This paper investigates the presence of Dante and his works in humorous and satirical illustration from the first half of the twentieth century (including periodicals like Il Travaso delle Idee, Il becco giallo, Bertoldo, Candido). Humour was often built on the contrast between the most famous characters or quotations from Dante’s Comedy and everyday situations, while Dante’s vivid description of Hell provided an ideal frame for political and social satire. Dante scholars and the 1921 celebrations also became the target of mockery.

Taddeo Alderotti’s Libellus conservande sanitatis can be found in several manuscripts, both in Latin and in vernacular. It is generally maintained that Alderotti wrote the text in vernacular and later translated it himself into Latin. This study lists the manuscripts, adding new findings and distinguishing three different vernacular versions. In the light of a close comparison, it argues that it is more likely that the Latin text is the original one, and that it was not translated into vernacular by its author. Finally, it analyses the texts transcribed alongside the three vernacular versions, in order to show their various adaptations of Alderotti’s work.