The project meets the audience…

The week in Florence ended with a postgraduate symposium held at the Monash University in Prato where I presented my research to a small audience.  The talk was very short but I had enough time to give a general  introduction on my project, outlining its aims and the research methodology.

The feedback was so positive! It was really interesting to get comments and suggestions from the audience (just like it is happening with this blog. A ‘thank you!’ to all the people that have emailed me over the past few months, every single contribution has been really precious). One question addressed to me after the presentation was on the connection Vespucci - religious sphere.  This question reinforced my idea (see previous post) of engaging with research about the family and the Florentine religious orders. Several hints in fact seem to be leading in this direction: the Umiliati active in Ognissanti; family members who were priests themselves; relation of some of the Vespucci with the Dominican order in Florence. Would this be useful to put into context the family patronage? Can't say more than a simple, and perhaps banal, maybe.

Touching the past

One of the most exciting moments of the study trip was entering the Archivio di Stato. How amazing! After the initial confusion where-to-go/what-to-do (my supervisor was with me and having her there made things sooo much easier..) my first archival experience was great (Oh yes, nearly forgot. The archive has hideous lockers, not a pleasant experience mine. Moments of pure terror when I accidentally messed up the combination..)

                                               Archivio di Stato, Florence (Google Images)

Lockers apart, the reading room is terrific. For all those people who think of archives as dusty old places..well, you are wrong! The Archivio di Stato is really modern inside (at least now, no idea how it was in the past) with shiny, new desks and strong desk lights.

With the help of my supervisor I ordered and viewed a document of the Catasto (tax forms) in which we found a document that belonged to the Vespucci (about 1440). It was great to have such an old paper in front of me although I was (and I still am) scared by the difficult handwriting. One of the things I will be doing in the next few months before going back is getting used to that type of handwriting and exercise with similar documents. The short but intense introduction to the Archive was really useful: I am now more confident about working in the building and I feel I will get the most out of it next time I’m there for research.

Two afternoons with the Vespucci

My first two afternoons in Florence last week have been really inspiring. I had the chance to meet  some members of the cultural association called “Comitato Amerigo Vespucci a casa sua” whom I’ve been in touch with by email from the UK. Not only I was invited to the presentation of their book I Quaderni Vespucciani, but one of the members also guided me around Borgo Ognissanti to see the Vespucci places (Ognissanti church and San Giovanni di Dio hospital)

The Comitato Amerigo Vespucci was founded a couple of years ago  by Florentine historians, geographers and amateurs with the purpose of promoting the figure of Amerigo Vespucci with a view to the celebrations of 2012 (500 years from Amerigo’s death). The society is variously involved in organizing conferences and cultural events in order to spread the knowledge of Amerigo, his travels and discoveries. This is also the aim of the Comitato’s publication I Quaderni Vespucciani.

On Tuesday I visited Ognissanti church in order to see the Vespucci chapel in flesh. Once there I also realized that there are numerous family tombs in the building: one is on the floor next to the chapel while the others are located along the transept of the church. They are all clearly recognizable as Vespucci tombs because they display the family coat of arms with golden wasps that appears (twice) also on the sides of the chapel. Just off the square where the church stands there is the 'Spedale San Giovanni di Dio founded in early 1400 by Simone Vespucci. Apparently the house of the early Vespucci became part of the 'Spedale (hospital) although today there is no trace of what the house looked like. We can only gather an idea from the following XIX century drawing that shows the entrance to the structure:

(Google images)

The sites were really interesting although none of the original settings of the house were visible. This confirms that research has to be carried out in archives in order to find out more about the family properties in Borgo Ognissanti. It will also be interesting to investigate the relation Vespucci-religious orders and their patronage in church related environments. Ognissanti church was connected to the order of the Umiliati. What was their relation (if any) with the Vespucci? We know that the family moved to Borgo Ognissanti at the beginning of the XIV century. Is it possible to establish some sort of connection between the family and the religious order since then?

                                  Vespucci tomb, Ognissanti Church (transept) Google images

A week in Florence

Finally in Florence! The city is looking amazing in this time of the year, loads of people around (sales!) and Xmas decorations still on.  I am on a study trip with the University of Edinburgh that has organized an intensive Renaissance course in Florence.  Classes will take place in museums and archives in Florence as well as at the Monash University of Prato where symposiums and lectures have been planned for the week ahead.  You can find more information about the course here.

Classes apart, I will be taking some time to visit a couple of libraries and archives to start off my research. What I aim to do is collecting material related to the lineages of the family and gain an extensive knowledge on its genealogy and history.