Vecchio

Vecchio (: vecchi; meaning 'old one' or simply 'old') is a category of aged, male characters from Italian commedia dell'arte theatre. The primary members of this group are, , and. and are the alter ego of each other:  being the decadent wealthy merchant, and  being the decadent erudite.

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 the Italian word for 'old' (as used in, meaning 'old bridge').