Paolo Savi (11 July 1798 – 5 April 1871) was an Italian

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

and

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

Biography

Savi was born 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 ...

, the son of

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 ...

, professor of

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

at the

University of Pisa The University of Pisa ( it, Università di Pisa, UniPi), officially founded in 1343, is one of the oldest universities in Europe. History The Origins The University of Pisa was officially founded in 1343, although various scholars place ...

. The younger Savi became assistant lecturer in

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

at the university in 1820, was appointed professor in 1823, and lectured also on

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

. He devoted great attention to the museum of the university, the

Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa The Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa is a natural history museum in the city of Pisa in Tuscany, Italy. It houses one of the largest collection of cetaceans skeletons in Europe. The museum's oldest collections are seashells co ...

, and formed one of the finest natural history collections in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. Savi was regarded as the father of Italian geology. He studied the geology of Monti Pisani and the

Apuan Alps The Apuan Alps ( it, Alpi Apuane) are a mountain range in northern Tuscany, Italy. They are included between the valleys of the Serchio and Magra rivers, and, to the northwest, the Garfagnana and Lunigiana, with a total length of approximately . ...

, explaining the

metamorphic Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causin ...

origin of the

Carrara Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some Boxing the compass, west-northwest o ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

; he also contributed essays on the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

strata and

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

of Monte Bamboli, the iron ores of

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...

and other subjects. With Giuseppe Meneghini (1811–1889) he published memoirs on the

stratigraphy Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock (geology), rock layers (Stratum, strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary rock, sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigrap ...

and geology of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

(1850–1851).Woodward, Horace Bolingbroke, 1911
History of geology
' London, Watts & co. Savi also became eminent as an

, and was the author of ''Ornitologia Toscana'' (1827–1831) and ''Ornitologia Italiana'' (1873–1876). In the autumn of 1821 he obtained specimens of an unstreaked, dark, rufous-brown warbler which was new to science. He published a full description of the bird in 1824, and it became commonly known as

Savi's warbler Savi's warbler (''Locustella luscinioides'') is a species of Old World warbler in the grass warbler genus ''Locustella''. It breeds in Europe and the western Palearctic. It is migratory, wintering in northern and sub-Saharan Africa. This small ...

Personal

Savi was buried in Pisa cemetery and his statue now stands in the

Orto botanico di Pisa The Orto botanico di Pisa, also known as the Orto Botanico dell'Università di Pisa, is a botanical garden operated by the University of Pisa, and located at via Luca Ghini 5, Pisa, Italy. The garden was established in 1544 under Cosimo I de' M ...

Major works

''Osservazioni sopra la Blarta acervorum di panzee. Gryllus Myrmocophilus nob. Memoria (inedita) del dott. Paolo Savi, con tavola in rame''
Biblioteca Italiana ossia Giornale di letteratura scienze ed arti (1819 ago), Volume 15, Fascicolo
''Sulla Salvinia natans. Memoria inedita del dottor Paolo Savi, aiuto del professore di botanica dell'università di Pisa, con tavola in rame''
Biblioteca Italiana ossia Giornale di letteratura scienze ed arti (1820 dic, Volume 20, Fascicolo) *''Ornitologia Toscana, ossia descrizione e storia degli uccelli che trovansi nella Toscana con l'aggiunta delle descrizioni di tutti gli altri propri al rimanente d'Italia'', 3 volumi (Pisa, Dalla tipografia Nistri 1827-1831). L'opera, di notevole importanza per la storia dell'ornitologia italiana, contiene 31 figure incise in rame. Venne ristampata postuma nel 1873 a Firenze (sempre in 3 voll.), con il titolo "Ornitologia italiana", a cura del figlio Adolfo. [''Ornitologia italiana'' (opera postuma) Firenze :Successori Le Monnier, 1873-1876
onlineonline at BHL
*''Sul Mischio di Serravezza'' (Nuovo Giornale d. Lett., XX, Pisa 1830); *''Catalogo ragionato di una collezione geognostica contenente le rocce più caratteristiche della formazione del Macigno della Toscana, quelle di trabocco, cioè Dolomitiche, Porfiriche e Granitiche le quali hanno disordinato le stratificazioni delle prime e quelle alterate dal contatto delle straboccate'' (ibid., 1830); *''Carta geologica dei Monti Pisani levata dal vero'' (Pisa 1832); *''Tagli geologici delle Alpi Apuane e del Monte pisano e cenno sull’isola d’Elba'' (Nuovo Giornale d. Lett., XXVI, 1833); *''Sulla miniera di ferro dell’

Isola d'Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...

'' (ibid., XXXI, 1835); * (ibid., XXXIV e XXXV, 1837); *''Sui vari sollevamenti e abbassamenti che hanno dato alla Toscana l’attuale configurazione'' (ibid., XXXV, 1837);
''Del carbon fossile in Italia. Estratto dalla Memoria sulla Scorza del Globo Terrestre, del prof. P. Savi''
Annali universali di statistica economia pubblica, storia, viaggi e commercio (1838 apr, Serie 1, Volume 56, Fascicolo 166) *''Delle rocce ofiolitiche della Toscana e delle masse metalliche in esse contenute'' (ibid., 1839); *''Sopra i carboni fossili dei terreni miocenici della Maremma Toscana'' (Pisa 1843); *''Considerazioni geologiche sull'

Appennino Pistoiese The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

'' (Firenze 1845); *''Sulla catena metallifera delle Alpi Apuane e sulla costituzione geologica dei Monti Pisani'' (Pisa 1846); *''Considerazioni sulla geologia della Toscana'', in collaborazione con G. Meneghini (Firenze 1851); *''Saggio sulla costituzione geologica della Provincia di Pisa'' (Statist. della provincia di Pisa, Pisa 1863).

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Savi, Paolo 1798 births 1871 deaths People from Pisa Italian zoologists Italian ornithologists 19th-century Italian geologists