Italia Mia Patriotism

It's pretty amazing to see someone in medieval Italy write the phrase "Oh, my Italy." This is because the idea of Italy as a nation doesn't come along until many centuries later. But Petrarch is a unique guy, so it doesn't surprise us that he feels such affinity for the land and his cultural heritage.

It may strike you that Petrarch is being a bit harsh on foreigners—and you'd be right. To be fair, he's got pretty good reason. German mercenary armies have been pillaging the land and spurring on the fighting between the noble houses of Italy—not cool, strangers.

This is the darker side of patriotism: xenophobia and isolationism. Petrarch can't understand why Italian princes had to go spoil the perfection of Italy by inviting those German barbarian warriors in.

Petrarch's disgust at the destructive behavior of the Italian princes is in direct proportion to his admiration for his Italy. She really is the fairest one of all.

If Petrarch seems overly defensive and prideful when it comes to his country, this might be the reason. He presents this speech of admiration as a general one that any Italian might be able to speak. In this emotional address, we see that the poet's loyalty lies with the land, not with the political mess its nobility has made of it.

Petrarch still seems to be optimistic about the Italians' ability to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Why? Because they have that good, ancient blood with old Roman values (like civic responsibility) in it. Better than vitamins...