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..)
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.
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