XLVI National Congress of the Italian Society for the History of Physics and Astronomy

The Physics Instrument Collection of the Liceo Classico Parini in Milan during Giuseppe Belli’s Teaching Years (1820–1840)

16 Sept 2026, 15:05

25m

Museums and Scientific Collections Dialogue Between History, Education, and Public Outreach in Physics and Astronom

Speaker

Traversini, Renzo (ricercatore indipendente)

Description

Before his appointment at the University of Pavia, Giuseppe Belli (1791–1860) served as Professor of Physics at the Imperial Royal Lyceum of Porta Nuova in Milan — today the Liceo Classico Parini — between 1820 and 1840. Alongside his teaching duties, he was responsible for the management and development of the school’s collection of physics instruments.
A large body of handwritten notes preserved at the University Library of Pavia documents Belli’s systematic work on the acquisition, maintenance, and improvement of the collection, as well as his supervision of technical activities. The study of these sources is still ongoing and is enabling the reconstruction of the evolution of the physics cabinet and its role in teaching practices during the first half of the nineteenth century. The documents also shed light on Belli’s experimental research, conducted alongside his educational activities.