Giovanni Treccani

Giovanni degli Alfieri Treccani (born 3 January 1877 in Montichiari, Brescia Province, † July 6, 1961 in Milan ) was an Italian entrepreneur, publisher and patron.

The son of a pharmacist and a noblewoman from Brescia was at the age of 17 years as textile workers to Germany. He also visited the Textile College in Krefeld. In 1898 he returned with expertise and joined the textile company Lanificio Rossi. In the emerging Italian textile industry rose from the small businessman to the captain of industry. Since 1910 he was a director of the company Cotonificio Valle Ticino.

In 1919 he donated the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, a larger sum and 1923 he donated to the Italian State a Renaissance masterpiece, the Bible of Borso d' Este, which he had bought for 5 million lire in Paris (now in the Biblioteca Estense in Modena, MS Lat. 422-423 ).

After him, in 1924 proposed an encyclopedia project, the philosopher Giovanni Gentile, who had known encyclopedias and dictionaries during his studies in Germany, he founded in 1925 the Istituto Giovanni Treccani based in Milan, the Enciclopedia Italiana, the published since 1929. Simultaneously, the preparatory work for the Biografico Dizionario degli Italiani, the first volume appeared in 1960 began. In 1931 he founded, together with other publishers, the company Treves- Treccani - Tumminelli, the Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana emerged from the in June 1933 with its headquarters in Rome.

In 1942 he founded the Fondazione degli Alfieri Treccani for the history of Milan, the Storia di Milano published 1953-1966 in 16 volumes.

Treccani has received many awards. As early as 1924 he was Senator del Regno for life. In 1932 he was Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell'Ordine della Corona d'Italia, 1939 Cavaliere dell'Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro, and was carrier of the two highest orders of Italy. 1937, the title of Count, he was awarded for his patronage of the Italian culture, and in 1939 awarded him an honorary doctorate from University of Milan.

Publications

  • Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani. Idea, esecuzione, compimento. Milan 1939.
  • Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani. Come è stata e da chi fatta. Milan 1947.
  • Nel della mia vita cammino [ autobiografia per i figli ]. Privately printed in 1961.
Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Order of the Crown of Italy
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