author
Matteo Villani
d. 1363
A Florentine chronicler from the 14th century, he carried on his brother Giovanni’s great history of Florence after the Black Death. His writing is valued for its effort to gather evidence and record events with unusual care for the time.
5 Audiobooks
Cronica di Matteo Villani, vol. 1 A miglior lezione ridotta coll'aiuto de' testi a penna
by Matteo Villani
Cronica di Matteo Villani, vol. 3 A miglior lezione ridotta coll'aiuto de' testi a penna
by Matteo Villani
Cronica di Matteo Villani, vol. 5 A miglior lezione ridotta coll'aiuto de' testi a penna
by Matteo Villani
About the author
Working in 14th-century Florence as a merchant and public figure, Matteo Villani is best remembered as the historian who continued the Nuova Cronica after the death of his brother Giovanni Villani in 1348. He added eleven books to the family chronicle, extending the narrative through the turbulent years marked by plague, politics, and war.
Sources describe him as more than a simple compiler. His chronicle was praised for trying to check facts, consult reports, and explain events clearly, which gives it lasting value for readers interested in medieval Florence and the wider world around it.
Matteo Villani died in 1363, reportedly during another outbreak of plague. His work was then briefly continued by his son Filippo, helping preserve one of the most important historical records of late medieval Florence.