Tomba di Francesco Petrarca

The red Verona marble tomb of Francesco Petrarca stands before the parish church in Arquà. Raised six years after the poet's death in 1374, it became a landmark of the village and a place of literary memory.

Why it matters

Petrarca was first buried inside the church, in accordance with his will. Six years later, his son-in-law Francescuolo da Brossano arranged for the remains to be transferred to the marble ark. Its classical form recalls Roman sarcophagi and the Tomb of Antenor in Padua, reflecting the early revival of antique models.

What to notice

The ark rests on four columns and carries a Latin epitaph attributed to Petrarca. A statue of the poet crowns the monument; the head is a copy, while the original is preserved in Casa del Petrarca. The red marble and raised placement distinguish the tomb in the square before the church.

Context and history

The tomb's history includes repeated openings and losses. In 1630 a friar stole a bone from the poet's right arm. During an 1873 examination led by Giovanni Canestrini, the skull in the tomb broke into pieces; later analysis found it belonged to a woman who had lived in the thirteenth century. The location of Petrarca's own skull remains unknown, leaving the remains in the ark incomplete.