How long has the Italian language existed? What are the historical events, the social circumstances, the literary works that have defined its character? How long has Italian been spoken?

Fiammetta Papi, professor of Italian Linguistics at the University of Siena, retraces the history of Italian in 100 memorable dates: from the first documents written in vernacular to the socio-cultural transformations of recent decades; from Dante Alighieri, Giovanni Boccaccio, Petrarch, and the greatest authors of Italian literature to the spreading of standard Italian; without forgetting the language of science and technology, food, art, and music.