Abstract
A few kilometers from the gentle town of Lecce, hidden among the ploughed fields, the villas and the undergrowth, lay the ruins of a nearly forgotten Messapic town called Rudiae. Here, in 239 BC, Quintus Ennius of Rudiae, father of Latin literature, who introduced the hexameter into Roman poetry, was born. It was of him that Nicola De Giorgi and Stefania Scopinich thought when the moment came to decide on a name for the third child with whom God had blessed them. They called him Ennio, following the classical tradition, and breaking with the norm that imposed the names of ancestors on newborns. They may also have chosen the name to highlight their connection with the land in which they had decided to raise a family, Salento, where Romans, Greeks and Messapians lived. For Stefania, who came from Capodistria, this was a brave choice. Those were different times, and women who came from other lands, with their own habits and different mentalities, were viewed with suspicion in Southern Italy. But she was determined to follow the man she loved to the farthest southeastern limb of the Italian peninsula.
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Notes
- 1.
The origin of the De Giorgi surname can be traced back to the Byzantine geórghios, which means farmer, and even earlier from the Greek geos, which means land. In Latin, the form became Georgius and was Italianized in Giorgio, with slightly different regional variations. It is a patronymic surname, i.e., deriving from a male ancestor (Giorgio in this case). The De preposition is typical in Southern Italian names.
- 2.
There Nicola taught Arabic with some success. Among others, he was in touch with one of his relatives, whose name was Cosimo De Giorgi (1842–1922), a well-known scientist in Lecce at the time (a high school is named after him).—R. De Giorgi Fiocco. 24 January 2009.
- 3.
From E. De Giorgi’s birth certificate.
- 4.
A. De Giorgi, 24 January 2009.
- 5.
R. De Giorgi Fiocco, in a private communication.
- 6.
The details of this episode may not be exact, but the gist is recalled by Ennio’s sister Rosa (private communication), and by Ennio himself, in an interview with A. Preti, writing for the Nuovo Quotidiano di Puglia newspaper. 6 January 1996. Published in [2].
- 7.
From his old report cards, we can see that Ennio completed his first year of primary school by himself. He then enrolled in the same classes that his brother attended, so that he could have Don Ramirez as his teacher.
- 8.
M. De Giorgi in [1].
- 9.
Ibid.
- 10.
R. De Giorgi Fiocco, 2007.
- 11.
E. De Giorgi, in the video interview Intervista con Ennio De Giorgi, M. Emmer, Pisa, July 1996.
- 12.
R. De Giorgi Fiocco, in a private communication.
- 13.
Ibid.
- 14.
M. De Giorgi in [1].
- 15.
M. Emmer, Intervista con Ennio De Giorgi, Pisa, July 1996.
- 16.
R. De Giorgi Fiocco, in a private communication.
- 17.
C. Bernardini, Fisica Vissuta, Codice (2006).
- 18.
While in high school, and always within the limits imposed by his polite demeanour, De Giorgi had heated discussions with his philosophy professor, an intellectually sharp atheist. As a good Catholic, De Giorgi did not agree with many of his ideas, and every now and again he would raise his hand to dispute a point made. He always began shyly with the words “But… actually, I think…”. R. De Giorgi Fiocco, 2007.
- 19.
General Cesare Bardeloni, who studied radio waves and knew Guglielmo Marconi.
- 20.
A. De Giorgi and R. De Giorgi Fiocco, 24 January 2009.
- 21.
R. De Giorgi Fiocco, 24 January 2009.
- 22.
Because of its location, relatively far from the conflict zones and close to the countryside, fresh food could be found in Lecce, unlike in the rest of Italy, which had been devastated by war. In any case, R. De Giorgi Fiocco remembers that her mother Stefania, having experienced a similar situation during the First World War, always kept adequate provisions.
- 23.
R. De Giorgi Fiocco, in a private communication.
- 24.
Mario had managed to pass several exams during a 2-year period, and he attracted the attention of his teachers. Salvatore Satta (1902–1975) wanted him as a student and Giuseppe Bettiol (1907–1982) offered him a place as an assistant. However, Mario decided to return to his family in Lecce.
- 25.
In that same year, Ennio won the Avvocato Antonio Adamucci scholarship, which came with a 5350-Lire prize, and was awarded by the Palmieri high school. It was named in honor of one of the main founders of the Appeals Court in Lecce. Among other winners was the linguist Oronzo Parlangeli (1923–1969), who was awarded the scholarship in 1939–1940.
References
Carlino, L.: Ennio De Giorgi. Lions Club Lecce, Lecce (1997)
Bassani, F., Marino, A., Sbordone, C. (eds.): Ennio De Giorgi (Anche la scienza ha bisogno di sognare). Edizioni Plus, Pisa (2001)
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Parlangeli, A. (2019). Geese and Rabbits. In: A Pure Soul. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05303-1_1
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