climbing mount Ventou with Petrarch

climbing Mount Ventou with Petrarch

fiction
edward w pritchard

One day in April long ago the Poet Petrarch decided to climb 6,700 foot Mount Ventou in southern France. On a whim, while reading the "History of Rome" by Livy Petrarch had an impulse to climb
the highest hill near to where he currently was staying. His essay describing the climb has been passed on to us and it makes for interesting reading.

Near the beginning of the essay Petrarch discusses how he picked a companion to accompany him on the arduous climb. Not surprisingly among his companions Petrarch can find none of his pals who is ideally suited  to climb a mountain with. At last unable to find a friend to accompany him Petrarch chooses his younger brother to go with him and two servants and sets off battling and conquering wind and terrain to reach the top of mount Ventou.

Nowhere in the essay on climbing mount Ventrou does Petrarch mention considering his ideal woman Laura who he often thinks about and writes poetry to as a possible candidate to climb with him up the highest local mountain. Perhaps Petrarch was worried Laura wouldn't choose him as an ideal candidate to ascend the highest local mountain or perhaps Petrarch preferred to keep Laura compartmentalized as his Muse and let it go at that.