author
Gino Capponi
1792–1876
A leading voice of moderate liberal thought in 19th-century Tuscany, he brought together politics, history, and education in work that helped shape the culture of the Italian Risorgimento. Best known today for his history of Florence, he was also a statesman whose home became a meeting place for major European thinkers.
3 Audiobooks
Storia della Repubblica di Firenze v. 1/3
by Gino Capponi
Storia della Repubblica di Firenze v. 2/3
by Gino Capponi
Storia della Repubblica di Firenze v. 3/3
by Gino Capponi
About the author
Born in Florence in 1792, Gino Capponi came from one of the city's old noble families and grew into an influential historian, political thinker, and public figure. Although he suffered from serious eyesight problems for much of his life, he remained deeply engaged in literary and intellectual circles and became an important figure in Tuscan cultural life.
Capponi was associated with moderate liberal and Catholic reform ideas during the years that led toward Italian unification. His Florentine salon was known as a gathering place for writers and political thinkers, and he also served in public office, including as head of government in Tuscany during the revolutions of 1848.
As a writer, he is especially remembered for work on education and for his major historical study of the Florentine republic. His writing joined political reflection with a strong sense of history, and he is still regarded as one of the notable intellectual voices of 19th-century Tuscany.