Svuotare la pancia per riempire lo spirito. Digiuno e quaresima in alcuni sermoni per il Mercoledì delle Ceneri tra XII e XIII secolo

What did fasting mean at the very end of the XII century and in the first half of the XIII? And why did it have to be practiced during Lenten period? Mov ing from these questions the article focuses on a selection of sermons for the Ash Wednesday written by canonical priests and Franciscan friars in order to pres ent to their public the main features of the Liturgical time they were entering. Through a series of common references and topics, such as the way fasting had to be rightly done, its being part of the Penitence, and its association to almsgiving, the presented preachers allow us to see how Fasting was a funding act of Chris tian way to Salvation