elcome to Tuscany and the early 14th century! The setting is Firenze - Florence; one of the most important centres for commerce as well as for spirituality.

In this melting-pot of merchants, nobles, cloister orders, clergy and of course the common man, a curious phenomenon sees the light of day: the lauda - a song of praise directed to popular saints, mother Mary or God and Christ himself.

None other than Saint Francis himself is credited for writing the very first lauda - the so-called ”Song of the Sun”. This new genre of song very quickly gained in popularity, certainly thanks to the fact that the singing (and listening) of laude was believed to shorten one's time in Purgatory...

In the 13th century, special professional lauda ensembles are formed. They are called lauda companies and are the predecessors of Compagnia della lauda!