PERUSCHI, Giovanni Battista. 1525 — 1598. S.J. Italian Jesuit Scholar, apparently never visited Asia himself. Rector of Collegio di Como, from 1573 in Rome. Derived much from Monserrate and Jesuit letters to his account of Mughal India. Publications: Informatione del regno, e stato del gran rè di Mogor, della sua persona, qualita,…
PAPI, Carmelo Dionisio Lazzaro. Pontito near Pescia, Tuscany 23.10.1763 — Lucca 25.12.1834.Italian Traveller. Son of Alberto Papi and Fiora Pierini. For a while studied in a seminary, then served briefly in Neapolitan army, worked as tutor and studied medicine at Lucca and Pisa. In the early 1790s went to India, arriving…
ONORATO DA UDINE (Franciscus Honoratus ad Utino, lay Giangiacomo). Tomba near Udine 7.11.1757 — Rome 8.12.1836. Italian Capuchin Missionary in India. Went to India in 1792, worked many years in Pondicherry, Surat, Madras and Masulipatan. Very little is known of his life (except some contradicting mentions, claiming he worked in Tibet, Madagascar, or…
MONTESI, Giancarlo. 1928 — 1983. Italian Scholar of Religion. Ph.D. 1954 Rome, under Pettazzoni. Worked at La Sapienzà teaching comparative religion. Publications: Diss. Tamas – Usas – Rtà. [1954]. – “II valore cosmico dell’Aurora nel pensiero mitologico del Rig-Veda”, Studi e materiali per la storia delle religioni 24-25, 1953-54, 111-132; “Uṣāsānaktā. Mitologia vedica della notte”, Studi…
MANTEGAZZA, Paolo. Monza, Lombardy 31.10.1831 — San Terenzo, Lerici, Liguria 28.8.1910. Italian Physician, Author and Traveller, also a Darwinian Anthropologist. Son of Giovanni Battista M. and Laura Solar, a wealthy family. The mother was known as a social reformer and friend of Garibaldi. Studies at Pisa and Milano, M.D. 1854…
MAFFEI, Giovanni Pietro (Giampietro). Bergamo 1533 — Tivoli 20.10.1603. S.J. Italian Jesuit Historian. Born in a noble family living in poverty. Educated by two maternal uncles and in Rome. From 1563 worked as Professor of Rhetorics in Genoa, before joining Jesuits in 1565. From now on studies in Rome, ordained 1571.…
JOSA, Fortunato Pietro Luigi. Rome 5.6.1851 — Port Isaac, Cornwall 19.12.1922. Italian Missionary in the U.K. and South America. Son of Filippo and Agnese Josa. Raised as Catholic, but took Protestant faith, probably in England. Graduated 1871 from St. Augustine’s. College, Canterbury. Ordained deacon 1874 and priest 1875 in Guyana.…
GOIDANICH (Gojdanić), Pier Gabriele. Volosca di Lussimpiccolo (now Volosko in Croatia) 30.6.1868 — Bologna 27.10.1953. Italian (with Croatian background) Linguist. Son of Croatian parents, Pietro G. and Antonella (Antonietta?) Stuparich. Gymnasium in Capodistria (Koper). Studies at Milano under Ascoli, then teacher in Campania. From 1899 taught as PD at Pisa,…
GATTI, Riccardo. 18?? — 19??. Italian Linguist. Ph.D. A friend of Trombetti, followed his methods of daring linguistics comparisons. The Andaman–Papua–Australian language family (also combined with Munda and Dravidian) never found many followers. He was teacher (professor) of Greek and Latin at Ginnasio Vittorio Emanuele II in Jesi (Ancona), also…
FROLA, Eugenio. Montanaro near Turin 27.9.1906 — Turin 6.5.1962. Italian Mathematician interested in Buddhism. Son of Mario Fr. and Maria Pons. Studied engineering at Turin Polytechnic (graduated 1929), then mathematics at Turin university (1933). Assistant, then Professor (incaricato) of mathematics (descriptive geometry) at Turin Polytechnic. From 1940 member of the…