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Hebrew remained a written and a spoken language among Italian Jews during the Renaissance, following a tradition already established in previous centuries. The geographical distribution of Hebrew-speaking communities in Italy varied according to major political and social changes, which affected local Jews. As time went on, Hebrew became more and more confined to erudition and traditional genres, whereas for daily communication Jews resorted to vernacular languages. In addition to Italian dialec…

Pico della Mirandola, Giovanni, * 1463 (Mirandola), † 17 Jan 1494 (Florence) Born to the noble family of the Counts of Mirandola and Concordia near Modena, Pico lived on the edge of two distinct cultural periods, the former rooted in medieval scholasticism, the latter characterized by the humanistic revival of classical thought. Pico's strong curiosity led him to study thoroughly both medieval and classical traditions in the most renowned cultural centers of his age. His multifaceted interests in all kinds …