Altilio (
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Altilio (Lat. Altilius), Gabriello (Gabriele): (b. 1440, Caggiano [SA]; d. 1501, Policastro [SA]). Poet, humanist, diplomat and ecclesiastic. Ranking among the leading humanists of his time, Altilio was a prominent member of the Neapolitan Academy. Entering into the service of the Aragonese dynasty of Naples, he continued to play an important role in the governments of Alfonso II and Ferrante II even after becoming bishop of Policastro in 1493. After the fall of Naples to the French in 1495, Altilio chose to retire from politics and devote himself exclusively to his religious duties.
As part of the Neapolitan Academy, Altilio became close friends with such figures as Pontano and Sannazzaro. He authored several Latin poems of high quality, one of the best being an Epithalamium, styled after Catullus, on the 1489 marriage of Galeazzo Sforza, Duke of Milan, to Isabella of Aragon. It was published posthumously and later translated into Italian. Altilio also wrote a number of works on theology.