Giacomo Zabarella

 Padua academic devoted his life to Aristotle

 

The leading Italian representative of Renaissance Aristotelianism, Giacomo Zabarella, was born on this day in Padua in 1533.

His ability to translate ancient Greek enabled him to understand the original texts written by Aristotle and he spent most of his life presenting what he considered to be the true meaning of the philosopher’s ideas.

Philosopher Giacomo Zabarella

He had been born into a noble Paduan family who arranged for him to receive a humanist education.

After entering the University of Padua he was taught by Francesco Robortello in the humanities, Bernardino Tomitano in Logic, Marcantonio Genua in physics and metaphysics and Pietro Catena in Mathematics. They were all followers of Aristotle.

Zabarella obtained a Doctorate in Philosophy from the university in 1553 and was offered the Chair of Logic in 1564. He was promoted to the first extraordinary chair of natural philosophy in 1577.

Zabarella became well known for his writings on logic and methodology and spent his entire teaching career at the University of Padua.

As an orthodox Aristotelian, he sought to defend the scientific status of theoretical natural philosophy against the pressures emanating from the practical disciplines such as the art of medicine and anatomy.

His knowledge of Greek enabled him to consult Greek commentators on Aristotle’s work as well as medieval writers.

Zabarella’s first published work was Opera Logica in 1577 and his commentary on Aristotle’s Posterior Analytics appeared in 1582.

Zabarella died in Padua at the age of 56 in 1589. His great work in natural philosophy, De rebus naturalibus, was published posthumously in 1590. It contained 30 treatises of Aristotelian natural philosophy and an introduction that he had written only weeks before his death. His two sons edited his incomplete commentaries on Aristotle’s texts and published them a few years later.

Zabarella’s works were reprinted in Germany early in the 17th century, where his brand of philosophy had a big following, especially among Protestant Aristolelians.

The University of Padua was established in 1222 and is one of the oldest in the world, second in Italy only to the University of Bologna . The main university building, Palazzo del Bò is in Via VIII Febbraio in the centre of Padua . It used to house the medical faculty and you can take a guided tour to see the pulpit used by Galileo when he taught at the university between 1592 and 1610.

Treviso day trip

  

The pretty town of Treviso is only about 40 minutes away from Padua by rail and provides a relaxing alternative to Venice for a day out.

You can still stroll along by the canals, but unlike in Venice they are fringed by willow trees and adorned with the occasional water wheel and you won’t encounter large tour groups coming in the opposite direction.

A peaceful Treviso canal

There are plenty of restaurants serving authentic cucina trevigiana and cucina veneta, but at more modest prices than you will find in Venice, and lots of places to sample locally-produced Prosecco. Treviso is close to the so-called strada del prosecco, the road between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, which is lined with wineries producing Prosecco DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata), the stamp of quality given to the best Italian wines. 

When you arrive in Treviso it takes only about ten minutes to walk from the railway station through the 16th century Venetian walls and along Via Roma, Corso del Popolo and Via XX Settembre, which form one continuous street leading to Piazza dei Signori, at the centre of Treviso and close to the main shops, bars and restaurants.

The piazza’s red-brick Palazzo dei Trecento, was originally built in the 13th century as its name suggests, but had to be rebuilt after suffering bomb damage in 1944.

Leading off the piazza is Via Calmaggiore, Treviso’s main street, which has smart shops behind its ancient porticos, such as Benetton, Gucci and Sisley, as well as shops selling cosmetics and leather goods.

At the end of Via Calmaggiore you will come to Treviso’s Duomo, originally built in the 12th century but remodelled in the 15th, 16th, and 18th centuries. Look out for Titian’s Annunciation, painted in 1570 and the frescos painted by his arch rival, Pordenone.

Porticos at the side of Canale Buranelli

Off Piazza dei Signori in the other direction you will come to Piazza San Vito which leads to perhaps the most picturesque part of Treviso, Canale Buranelli. You can walk alongside the canal under the porticos of the houses and see the flower decorated balconies of the ornate buildings on the other side. From Canale Buranelli, turn down Via Palestro to reach Via Pescheria. From there you can access the Pescheria (fish market), which is held daily on a very small island in the middle of Treviso’s River Sile, so that the unsold fish can be thrown straight back into the river after trading has finished. 

Restaurant recommendation:

For traditional Treviso cooking, try Trattoria Toni del Spin in Via Inferiore behind Piazza dei Signori. The restaurant is in an historic building and has the atmosphere of a traditional Treviso tavern. Toni del Spin is open every day except for Monday lunch times. 

Local specialities:

Try tagliatelle al sugo d’anatra (tagliatelle with duck sauce), risotto con funghi (mushroom risotto) and bigoli in salsa di acciughe (pasta with anchovy sauce). Also sample the locally-grown Treviso radicchio (a type of chicory).