You must read, you must persevere, you must sit up nights, you must inquire, and exert the utmost power of your mind. If one way does not lead to the desired meaning, take another; if obstacles arise, then still another; until, if your strength holds out, you will find that clear which at first looked dark.

Mature years

In Naples Boccaccio began what he considered his true vocation poetry. In that the revival of classical antiquity became necessary to the achievement of the Renaissance his defense of the importance of ancient literature was an essential requirement for its development. Boccaccio and Petrarch were also two of the most educated people in early Renaissance in the field of archaeology.

Boccaccio is particularly notable for his dialogue of which it has been said that it surpasses in verisimilitude that of virtually all of his contemporaries since they were medieval writers and often followed formulaic models for character and plot. Giovanni Boccaccio (Italian: [dʒoˈvanni bokˈkattʃo]; 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian author and poet a friend student and correspondent of Petrarch an important Renaissance humanist and the author of a number of notable works including the Decameron On Famous Women and his poetry in the Italian vernacular.