Author: BALDOVINI, Francesco
Biography:
BALDOVINI, Francesco (1634-1716: Dizionario Biographico degli Italiani)
Baldovini was born in Florence on 27 Feb. 1635. He studied at the Jesuit college first in Florence and then in Pisa where he earned a doctorate in law. It was on his return to Florence after the death of his father in 1661 that he wrote his most famous work, Lamento di Cecco da Varlungo, which was first published in 1694 as by Fiesolano Branducci, an anagram of his name. It is considered a fine example of Italian rustic poetry. Baldovini became secretary to the Sienese Cardinal Filippo Nini and he moved to Rome where he befriended the artist Salvator Rosa. In 1674 he became a priest and thereafter lived in Tuscany. Baldovini died in Florence on 18 Nov. 1716. John Hunter (q.v.) includes a brief biography of Baldovini in his dual-language edition of Cecco’s Complaint. (Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani [www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/francesco-baldovini] 10 Feb. 2025) SR