Giovanni Aquilecchia
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Aquilecchia, (28 November 1923 Nettuno
, Italy
- 3 August 2001, Camden
, London, heart failure) was Professor
of Italian
at Bedford College
, London, and the merged college with Royal Holloway, University of London
. He was one of the great Italian Renaissance
scholars of the second half of the 20th century..
He was first educated in Turin
and then at the liceum Torquato Tasso
, Rome
. At nineteen enter the Faculty of Letters at the University of Rome and graduated with first-class honours in 1946.
, London. In 1951 he became an assistant in Department of Italian Studies at the University of Manchester
1951 In 1953 he became assistant lecturer in Italian at University College London
becoming Reader
there from 1959-61. He then returned to Manchester as Professor
of Italian Language and Literature till 1970. He was then appointed Professor of Italian at Bedford College 1970-85 and remained as Emeritus Professor when Bedford joined with Royal Holloway. He was unhappy with the merger and continued giving his classes in central London, until he retired in 1989.
His research was centred on Giordano Bruno
and from 1996 Gianni Aquilecchia was the president of the Centro Internazionale di Studi Bruniani in Naples
.
In 1996 the British Academy
awarded him the Serena Medal, for services towards the furtherance of the study of Italian history, literature, art or economics.
He was appointed Professor Emeritus and then honorary professor of Italian at University College London in 1998.
Nettuno
Nettuno is a town and comune of the province of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy, 60 kilometers south of Rome. It is named in honour of the Roman god Neptune...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- 3 August 2001, Camden
Camden
- Australia :* Camden, New South Wales** Camden Council ** Electoral district of Camden- England :* London Borough of Camden** Camden Town, an area in the borough* Camden School for Girls- United States :* Camden, Alabama* Camden, Arkansas...
, London, heart failure) was Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
at Bedford College
Bedford College
Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as a higher education college for the education of women. It was the first institution of its type for women in the United Kingdom. In 1900, the college became a constituent school of the University of London. It played a leading role in the advancement...
, London, and the merged college with Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London is a constituent college of the University of London. The college has three faculties, 18 academic departments, and about 8,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students from over 130 different countries...
. He was one of the great Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
scholars of the second half of the 20th century..
Early life
He was the son of Vincenzo Aquilecchia, an officer in the Italian army, and his wife, Maria Letizia, née Filibeck.He was first educated in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
and then at the liceum Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso was an Italian poet of the 16th century, best known for his poem La Gerusalemme liberata , in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between Christians and Muslims at the end of the First Crusade, during the siege of Jerusalem...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. At nineteen enter the Faculty of Letters at the University of Rome and graduated with first-class honours in 1946.
Career
From 1946-49 he was a teaching assistant at the University of Rome whilst studying for a higher degree. In 1950 he became a scholar at the Warburg InstituteWarburg Institute
The Warburg Institute is a research institution associated with the University of London in central London, England. A member of the School of Advanced Study, its focus is the study of the influence of classical antiquity on all aspects of European civilisation.-History:The Institute was founded by...
, London. In 1951 he became an assistant in Department of Italian Studies at the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
1951 In 1953 he became assistant lecturer in Italian at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
becoming Reader
Reader
Reader can mean a person who is reading a text, or a basal reader, a book used to teach reading. It may also refer to:-People:* Richard Reader Harris , English barrister and Pentecostalist* Reader Harris , British politician...
there from 1959-61. He then returned to Manchester as Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Italian Language and Literature till 1970. He was then appointed Professor of Italian at Bedford College 1970-85 and remained as Emeritus Professor when Bedford joined with Royal Holloway. He was unhappy with the merger and continued giving his classes in central London, until he retired in 1989.
His research was centred on Giordano Bruno
Giordano Bruno
Giordano Bruno , born Filippo Bruno, was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer. His cosmological theories went beyond the Copernican model in proposing that the Sun was essentially a star, and moreover, that the universe contained an infinite number of inhabited...
and from 1996 Gianni Aquilecchia was the president of the Centro Internazionale di Studi Bruniani in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
.
In 1996 the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
awarded him the Serena Medal, for services towards the furtherance of the study of Italian history, literature, art or economics.
He was appointed Professor Emeritus and then honorary professor of Italian at University College London in 1998.