Speaker
Description
A Theatine priest and astronomer, Giuseppe Piazzi (1746–1826) is a figure who deserves renewed attention on the occasion of the bicentenary of his death. His contributions to the advancement of astronomy, both in terms of knowledge and infrastructure, are mainly related to his unexpected discovery of Ceres (the first asteroid, now classified as a dwarf planet) and his crucial role in founding the observatories in Palermo and Naples (Capodimonte) at the request of the Bourbon government. In fact, Piazzi’s profile is that of a man in the service of the State, deeply committed to the Enlightenment ideals of the intellectual Masonic circles of the Bourbon court. Bourbon reformism is considered one of the most interesting examples of enlightened despotism in Italy, marked by the active participation of Enlightenment intellectuals; Piazzi was firmly among their ranks. His two-year sojourn in France and England granted him firsthand experience with the cutting-edge ideas and projects circulating in Europe. Despite being a man of the establishment, he shared in the efforts to transform the Kingdom of Sicily—later the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies—into a modern state, competing with the leading European countries.