Guarino da Verona (1374–1460)

Humanist educator and writer from Verona and based for the second half of his career in Ferrara. A pupil of Manuel Chrysoloras, he returned with him to Constantinople and stayed there until 1408. Back in Italy, he taught in Venice, Florence, Padua, and – from 1429, at the invitation of Marchese Niccolò d'Este – at Ferrara. In the city ruled by the Este dynasty, he presided over both a flourishing school and a literary circle which also included Giovanni Aurispa.

His writings comprised mainly of translations from Greek, in particular of Plutarch essays; he also produced a voluminous correspondence and entered into controversies with other humanists like Poggio Bracciolini. In his own time, however, he was best known for his teaching – it is unclear how novel or inspirational his lessons actually were, but they certainly attracted students from across Europe and he surpassed in his celebrity even Vittorino da Feltre and Gasparino Barzizza.