Ottavio Serena (18 August 1837 – 7 January 1914) was an Italian politician, judge, prefect and historian. He is known in his hometown

Altamura Altamura (, ; nap, label= Barese, Ialtamùre) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is located on one of the hills of the Murge plateau in the Metropolitan City of Bari, southwest of Bari, close to the border with Basi ...

for his works about local history, such as the Altamuran Revolution (1799). His contribution and the testimonies he collected allowed to shed light on some historical events (such as the killing of Giovanni Firrao (1799) and on legendary toponyms (''Petilia and Altilia''). Moreover, he was one of the promoters of the construction of ''Acquedotto pugliese'' ("Apulia waterworks"), which he considered essential for the development of Italian region Apulia.

Life

Ottavio Serena was born in

on 18 August 1837 from a noble local family. The Serena family is supposed to have originated from

Monte Sant'Angelo Monte Sant'Angelo ( Foggiano: ) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, southern Italy, in the province of Foggia, on the southern slopes of Monte Gargano. History Monte Sant'Angelo as a town appeared only in the 11th century. Between 1081 and 1103, ...

, but they later moved to

Foggia Foggia (, , ; nap, label= Foggiano, Fògge ) is a city and former ''comune'' of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also know ...

. The family owned the fiefdom of ''Lapigio'' as early as 1407 with full control over the vassals and with full jurisdiction, as shown on a diploma by queen Joanna II of Naples. araldo1898-21, p. 225 Ottavio Serena graduated in law as well as in

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...

and philosophy; at the beginning of his career he took care of the reorganization of the education of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies at the request of Saverio Baldacchini. During the

Risorgimento The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single s ...

he was a revolutionary, but, having dedicated his life to research and study, he never fought, unlike many of his friends. Nevertheless, he was no less in the struggle, conspiring under the watchful and suspicious eye of the Bourbon police and he was also member of temporary government established in Altamura, while within walking distance of the city there was a large contingent of the Bourbon army led by general Flores. After the

Unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single s ...

(1861), he was relocated to

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. Th ...

, where he worked as secretary of Italian minister Francesco De Sanctis. He began more and more interested in politics, and, in 1870 he was elected provincial councilor of Bari. In 1874, he was elected as member of the

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and ...

. In 1888, he was appointed

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the cap ...

, while in 1889 he became prefect of

Lecce Lecce ( ); el, label=Griko, Luppìu, script=Latn; la, Lupiae; grc, Λουπίαι, translit=Loupíai), group=pron is a historic city of 95,766 inhabitants (2015) in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Lecce, the provinc ...

. In 1898, he was elected Senator of the Kingdom of Italy. In his life, he was also appointed judge, President of

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

, and he was also mayor of his hometown

(1871-1875). He was elected seven times either in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon ...

or in the

Italian Senate The Senate of the Republic ( it, Senato della Repubblica), or simply the Senate ( it, Senato), is the upper house of the bicameral Italian Parliament (the other being the Chamber of Deputies). The two houses together form a perfect bicameral sy ...

. After a long life devoted both to politics and the history of his hometown

, Serena died on 7 January 1914 after three years of suffering caused by a disease.

Works

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References

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Serena, Ottavio 1837 births 1914 deaths 19th-century Italian historians 20th-century Italian judges Italian prefects Mayors of places in Apulia Members of the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Kingdom of Italy)

Life

Works

See also

References

Sources

External links