L’educazione sentimentale di Federico. Storia «semiseria» del giovane imperatore

The extraordinary temperament and intellect of Frederick II of Swabia can only be the results of a ‘magic alchemy’ between ‘genetic’ and ‘environmental’ factors. Yet, the young man has little in common with the disposition of his German ancestors. His tastes are more similar to an Italian man: he loves knowledge, the arts, music, poetry, the pleasant life and, above all, … beautiful women. In the book, the explanation of this dissimilarity is sought by going through – between secrets and imaginations – the historical period that goes from 1184 to 1222 and assuming all the legends about his birth and his formation as true.