Cielo d'Alcamo

His traditional surname (which would mean "from Alcamo", a town in northwestern Sicily) has been differently identified by other scholars as Dalcamo (the modern form of the name "Cielo" is "Michele" or "Michael").

Cielo d'Alcamo and fellow 13th century Sicilian poet Giacomo da Lentini are jointly credited as the inventors of the sonnet as a verse form.

In reply, the girl berates him for his "ill" intentions, vowing to protect her honour, but her prudishness is just a façade to force her admirer to keep trying harder, until at last she gives in completely to his bold advances.

It also represents an equally on target satire of contemporary Troubadour poetry from Provence, as well as the literary language developed by the "Magna Curia" of poets surrounding Emperor Frederick II at his court in Palermo.

Identified by some scholars (such as Francesco De Sanctis) as a very popular work, "Rosa fresca aulentissima" was written by a very cultured and sophisticated multilingual poet, as testified by his knowledge of works such as the Roman de la Rose and by his likely involvement in Frederick II's court.