Non-fiction, this first volume, Le origini e il Duecento, initiates a structured survey of the History of Italian Literature, focusing on the earliest phases of literary production in Italy, from medieval Latin texts to the rise of vernacular poetry. The work explores the Sicilian School, religious poetry, and figures like San Francesco and Guittone d’Arezzo, placing them within cultural and linguistic developments of the 13th century. The 1965 first edition offers a scholarly yet accessible foundation for readers and students interested in the medieval roots of Italian literary tradition.