Narratori di banchetti in Italia tra XV e XVI secolo. Il caso delle nozze Bentivoglio-Este (Bologna, 1487)

In order to leave an enduring memory of great festivals that consumed fortunes and resources, organized by medieval and Renaissance noble families essentially for political purposes, it was necessary to have one or more writers who rendered the occasion eternal by means of dedicated narrations, if possible of notable artistic distinction. This happened in Bologna for the wedding of Annibale Bentivoglio (the future Annibale II) with Lucrezia d’Este, organized by Giovanni II, father of the bridegroom. The banquet prepared on that occasion is known in detail thanks to the vivid account written by Cherubino Ghirardacci, author of a very well-known Bolognese chronicle. However, Ghirardacci’s narrative is an a posteriori recounting, written by an historiographer who utilized contemporary sources. The present study first of all carries out a survey of the narratives of the celebrated banquet redacted between the 15th and 16th century, some of which are little known if not until now left completely aside, in order to go deeply into the narrations themselves by means of some “tastings” aimed at showing how the selections of the narrators could have been determined by various factors, which consequently convey prominent narrative differences.