Il Notaro (Jacopo da Lentini)

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In Purgatorio XXIV, Bonagiunta Orbicciani lists himself, Il Notaro, and Guittone d'Arezzo as the three names that exemplarily encompass all Italian vernacular lyric poetry prior to the Stil Nuovo (Purg. XXIV 56). According to the authorized note on the same verse, by the name «'l Notaro» is meant Jacopo da Lentini, recognized as the first and most authoritative master of the Sicilian school. The same commentary clarifies that the verse contains an obstacle that held those poets back from closely following the dictator, indicating rather a mental impediment linked to the difficulty of fully adhering to the new poetic inspiration. The note contrasts the function of Bonagiunta, defined by Contini as «the best bridge between the Sicilians and the Florentine stilnovisti», with the role of Guittone as the leader in Tuscany of the lyric tied to the Provençal tradition.