261
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
I. Chinnici, G. Consolmagno (eds.), Angelo Secchi and Nineteenth Century Science,
Historical & Cultural Astronomy, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58384-2_16
Chapter 16
Secchi’s Science in the Service of the Public
Monica Calzolari and Stefano Marsella
16.1 Introduction
The importance of Father Secchi’s work in the field of astronomical studies and the
foundation of Italian astrophysics has finally re-emerged from the oblivion to which
it had been relegated (Chinnici 2019). But his work in the field of risk prevention
and the protection of people, goods, and territory from the consequences of natural
disasters and catastrophic events is less known, and still needs to be investigated,
both in terms of his technical innovations and in his administrative, organizational,
and procedural innovations. Such activity anticipates elements of what today is
called emergency management and civil defense (Chinnici and Gramatowski 2001;
Altamore and Maffeo 2012; Altamore et al. 2015).
Given Secchi’s application of science in so many different sectors, his collaboration with so many scientists, technicians, and artisans – even at the local level – and
his dealings with such a large number of administrations and public and private
institutions, central and peripheral to the Papal States, the nature and distribution of
the available archival sources is still largely unexplored or even unknown (Gasperini
and Gargano, Chap. 20, in this volume; Morales and Mancini, Chap. 21,, in this
volume). The picture that has been possible to reconstruct so far, and to which we
will refer in the following text, does not claim to be complete, and it is certainly
open to further fruitful discoveries (Fioravanti 2012: 283–285).
M. Calzolari (*)
Archivio di Stato di Roma, Rome, Italy
S. Marsella
Ministero dell’Interno, Dipartimento dei Vigili del Fuoco, del Soccorso Pubblico e della
Difesa Civile, Rome, Italy
e-mail: stefano.marsella@vigilfuoco.it
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
I. Chinnici, G. Consolmagno (eds.), Angelo Secchi and Nineteenth Century Science,
Historical & Cultural Astronomy, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58384-2_16
Chapter 16
Secchi’s Science in the Service of the Public
Monica Calzolari and Stefano Marsella
16.1 Introduction
The importance of Father Secchi’s work in the field of astronomical studies and the
foundation of Italian astrophysics has finally re-emerged from the oblivion to which
it had been relegated (Chinnici 2019). But his work in the field of risk prevention
and the protection of people, goods, and territory from the consequences of natural
disasters and catastrophic events is less known, and still needs to be investigated,
both in terms of his technical innovations and in his administrative, organizational,
and procedural innovations. Such activity anticipates elements of what today is
called emergency management and civil defense (Chinnici and Gramatowski 2001;
Altamore and Maffeo 2012; Altamore et al. 2015).
Given Secchi’s application of science in so many different sectors, his collaboration with so many scientists, technicians, and artisans – even at the local level – and
his dealings with such a large number of administrations and public and private
institutions, central and peripheral to the Papal States, the nature and distribution of
the available archival sources is still largely unexplored or even unknown (Gasperini
and Gargano, Chap. 20, in this volume; Morales and Mancini, Chap. 21,, in this
volume). The picture that has been possible to reconstruct so far, and to which we
will refer in the following text, does not claim to be complete, and it is certainly
open to further fruitful discoveries (Fioravanti 2012: 283–285).
M. Calzolari (*)
Archivio di Stato di Roma, Rome, Italy
S. Marsella
Ministero dell’Interno, Dipartimento dei Vigili del Fuoco, del Soccorso Pubblico e della
Difesa Civile, Rome, Italy
e-mail: stefano.marsella@vigilfuoco.it