Viridario: The Secret Garden

Viridario (Bologna, 1513; composed 1504) by Giovanni Filoteo Achillini is a Renaissance ＂garden＂ of learning: a vivid humanist poem that blends mythic narrative, moral philosophy, civic praise, and a roll-call of Bolognese culture in the early sixteenth century. For readers of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) and martial history, the text contains a rare and striking feature: an extended, explicitly technical passage on fencing-complete with discussion of close play, binds, and named actions-delivered through the voice of Chiron, tutor of heroes. Few literary works of this period preserve technical swordplay language so directly, making Viridario an unusual witness to the relationship between ＂arms and letters＂ in Renaissance Italy. This edition provides a complete English translation, supported by notes, a glossary, and a bibliography, and is intended for HEMA practitioners, historians of fencing, and anyone interested in the intellectual and civic culture of early modern Bologna.