King of clowns

What’s in A name?

Zanni’s unusual name was short for Giovanni, a common name to Bergamo, Lombardy, where the character originated. While Zanni was a character in its own right, the term ‘zanni’ was eventually used as a collective term for all the comedic characters in the show. As result, ‘Dei Zanni’ was also another name for the commedia. It is also the origin of the English word ‘zany’.