umanisti

Umanisti (plural of umanista; from Italian for "humanist") is the term used to describe scholars associated with humanism, a Renaissance movement focused on reviving classical Greek and Latin literature and reforming education. Umanisti emphasized the studia humanitatis: grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry, ethics, and philology, with attention to original texts, commentary, and critical study rather than unquestioned authority.

Originating in 14th-century Italy, notably in Florence, where Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) and Giovanni Boccaccio laid the groundwork, the movement spread to other Italian cities. Coluccio Salutati and Leonardo Bruni advanced civic humanism, linking classical learning with political service and broad cultural reforms. Later Northern European humanists, such as Erasmus, carried similar ideals further.

Umanisti produced new editions and translations of ancient authors, created libraries, and founded schools and academies. They argued for moral improvement and civic virtue, shaped education by proposing curricula centered on languages and literature, and fostered the use of critical methods, philology, and historical inquiry.

Legacy: The humanist program helped transform European education, arts, and letters and contributed to the emergence of secular learning and critical inquiry. Its methods influenced later scholarship and the broader cultural shifts of the Renaissance.