Historians From Italy

"I would like to nominate [for the title of Doctor of the Church] women of the twentieth century who have not even been declared saints: such as Adrienne von Speyr, who accepted with simplicity and profound humility her role as a mystic and at the same time a doctor, wife, woman of her time, and who wrote beautiful texts that are now almost forgotten."

"It also makes one think that the myth of equality with men is having perverse effects, and that many girls now go out at night without taking the most basic precautions. It would be nice, of course, if men changed and accepted this new freedom for women, but we know that this is not the case, and perhaps never will be. A little realism therefore does no harm, and it is better to avoid dangerous situations. It is certainly not by forcing reality and trying to bend it to our desires that we change the world."

"(About Maria Montessori) Italians know her as a maternal and reassuring lady who appeared on the thousand lire banknote for a long time, the only woman depicted on our banknotes, but in her long life she was a transgressive and restless woman, so much so that when asked what nationality she was, she replied: “I live in the sky, my country is a star that revolves around the sun and is called Earth”."

"[...] Maria Goretti was also greatly admired for her humble origins, redeemed by the strength with which she defended her dignity as a human being and daughter of God. Her cult therefore had social significance, as Palmiro Togliatti understood when he cited her as an example to young communists in a speech in the 1950s."

"(About q:it:Francesca Cabrini) Not only her relationship with space, but also her relationship with time was modern, so dominated by haste and speed: “Hurry, hurry and cheerfully, my daughters,” she wrote to the nuns, even urging them to act “ardently and quickly”, a phrase with an almost futuristic flavour, which perfectly conveys the sense of her movement in the world."

"The ancient idea that men must protect women is perhaps one of the first customs that feminism has erased, since it meant that women had the illusion of protecting themselves. Women, especially young women, need a social context that surrounds them with a protective shield, and they need supportive eyes to watch over them and perhaps even warn them in case of danger."

"The scientific justification for this choice lies in a peculiar definition of the nervous system, now being challenged by new research that questions the very fact that brain death causes the disintegration of the body. As demonstrated in 1992 by the sensational case of a woman who entered an irreversible coma and was declared brain dead before it was discovered that she was pregnant, it was decided to allow her to continue with the pregnancy, which proceeded normally until a miscarriage occurred. This case and other similar ones that ended with the birth of a child have called into question the idea that in this condition the bodies are already dead, corpses from which organs can be removed. It therefore seems that Jonas was right when he suspected that the new definition of death was motivated more by interest, i.e. the need for organs for transplantation, than by real scientific progress."

"The Ireland of to-day feels acutely that the springs of her greatness lie in the past, and that by restoring ancestral traditions, blending them naturally with existing social forms, and by drawing strength and dignity from the memories of pre-Christian and medieval Ireland, before the Anglo-Norman had deformed and strangled her, she may yet discover her true self, and start life afresh."

"The discovery of America was due to the failure of the crusade against the Turks which was attempted by Pius II, and the success of which was frustrated by the rivalry and corruption of the states of Europe at that time."

"(About the radiocarbon dating) All the sindonologists in the world, and there are hundreds of them, had contested that absurd verdict. Only those who had conducted the analyses persisted in defending it, obviously together with those who denied its authenticity, people who have a preconceived rejection of the Shroud, out of partisanship. Among the Sindonologists there are many scientists, including non-Catholics, who had judged the angle of the sample to be unrepresentative of the entire shroud due to the manipulations it had undergone, in addition to all the other vicissitudes experienced by the relic. Among the various studies conducted on the subject, that of chemist Raymond Rogers stands out, demonstrating that the corner had actually been mended."

"The Shroud is a relic that fascinates and moves. It is a powerful witness to the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, which has provoked many conversions. This can only bother those who are against Christianity. This is why eliminating the authenticity of the Shroud serves to tear from the hearts of the faithful an authentic image of love and hope, which we need so much at this tormented time. But those who love darkness are bothered by light."

