Life and

32 The origin of Italy
arena, but through their scientific endeavours as well. In Milan, a “Geological
Society” was formed in 1856/57, but only after the cession of Lombardy to the
nascent Italian kingdom was the organisation able to change its name to Società
Italiana di Scienze Naturali, which continues to be one of the most important
scientific societies in Italy, 99 while at the time, it was to play an important role for
the launch of Maggi’s academic progress.
Throughout his academic career, Maggi took great care documenting his
teaching, usually publishing a programmatic introduction and/or a list of themes
covered during the year. Thus, when Maggi took up his lectureship in the autumn
of 1863, he had the introduction to the first course he taught in his new position
printed (M3). Alas, even at the time when Maggi had his offprint collection
bound, the printed version was no longer available. 100 Therefore, in comparison
with his later courses in life sciences, we know little about Maggi’s teaching in
geology, except for a few short notes on geological excursion with his students,
sometimes in his own name, occasionally under the name of his students, which
even made it into the local paper of Varese, the Cronaca Varesina. 101 We do have,
however, a number of significant research publications providing insight into the
naturalist’s interests, even while, at the same time, he continued to pursue his
biological interest and became involved in some palaeoethnological research.
Already in his first geological publication in 1866, Maggi stated that
for several years, I have had the intention to undertake studies into the natural history of
the Valcuvia [Cuvia Valley], which, as is known, is situated in the middle of the
territory Brunner used to call the geologist’s paradise. (M5:35) 102
In fact, by the time of writing these lines, Maggi had been teaching mineralogy and
geology for three years. Previously, as a student, he had already collected some
experience in these domains while working in the geo-mineralogical section of
Pavia’s Museum of Natural History. 103 At the young age of twenty-three, he
therefore had some points in his favour to justify the appointment. He engaged
right away in one of the major debates in mid-nineteenth-century geology: the
99 See their website at http://www.scienzenaturali.org/index.jsp.
100 Neither the present author nor Vaccari (2002:38 and fn. 11) have been able to locate this
fascicle.
101 E.g., in July 1875, a report by Maggi’s student G. Malacrida: ‘Intorno ad una gita geologica nel
territorio di Varese, fatta da una comitiva di studenti di storia naturale all’Università di Pavia’,
Cronaca Varesina 13, also published separately in Pavia: Bizzoni.
102 “Le pays situé entre les trois lacs est digne du nom de paradis des naturalistes […] par les
phénomènes géologiques remarquables qu’il enferme” Brunner (1852:3). The Cuvia valley is
located close to Lake Lugano, though it drains into the Lago Maggiore. Brunner [later von
Wattenwyl, 1823-1914] was a well-known Swiss geologist and entomologist, later working in
Vienna, where he died at the beginning of World War I; see Gerber (2005).
103 A collection which went back to the efforts of Lazzaro Spallanzani, who had laid the
foundations of the museum in 1771, with active support from Empress Mary Therese (Rovati &
Galeotti eds., 1999).