One of the characters I met upon first arriving in Rifugiamo was Baldoria, who I would learn was the Canine Queen of the village. Her principal throne was in Sally and Nick Heartson’s home, a British couple who spoke only English to her, never Italian. When we first met, she was already an older regent with signs of arthritis in her hips. Yet, she loved to go for a “walkie” and quickly became my regular partner on long hikes in and around the village.
[Read more…] about Baldoria, Canine Queen of the Village
Searching for Lionardo DiCapua, Part 6
DiCapua compound
Lionardo DiCapua’s story
Pictured above is the DiCapua compound in Bagnoli, Irpino. The plaque was placed in 2017 on the 400th anniversary of his birth. It reads: “In this house on the 10th of August 1617 was born Lionardo DiCapua Renowned Physician, Scientist, Philosopher Opposed to Every Form of Dogmatism, Affirming the Primacy of Liberal Thinking.”
unanswered questions
In the last post, I began listing the reasons why I wrote From Superstition to Science as historical fiction rather than pure history. I listed a few unanswered questions regarding Lionardo’s life, and I’ll continue with the others.
[Read more…] about Searching for Lionardo DiCapua, Part 6
Searching for Lionardo DiCapua: Part 4
Pictured above is a drawing of Tommaso Cornelio, Lionardo’s good friend and co-founder of the Accademia degli Investiganti.
finding my place
I wasn’t sure where my place might be on Adele (DiCapoa) Lord’s family tree. The oval from the seventeenth century that contained Lionardo’s info united us in a quest that went beyond our blood relationship. We were determined to pursue Lionardo’s history. We began by locating Lionardo’s life story – La Vita di Lionardo DiCapua – in a library in northern Italy. The author, Nicollo Amenta, was an inducted member of the Arcadia in Rome. The Arcadia was a sort-of hall-of-fame of Italian scientists and artists begun by the Queen Christina of Sweden. Amenta wrote his book about fellow member Lionardo after Lionardo died.
[Read more…] about Searching for Lionardo DiCapua: Part 4
Searching for Lionardo DiCapua: Part 2
I returned to Bagnoli, Irpino with my family two years after my first visit (as recounted in part 1) anxious to show my wife, Susie, and my two young children (Emily age 6 and Sam age 4) the bust of their great ancestor in the square named after him. So, immediately after settling into our hotel, I walked with them to Lionardo’s piazza.
[Read more…] about Searching for Lionardo DiCapua: Part 2
Searching for Lionardo DiCapua: Part 1
My quest to learn all that I might about a famous maternal relative, born in Italy in 1617, began accidentally when I was a child living in Farrell, Pennsylvania. My mother’s two sisters lived near us, and it was during a visit to the house of the oldest sister, Aunt Maime, that I first heard about our remarkable ancestor, Lionardo DiCapua.
[Read more…] about Searching for Lionardo DiCapua: Part 1
