The making of a first critical and commented edition of the theatrical works of the Rozzi congregation – based on the corpus of the congregation's chief exponent, Salvestro Cartaio, called Il Fumoso – makes it possible to start exploring a so far neglected aspect of country-life plays. Indeed, it provides an innovative and essential contribution to an understanding of the 'geography and history' of 15th-century Italian theatre, especially its main production areas (namely, old Padua and Siena).

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... The present study offers some preliminary reflections on the relationship between Ruzante and Il Fumoso: these playwrights are vastly different in terms of their socio-cultural background and artistic stature; yet, they are also very similar with regard to the innovativeness and complexity of their outlook on the 'otherness' of the countryside.