Giorgio Santi (1746–1822) was an Italian naturalist, chemist, botanist, traveler, zoologist and geologist.
Santi was a professor of Natural Sciences in
Pisa
Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...
from 1782 to 1822, a director of the Museum of Natural History and the Prefect of the botanical garden of Pisa from 1782 to 1814. He was born in
Pienza
Pienza () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, in the historical region of Val d'Orcia. Situated between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino, it is considered the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism".
In 1996, UNESCO d ...
in 1746 and graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the
University of Siena
The University of Siena ( it, Università degli Studi di Siena, abbreviation: UNISI) in Siena, Tuscany, is one of the oldest and first publicly funded universities in Italy. Originally called ''Studium Senese'', the institution was founded in 1240 ...
. He practiced at the
Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova
The Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova (i.e. ''Ospedale di Santa Maria Nuova'' in Italian) is the oldest hospital still active in Florence, Italy.
History and artistic profile
Origins
The hospital was founded in 1288 by Folco Portinari, the father ...
and won a scholarship to Siena Biringucci apprenticeship, and because of that he moved to France in 1773, studying at
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
Lavoisier
Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier ( , ; ; 26 August 17438 May 1794), CNRS (
Peter Leopold gave him the post of professor in Pisa with the creation of a new chair of Natural Sciences and Chemistry. His residence was in the Botanical Garden in Pisa, but he lived with his wife Anna Simonelli (married in 1790) in
Pienza
Pienza () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, in the historical region of Val d'Orcia. Situated between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino, it is considered the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism".
In 1996, UNESCO d ...
until he died on December 30, 1822. He dedicated himself to the study of natural features of land, in particular the territory today corresponding to the provinces of
Siena
Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.
The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...
and
Grosseto
Grosseto () is a city and ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the Ombrone river.
It is the m ...
, and compiling interesting travel reports. He published on several occasions between 1795 and 1806 (three volumes). He was a founding father of Geology as an autonomous science and strove for the spread and adoption of new chemical theories in academia. It was in close relationship with
Spallanzani
Lazzaro Spallanzani (; 12 January 1729 – 11 February 1799) was an Italian Catholic priest (for which he was nicknamed Abbé Spallanzani), biologist and physiologist who made important contributions to the experimental study of bodily functio ...
,
Giovanni Fabbroni
Giovanni Valentino Mattia Fabbroni (13 February 1752 – 17 December 1822) was an Italian naturalist, economist, agronomist and chemist.
He was born in Florence, Italy, the son of Horace and Rosalinda Werner. His mother originated in Heidelbe ...
,
Gaetano Savi
Gaetano Savi (13 June 1769 – 28 April 1844) was an Italian naturalist., botanist and mycologist.
He was born in Florence and studied with Giorgio Santi (1746–1822) and Adolfo Targioni Tozzetti (1823–1902). In 1798 he published ''Flora Pis ...
, and many other scientists and academics of the time.