Page 2 - Malatesta

F. Angelelli et al.
12

Mines under the high scientific supervi-
sion of the Royal Geological Committee.
In the same decree (Art. 7) it was
“…istituito l’Ufficio geologico al quale è
annesso uno speciale gabinetto nel quale
verranno disposti e classificati i minerali, i
fossili e le rocce raccolte nei lavori di
campagna. Nello stesso gabinetto saran-
no riuniti i libri, le carte e gl’istrumenti e-
sistenti in Firenze presso il Comitato geo-
logico” […established the Geological
Office to which a special Cabinet is an-
nexed where minerals, fossils and rocks
collected during the field surveys will be
stored. In the same Cabinet also all
books, maps and instruments now loca-
ted at the Geological Committee in Flo-
rence, will took place] (SPERANDIO &
ZANFRÀ, 1995). So, the first nucleus of
the litho-mineralogical and paleontologi-
cal Collections and the Library of the
forthcoming Italian Geological Survey
was born. At the same time, the publica-
tion of the “Bollettino del Regio Comitato
Geologico d’Italia” [Bulletin of the Royal
Italian Geological Committee] and of the
“Memorie per Servire alla descrizione
della Carta Geologica d’Italia” [Memoirs
for the description of the Geological Map
of Italy] was started to gather the field
researches for the compilation of the
Geological Map. The two journals had
the aim to disseminate the geological re-
searches developed in Italy and funded
by the Italian Government. During over
political and science man. A. Malatesta started to work one century from its foundation, the denomination of the
st
at the Italian Geological Survey on the 1 of September Royal Geological Office has changed several times, to-
1950. He was the Head of the Scientific Laboratory of gether with its location, up to the present denomination
the Ministry for Italian Africa, and his task was the geo- Geological Survey of Italy-ISPRA (Servizio Geologico
logical survey for the compilation of the official d’Italia - ISPRA) located in Via Curtatone 3, Roma.
1.100.000 Geological Map of Italy, during which he also One of the leading figure in the history of the Geo-
contributed to the collection and identification of numer- logical Survey of Italy is certainly A. Malatesta. During
ous fossil remains (Fig. 1). his over 20 years of permanence in the Geological Sur-
It is worth to remember, that the history of the Ital- vey, he developed an incessant activity carried out with
ian Official Geological Map started in 1861 when Quin- constant passion, commitment and professional com-
tino Sella, at that time Minister of Finance, sent a report petence. He was moved by the pleasure for the re-
to the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce search and study more than by sense of duty, thus
“Sul modo di fare la Carta Geologica del Regno d’Italia” strongly contributing to the scientific growth of the Geo-
[About how to make the Geological Map of the Italian logical Survey itself. His activity mainly followed two
Kingdom]. The Royal Decree N°4113 issued on De- tightly connected topics: the geologic survey for the
th
cember 15 , 1867 founded the Geological Committee realization of the Geological Map of Italy at 1:100.000
that was charged with (Art. 2) “…la compilazione e scale and the collection and identification of fossil re-
pubblicazione della grande carta geologica del Regno mains derived by his sampling and excavations during
d’Italia, e di dirigere i lavori, raccogliere e conservare i field surveys. His fossil collection represents the begin-
materiali e i documenti relativi” […the compilation and ning of the paleontological collections of the Geological
publication of the great Geological Map of Italian King- Survey of Italy mantained at the Palaeontological Mu-
dom, the direction of the works, and the collection and seum of which A. Malatesta was the first Scientific
conservation of the relative materials and documents]. Coordinator.
It was with the Royal Decree N°1421 (ser. 2°) of June Although the Authors of the present note are em-
th
15 , 1873, that the guide-lines for the compilation and ployees of the Geological Survey of Italy, it has not been
publication of the Geological Map of Italy were pub- easy to reconstruct the career of A. Malatesta during the
lished, entrusted to a section of the Royal Corps of the years he spent working in the same institution. In fact,