The pastoral novel by the Italian classic Jacopo Sannazzaro (1458–1530) became a bestseller of its time, going through sixty reprints during the 16th century alone. Translated into many languages, this masterpiece caused a wave of imitations from Spain to Poland, from England to Dalmatia. The theme of escape, the return of the thinking individual to the realm of naturalness and pure beauty from the noisy, greedy and cruel urban world turned out to be extremely important for the private individual of the era of the Italian Wars, the Reformation and the Great Geographical Discoveries. Thanks to “Arcadia,” the 16th century became the era of the heyday of the pastoral genre in literature, painting and music. Echoes of this genre can still be heard, becoming more and more urgent.