"Just pay and the research will be done. And you can even find someone to publish it. It is undeniable that behind some of these studies there are groups that want to make people believe that the Shroud is a historical fake. One example among many: there is a fine documentary entitled La notte della Sindone (The Night of the Shroud). Well, this documentary was never broadcast by Rai because it contains a statement that perhaps some people do not like. This statement is represented by a letter on the letterhead of the Curia of Turin, which Cardinal Anastasio Ballestrero, then custodian of the Shroud, sent to his scientific consultant, engineer Luigi Gonella, in which he firmly maintained that in the matter of carbon-14 dating (later refuted by several subsequent studies, ed.), the Freemasons had a hand in it, wanting at all costs to prove that the Shroud was from the Middle Ages'. In short, there is annoyance towards a "real Shroud on the part of those who want to deny not only Christ but also his Resurrection"."

"The examination of a fabric is extremely problematic from the point of view of contamination, because a fabric is entirely exposed to the environment in which it is found. For a bone or a piece of wood, it is possible to sample an internal part, but this is not possible in the case of a cloth."

"That the simulacrum of Christ Crucified known as the Holy Face (which Dante also wanted to touch in his Poem) is very ancient is not to be doubted; all its characteristics, which we will discuss below, are those of an image of great antiquity and, in the opinion of many, of a Byzantine image. And although explicit records do not show it in the Cathedral of Lucca until the 12th century, and the coins bearing its effigy cannot be traced back beyond the 13th century, according to numismatists, such documents suggest that it existed long before that, and there are many reasonable inferences that demonstrate that its transfer to Lucca dates back to the end of the 8th century. (pp. 135-136)"

"This small temple [of the Holy Face in Lucca Cathedral] is extremely elegant. It was designed by Matteo Civitali in a composite style, both in terms of its proportions and its [modinature] and all the details that compose it, the ornaments with which it is decorated having been chosen with the finest taste from among the most beautiful and elegant examples of Roman architecture. (p. 143)"

"[...] in Lucca Cathedral [unlike that of Florence] it seems instead that the neglect [of the stained glass windows] has been very great, and perhaps no thought was ever given to repairing them until, due to the quantity of missing glass, they were in such a state that they could no longer be ignored; and even then, instead of having them carefully restored by a skilled craftsman, the repairs were carried out in such a way that they could not have been done worse. The only round window that remains and those of the choir, especially the large stained glass window that had suffered the most, clearly show how the work was carried out; that is, broken or damaged pieces of glass were replaced with other pieces of glass at random, of whatever colour they were, if coloured ones were available (perhaps remnants of some of the small windows that had been completely destroyed) or white ones, which were given any colour, without any concern for whether the designs of the figures and ornaments were badly distorted and disfigured. (p. 221)"

"The money changers and other merchants known as ‘speciarii’ (sellers of aromatics) had their stalls under the portico of the church. A special office, or special court, called the Curia di s. Martino; it was located near the basilica, and the merchants themselves had to swear an oath not to commit fraud in the exercise of their trade. (p. 11)"

"Although the Cathedral of Lucca is not one of the largest churches built in Italy during the Middle Ages, it is nevertheless one of the most remarkable for its structure and one of the most beautiful, especially inside, thanks to the harmonious lines and the admirable balance between the fantastic and the severe, which gives the building a truly sacred and solemn character, achieved in equal measure by very few of those that surpass it in size and richness of ornamentation. (p. 5)"

"The exterior of the Cathedral of San Martino in Lucca does not have the same harmony of style as the interior; on the contrary, the architectural features of the different centuries to which the various parts belong are clearly visible, and even a different style, due to the fact that it was designed by Comacine and Tuscan craftsmen. Many of these parts, however, are beautiful, notably the interior of the atrium, the north side and the rear. (pp. 5-6)"

"It was a gentle custom of the ancients to number amongst the gods those heroes by whose genius and greatness of soul unknown lands were discovered. Since we, however, only render homage to one God in Three Persons, and consequently may not adore the discoverers of new lands, it remains for us to offer them our admiration."

"It is not necessary to be always consistent."

"[...] in many places bats as large as pigeons flew about the Spaniards as soon as twilight fell, biting them so cruelly that the men, rendered desperate, were obliged to give way before them as though they had been harpies."

