit. His ‘Letters’ are a valuable contribution to the history of the times.