3 h 25 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 3 h 25 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a change of clothes could open a closed door—and turn desire into a dangerous game?
La Cintia is a stage comedy by Giambattista della Porta, a scholar and playwright from Naples. It belongs to the learned Italian comedy of the Renaissance, with roots in the Roman plays of Plautus and Terence. Enter a theatrical world shaped by quick talk, tangled households and clever tricks, where disguise and hidden identity keep a plot moving.
Love, family and appearances pull against one another in this comic tradition. Young people desire each other, while parents, money and social rank stand in their way. A borrowed identity can win trust or bring a secret within reach. Read with an ear for timing: a pause or a line at the wrong moment can carry the joke.
What you’ll discover
- Disguise with a purpose Explore a comic tradition where different clothes can offer access, trust and the chance to overhear.
- Love meets resistance Discover how desire collides with parents, money and rank in Renaissance comedy.
- Roman roots, Renaissance wit Meet a theatrical tradition that draws on tight plots and familiar comic figures.
- Dialogue that moves Follow the quick talk and listen for pauses that help a joke land.
- Schemes and hidden identities Enter a world where clever tricks and mistaken people give comedy its momentum.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy stage comedy full of mistaken identities, clever servants and bragging soldiers will love this play. It also suits lovers of Renaissance Italy and of love stories shaped by disguise.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Cintia hides a secret behind a man's clothes
- A second disguise and two fathers who talk past each other
- Cintia tells her own story as someone else's
- A talk at the window that no one hears whole
- One dark night turns every plan upside down
- Love drives every deception in the play
- Eyes and ears tell the truth only when people let them
- Laughter is built from entrances, fragments and echoes
- The tangle comes undone and the houses are joined
Who’s who
- CintiaA young woman raised as a man called Cintio, she loves her friend Erasto and tricks her way into his arms.
- ErastoA noble young Neapolitan who loves the neighbor girl Amasia and trusts his friend Cintio completely.
- AmasioA young man from Bologna raised as a girl named Amasia, he is in love with Lidia and wants to win her.
- LidiaErasto's sister, she loves Cintio faithfully and cannot understand why he rejects her.
- DuloneErasto's quick servant, he sees that something is wrong and keeps warning his master, who will not listen.
- The CaptainA boastful soldier who claims to be a terror in battle and wants Amasia, yet runs from every fight.
- SinesioFather of Erasto and Lidia, he wants Amasia as a bride for his son and is sure he knows best.
- PedofiloAmasio's father, he hides his son's real sex to protect him and amuses himself at Sinesio's expense.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
La Cintia
Raised as a man in Naples, a woman tricks her close friend into a night of love and fears the consequences.
Medium level2–5 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
What would you do if the person you love can only see you as a friend? In Naples, a young woman named Cintia has lived since birth as a man called Cintio.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Cintia hides a secret behind a man's clothes
The play opens with Mitieto, an old servant, pressing the young man he calls Cintio to marry Lidia, a girl as virtuous as she is beautiful. Cintio refuses again and again. Mitieto is worn out from drumming on the same point.
Then comes the confession. Cintio is a woman named Cintia. Her father, the rich Arreotimo, promised to marry her mother and name her heir only if she bore a son. She bore a girl, and a boy was shown to him in her place. Arreotimo stays ignorant of the secret until the final act.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 9 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 2 h 15 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Porta, Giambattista della. La Cintia. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/la-cintia.
Porta, G. della. (2026). La Cintia. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/la-cintia
Porta, Giambattista della. La Cintia. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/la-cintia.
@book{porta2026la,
author = {Porta, Giambattista della},
title = {La Cintia},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/la-cintia}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about La Cintia
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is La Cintia about?
It is a comedy set in Naples about Cintia, a girl raised as a boy, who loves her friend Erasto and takes the place of the woman he desires. Around her, other disguises and mistaken identities multiply.
Who is Cintia and why does she dress as a man?
Cintia is the daughter of Arreotimo. Her mother hid her sex at birth, because Arreotimo wanted a son. She was raised as Cintio, learned horses and weapons, and kept the disguise as an adult.
Who is Amasio and why is he called Amasia?
Amasio is the son of Pedofilo, a nobleman from Bologna. To protect him from enemy factions, his father dressed him as a girl and called him Amasia. Amasio then uses the disguise to be near Lidia.
The author
Giambattista della Porta
1535–1615 · Italian scholar and dramatist
Italian alchemist and dramatist.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