"It is said there is a district of savana in the most westerly province of Guaccaiarima, inhabited by people who only live in caverns and eat nothing but the products of the forest. They have never been civilised nor had any intercourse with any other races of men. They live, so it is said, as people did in the , without fixed homes or crops or culture; neither do they have a definite language. They are seen from time to time, but it has never been possible to capture one, for if, whenever they come, they see anybody other than natives approaching them, they escape with the celerity of a deer. They are said to be quicker than French dogs."

"It is the royal plan to establish fortified places and to take possession of this continent, nor are there wanting Spaniards who would not shrink from the difficulty of conquering and subjugating the territory. [...] The journey, however, is long and the country very extensive. It is claimed that the newly discovered country, whether continent or island, is three times larger than Europe, without counting the regions to the south which were discovered by the Portuguese and which are still larger. Certainly the Spain of to-day deserves the highest praise for having revealed to the present generation these myriad regions of the Antipodes, heretofore unknown, and for having thus enlarged for writers the field of study."

"Women generally keep the fire better than they do a secret."

"Brought up on soft feathers."

"He has related the great deeds of the Portuguese, but whether he witnessed them, as he pretends, or has merely profited by the labour of another, I am unable to state. Vivat et ipse marte suo."

"The Como people... went to Lierna, where they were terrified by seeing its inhabitants appear, they hid in the mountain woods, the Como people burned their beautiful tower crowned with green laurel, after having put its defenders to flight away."

"I don't believe that the representative democracy can be put into crisis by authoritarian movements like those of the twenties and thirties. There is however the danger that in the western democracies the forms of democracy are kept up without the substance. Political parties won't be banned any longer, civil liberties will be guaranteed to a certain extent but, at the same time, there could be the danger that only the formulas of democracy remain and the substance disappears."

"A. Momigliano, Gaetano De Sanctis, in Quinto contributo alla storia degli studi classici e del mondo antico, C.E.1975, excerpts, on books.google.it."

"(FR) Publications by Gaetano De Sanctis, in Persée, Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l'Innovation."

"G. De Sanctis, Scritti minori, I, C.E.1966, excerpts, on books.google.it."

"G. De Sanctis, Scritti minori, II, C.E.1970, excerpts, on books.google.it."

"Gaetano De Sanctis, on accademiadellescienze.it, Academy of Sciences of Turin."

"Works by Gaetano De Sanctis, on openMLOL, Horizons Unlimited srl."

"(EN) Works by Gaetano De Sanctis, on Open Library, Internet Archive."

"Gaetano De Sanctis, in Women and Men of the Resistance, National Association of Italian Partisans."

"DE SANCTIS, Gaetano, in Enciclopedia Italiana, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, C.E.1931."

"Luigi Moretti, DE SANCTIS, Gaetano, in Enciclopedia Italiana, III Appendice, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, C.E.1961."

"De Sanctis, Gaetano, in Dizionario di storia, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, C.E.2010. Editing on Wikidata"

"De Sànctis, Gaetano, su Treccani.it – Enciclopedie on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana."

"Piero Treves, Gaetano De Sanctis, «Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani», vol. 39, Roma, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia italiana, C.E.1991."

"Giorgio Boatti, Preferirei di no. Le storie dei dodici professori che si opposero a Mussolini, Torino, Einaudi, C.E.2001."

"De Sànctis, Gaetano, on sapere.it, De Agostini."

"Antonella Amico, Gaetano De Sanctis. Profilo biografico e attività parlamentare, Tivoli, Tored, C.E.2007."

"If Livy does not see that Rome is because he is completely tied to the schemes of Roman historiography which, in contrast to Greek historiography, has an exclusive and profound interest in the affairs of its own people and which from its origins to its decline is and does not want to be anything other than the history of the Roman people and state."

"Arnaldo Momigliano, Quinto contributo alla storia degli studi classici e del mondo antico, I, Roma, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, C.E.1975."

"Piero Treves, DE SANCTIS, Gaetano, in Dizionario biografico degli italiani, vol. 39, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, C.E.1991."

"Gaetano De Sanctis, on siusa.archivi.beniculturali.it, Unified Information System for Archival Superintendences."

"Gaetano De Sanctis, on BeWeb, Italian Bishops' Conference."