Vecchio, Il

Vecchio, Il: see Amato, Giovanni Antonio d'.

Vecchio (plural vecchi). A category of aged, male characters from the Italian Commedia dell'Arte. The primary members of this group are Pantalone, Il Dottore and Il Capitano. The word means "old one" or simply "old" in Italian.

They are overwhelmingly the antagonists, opposing the love of the innamorati; the comic ending is produced when the zanni manage to overcome them and unite the lovers.

Vecchio is also the Italian word for "old" as used in Ponte Vecchio, meaning "old bridge"