De vita solitaria
Videos
De vita solitaria is a philosophical treatise composed in Latin and written between 1346 and 1356 by Italian Renaissance humanist Petrarch. It constitutes an apology of solitude dedicated to his frien
Cover for a 1600 edition of De Vita solitaria
Otium
Videos
Otium is a Latin abstract term which has a variety of meanings, including leisure time for "self-realization activities" such as eating, playing, relaxing, contemplation, and academic endeavors. It so
De vita solitaria
…as Augustine or Pope Celestine V) and philosophers. Petrarch merged the medieval interest in spiritual meditation with Cicero's idea of philosophical otium. His idea of a happy life is that of meditative retirement in the peace of the countryside, where it is possible to pursue both literary studies and…
Visitors to Los Angeles' Getty Villa, modeled after the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, get a glimpse of otium as experienced at an ancient Roman villa.
Epicurus
Cicero busy at work
A modern reconstruction of a Roman villa