Celestino Galiani

Celestino Galiani (1681-1753) was born in San Giovanni Rotondo, a small town in the Gargano, and from there began a long wandering through Italy, between his first religious training in the province of
Foggia and subsequent trips to Rome, where he will be appreciated for his wit, and Naples where he will become Chaplain Major and Prefect of the Royal Studies, with the task of reforming the University of Naples.
Galiani, who did not give any of his writings to print, is best known for spreading Newton’s theories and empiricism in Italy. The study of the theses of John Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding
(1690) engaged the abbot for twenty years. His writings, which also include an outline of a work that remained unpublished entitled Ricerche sulla scienza morale (Researches on Moral Science), are the main
trace of the diffusion of Locke’s theories in the Italian panorama of the early 18th century and of how it was a fundamental component in preparing the season of the Southern Enlightenment of the mid-century.

The notorious publication, Mustafà Bassà di Rodi schiavo in Malta, was composed in the months following the bloody massacre of the slaves in July 1749, and has been shrouded in mystery and immersed in controversy ever since it saw the light in Naples, in 1751.  The book was printed under the name ‘Michele Acciard’ but has been widely attributed to the Gozitan priest, Agius de Soldanis, on the strength of various contemporary documents suggesting his authorship. Be that as it may, recently unearthed documents conclusively determine that despite being overshadowed by the Gozitan canon, Michele Acciard did play a prominent part in the composition of Mustafà Bassà di Rodi schiavo in Malta. 

When the book was first conceived, de Soldanis intended his publication to recount the failed uprising of the slaves. However, following the alleged manipulation of his manuscript at the hands of Michele Acciard in Naples, the book was printed not as a mere history book, but rather as a work of significant political importance, due to the numerous subversive statements which had been added. As a result, the book was mercilessly scoured from the Maltese islands and beyond by the Grand Master, causing the mysterious book to almost disappear entirely.

Si tratta del primo studio critico sulla figura di Berardo Galiani. Il saggio ne ricostruisce la biografia e ne analizza criticamente l'opera teorico-architettonica. Inoltre vengono trascritti e commentati alcuni pareri ed altri manoscritti inediti.