Trissino, Gian Giorgio

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Gian Giorgio Trissino (jän jôr´jō trēs–sē´nō), 1478–1550, Italian poet and philologist. His play Sofonisba (written 1515, produced 1557) introduced classical Greek dramatic techniques to Italian drama. Also well known is his epic poem Italia liberata dai Goti (1547). His treatise advocating a blending of dialects in literary Italian was attacked by Machiavelli and by Bembo, who supported the Tuscan dialect.