Un papa e un poeta alla crociata: Pio II e Porcelio de’ Pandoni

Porcelio de’ Pandoni’s De felicitate temporum divi Pii IIis a richly heterogeneous work that brings together multiple genres, voices, and intended audiences, weav-ing poetry into history, oratory, and panegyric. By invoking felicitas–a key concept in humanist discourse –the title frames Pius II’s pontificate as a divinely sanctioned new golden age, grounded in predestination and in the pope’s personal virtue, and presented through the poet’s own eyewitness stance. This essay provides a first reading of the text by examining its sustained emphasis on the crusade against the Turks, a defining focus of Pius II’s pontificate.