Francesco Fontani (23 May 1748 – 4 December 1818) was a Florentine scholar, priest, historian, and librarian for the

Biblioteca Riccardiana The Biblioteca Riccardiana (''Riccardian Library'') is a library in Florence, Italy. The library is located adjacent to the Palazzo Medici Riccardi. The main facade of Michelozzo's Medici Riccardi palace is on Via Camillo Cavour (corner of Via de ...

. He was born in Florence, and studied first in the Seminary of the Collegio Eugeniano, then went on to teach rhetoric in the Collegio Bandinelli of Rome. He was known for his knowledge about ancient artifacts. In 1783, returning to Florence, he was appointed to the position previously held by

Giovanni Lami Giovanni Lami (8 November 1697 – 6 February 1770) was an Italian jurist, church historian, and antiquarian. Biography He was born at Santa Croce sull'Arno (between Pisa and Florence) into a relatively affluent family; his paternal family ...

, as librarian at Riccardiana, but also working for the

Accademia della Crusca The Accademia della Crusca (; "Academy of the Bran"), generally abbreviated as La Crusca, is a Florence-based society of scholars of Italian linguistics and philology. It is one of the most important research institutions of the Italian language ...

, and serving as parish priest for the church of

Santa Lucia dei Magnoli Santa Lucia or Santa Lucia dei Magnoli is a Roman Catholic church located on via de'Bardi in Oltrarno district of Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. History The church had been founded in 1078 by Cavalier Uguccione Della Pressa. At his death, it ...

. He appears to have been demoted for participating with revolutionary French forces during the Napoleonic occupation.Cornell Studies in English, Volume 23, 1935, page 431. He helped publish ''Il viaggio pittorico della Toscana'', a travel journey through Tuscany known for its vedute of the skylines of numerous towns at the start of the 19th-century. The book was published between 1801 and 1803 by Tipi del Tofani and engraved by the brothers Terreni. Reprinted after 1817 by Giovanni Marenigh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fontani, Francesco 1748 births Italian librarians 18th-century Italian writers 18th-century Italian male writers 19th-century Italian writers 19th-century Italian male writers 1818 deaths