Francesco Petrarca (Italian pronunciation: [franˈtʃesko peˈtrarka], 1304–1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch ( pi: trɑ:rk, ˈpɛtrɑ:rk ), was an Italian scholar and poet in Renaissance Italy, who was one of the earliest humanists. His creation back from his time was possible because he straddled two worlds — the classical and his own modern day.