 At Urbino a society of cultivated men pursued the aesthetic and literary studies which were then in vogue.Bernardo Tasso read cantos of his poem "L'Amadigi" to the duchess and her ladies, or discussed the merits of Homer and Virgil, Trissino and Ariosto, with the duke's librarians and secretaries.Torquato grew up in an atmosphere of refined luxury and somewhat pedantic criticism, both of which gave a permanent tone to his character.