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Aleardo Aleardi (14 November 1812 – 17 July 1878), bornGaetano Maria, was an Italian poet who belonged to the so-calledNeo-romanticists.
Aleardo was born inVerona in 1812 to an aristocratic family. His parents were Count Giorgio Aleardi and Maria Canali. He graduated in law at theUniversity of Padua, where he metGiovanni Prati. He took an active part in the political events of theRisorgimento, particularly in the revolution of 1848, when he was sent by theRepublic of San Marco toParis in order to obtain the support of the French troops against the Austrians. His first poetic attempts follow in the footsteps ofManzoni, especially the historical narrative poemArnalda di Roca (1844). This poem had the historical protagonist of a young woman who dies defending her honor: here we find the search for theatrical effects and dramatic color that is typical of the entire oeuvre of Aleardi. His first success was achieved in 1846 with the twoLetters to Mary, in verse, in which the poet addresses a friend proposing aplatonic love. It was an opportunity to express his belief in theimmortality of the soul and pour out his emotional suffering in a spirit of romanticism.
His extraordinarily successful career and popularity are due to his combination of idyllic and sentimental tones with historical and patriotic themes, as inIl monte Circello (1856),Le antiche città italiane marinare e commercianti (1856), andRaffaello e la Fornarina (1858). In the 1850s he was imprisoned twice by the Austrians: atMantua in 1852 and atJosephstadt inBohemia in 1859.
After the unification of Italy, he became a member of parliament. In 1873 he was made asenator. He later became a professor ofaesthetics at theAccademia di Belle Arti inFlorence, where he died in 1878.[1]
