During the "years of pilgrimage" spent in Italy, the young Liszt gained considerable musical inspiration from the local musical, artistic, and literary heritage. These intense impressions are recorded in Volume 2 of Années de pelerinage, whose sources range from Raphael to Michelangelo, Dante, and Petrarch. Three of the latter's sonnets (47: Benedetto sia 'l giorno, 104: Pace non trovo, and 123: I' vidi in terra angelici costumi) were first set to music by Liszt as songs and, a little later, were arranged for solo piano.

The songs, and consequently the pieces for piano, reflect the style of the Italian bel canto - of Donizetti and Bellini - rather than following the German Lied tradition. Despite criticisms from contemporary reviews, the extensive melodic lines of these pieces and their Mediterranean passion have always enchanted both performers and listeners. This revised (2018) edition contains the Three Sonnets in two versions: