The Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa
(commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university 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 ...
and
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
,
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 ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students.
It was founded in 1810 with a decree by
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
as a branch of the
École normale supérieure
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
in Paris, with the aim of training the teachers of the Empire to educate its citizens. In 2013 the Florentine site was added to the historical site in Pisa, following the inclusion of the Institute of Human Sciences in Florence (SUM). Since 2018 the Scuola Normale Superiore has been federated with the
Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies
, latin_name =
, image =
, motto = L'eccellenza come disciplina
, mottoeng = Committed to excellence
, established = 1987 from previously existing institutions
, type = State-supported
, administrative_staff ...
in Pisa and with the
Institute for Advanced Studies of Pavia, the only other two university institutions with special status that, in the Italian panorama, offer, in accordance with standards of excellence, both undergraduate and postgraduate educational activities.
Eminent personalities from the world of science, literature and politics have studied at the Normale, among them
Giosuè Carducci
Giosuè Alessandro Giuseppe Carducci (; 27 July 1835 – 16 February 1907) was an Italian poet, writer, literary critic and teacher. He was very noticeably influential, and was regarded as the official national poet of modern Italy. In 1906, h ...
,
Carlo Rubbia
Carlo Rubbia (born 31 March 1934) is an Italian particle physicist and inventor who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1984 with Simon van der Meer for work leading to the discovery of the W and Z particles at CERN.
Early life and education
...
,
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian (later naturalized American) physicist and the creator of the world's first nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1. He has been called the "architect of the nuclear age" and ...
,
Aldo Capitini,
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician and banker who was the prime minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and the president of Italy from 1999 to 2006.
Biography Education
Ciampi was born i ...
,
Giovanni Gronchi
Giovanni Gronchi, (; 10 September 1887 – 17 October 1978) was an Italian politician from Christian Democracy who served as the president of Italy from 1955 to 1962 and was marked by a controversial and failed attempt to bring about an "openi ...
,
Giovanni Gentile
Giovanni Gentile (; 30 May 1875 – 15 April 1944) was an Italian neo-Hegelian idealist philosopher, educator, and fascist politician. The self-styled "philosopher of Fascism", he was influential in providing an intellectual foundation for I ...
,
Massimo D'Alema as well as
Alessio Figalli
Alessio Figalli (; born 2 April 1984) is an Italian mathematician working primarily on calculus of variations and partial differential equations.
He was awarded the Prix and in 2012, the EMS Prize in 2012, the Stampacchia Medal in 2015, the ...
, in more recent times.
History
![Palazzo dei Cavalieri (detail) - Pisa, Italy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Palazzo_dei_Cavalieri_%28detail%29_-_Pisa%2C_Italy.JPG)
The Scuola Normale Superiore was founded in 1810 by
Napoleonic
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
decree, as a twin institution of the
École normale supérieure
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
in Paris, itself dating back to the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
jurisdiction.
The term ' (') was coined by
Joseph Lakanal
Joseph Lakanal (July 14, 1762 – February 14, 1845) was a French politician, and an original member of the ''Institut de France''.
Early career
Born in Serres-sur-Arget, Serres, in present-day Ariège (department), Ariège, his name was orig ...
who, in submitting a report to the
National Convention
The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year National ...
of 1794 on behalf of the Committee of Public Instruction, explained it as follows: "'' ', ''"
"Normal : from the Latin ''norma '', rule. These schools must indeed be the kind and rule of all others."
The Napoleonic period
The Napoleonic decree of 18 October 1810, concerning "public education establishments" in
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 ...
– a province of the French empire since 1807 – established an "Academic student residence" in Pisa for university students. Twenty-five places were made available for students of the Faculties of Arts and Sciences, to create a branch of the Parisian
École normale supérieure
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
in countries where the use of the Italian language was authorized.
The Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa was thus established at the behest of Napoleon. The term "Normale" refers to its primary teaching mission, that is to train high school teachers to educate citizens according to coherent teaching and methodological "norms".
On 22 February 1811, the first call was issued, but the Pisa-based Normale began its activity only in 1813, when the first students of Arts and Sciences attended the Scuola.
The first site of the Scuola was the convent of San Silvestro in Pisa: it was a student residence halfway between a military order and a convent, in which the life of the students was characterized by strict disciplinary regulations similar to those of the French ''Scuola'' of reference regarding admissions, occupations, punishments, rewards and even student clothing. Following the model of the
École normale supérieure
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
, the Scuola was entrusted to a "Director", assisted by the "Sub-director" and by the "''Economo''", in charge of administration, supervision of studies and the safeguarding of order.
The Normale was reserved at that time to the best high school students, aged between 17 and 24, who during their two years of studies also obtained degrees at the faculties of Arts and Sciences of the Imperial University. The students had particular commitments and were obliged to take additional courses: they were supervised by four "''ripetitori''", chosen by the Director among the students of the Normale, who "repeated" the university lessons daily and coordinated the "conferences", which were a sort of seminar. With this qualifying training, after graduation the students committed themselves to teaching in secondary schools for at least ten years.
The Napoleonic Scuola Normale had a short life: the only academic year was 1813/14, during which the physicist
Ranieri Gerbi was Director. On 6 April 1814,
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
signed the act of abdication: the return of Grand Duke
Ferdinand III to the throne of Tuscany coincided with the closure of the Scuola despite the various attempts to save it in the name of its function.
The grand-ducal period
The period of closure of the Scuola after the Napoleonic phase was actually quite short. The Grand Duke's decree of 22 December 1817 re-established the ancient Ordine dei Cavalieri di Santo Stefano (the
Order of the Knights of St. Stephen) in Pisa: in 1843 the Council of the Order proposed to establish a "boarding school for young nobles" in the
Palazzo della Carovana
Palazzo della Carovana (also Palazzo dei Cavalieri) is a palace in Knights' Square, Pisa, Italy, presently housing the main building of the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.
History
It was built in 1562–1564 by Giorgio Vasari for the headquar ...
together with a Scuola Normale. It has to be said that even in the previous period novice Knights were often students of the University of Pisa and therefore the ''Palazzo'' was already, in effect, a "noble college".
To study the feasibility of the new project, Grand Duke Leopold II of Lorraine nominated a commission, which re-established the original function of the Scuola Normale Superiore, that of preparing secondary school teachers. On 28 November 1846, a grand-ducal ''Motuproprio'' established the Scuola Normale Toscana, also called ''Imperial Regia Scuola Normale'' (because it was connected to the Austrian system). On 15 November 1847, the new headquarters in
Palazzo della Carovana
Palazzo della Carovana (also Palazzo dei Cavalieri) is a palace in Knights' Square, Pisa, Italy, presently housing the main building of the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.
History
It was built in 1562–1564 by Giorgio Vasari for the headquar ...
were inaugurated.
The new Scuola was "theoretical and practical", intended to "train teachers of secondary schools"; it was a boarding school that offered ten free places (with advantages reserved for the Knights of the Order), which could be accessed by call at the age of eighteen, as well as other paid places.
The boarding school was attended exclusively by students of Philosophy and Philology, while students of Physical and Mathematical Sciences at the University were aggregated to the Scuola: the latter, however, were required to attend the pedagogy course and to practice teaching by doing teacher training in schools, in keeping with a strong professional connotation which was later to be abandoned. The course of studies lasted three years.
In the grand-ducal period the Scuola was affected by the political climate: following the enthusiasm of the ''Risorgimento'', the fear of subversive movements and tumults led to reactionary and confessional attitudes much lamented by the students themselves, including
Giosuè Carducci
Giosuè Alessandro Giuseppe Carducci (; 27 July 1835 – 16 February 1907) was an Italian poet, writer, literary critic and teacher. He was very noticeably influential, and was regarded as the official national poet of modern Italy. In 1906, h ...
, who was a student there between 1853 and 1856.
The post-unification period
With the new
unified state, the legislative and administrative structure of the
Savoy Kingdom was extended to the whole of Italy. The Italian school system was therefore regulated for over sixty years by the
Casati Casati is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alessandro Casati (1881–1955), Italian academic, commentator and politician
* Ambrogio Casati (1897–1977), Italian painter
* Domenico Casati (born 1943), retired Italian ...
law of 1859, originally issued for the Piedmontese and Lombard institutions: based on a centralized model, it gave private bodies the possibility to provide education, at the same time establishing the ''"diritto dello Stato all’insegnamento universitario"(the right of the State regarding university education) '' as well as the right to 'supervise' all the levels of the school system.
In Tuscany the provisional government (1859–60) tried to protect the most illustrious local traditions, such as the Normale. After a long debate, in the Senate and in the press, on the opportuneness of maintaining this unique and anomalous institution, in 1862 it was officially named "Scuola Normale del Regno d'Italia".
Various draft laws were submitted to the ''Camera'' to establish the Pisan model by extending it to other universities or to reorganize and expand the Scuola Normale of Pisa. But the new
unified State, engaged in financial measures and public works deemed to be more urgent, approved, with the decree of 17 August 1862, only some modifications to the Scuola's regulations, so that it could continue to function as a ''Scuola Normale italiana''.
The "new" Normale was introduced into the national legal system by the
Matteucci Regulations of 1862, which eliminated any religious and confessional aspects, in line with the secular orientation of Italian politics. The years of study became four by ministerial decree in 1863, and a new organizational structure was established.
At the educational level, the board of directors was divided into two "sections", Letters and Philosophy and Physics-Mathematics, formed by the relative teaching staff; the latter sections were the forerunners of the current Faculties, under the control of the "Director of Studies".
The publishing activity of the Scuola began with the foundation of the two journals (''Annali della classe di scienze'' in 1871 and ''Annali della classe di lettere e filosofia'' in 1873). With the development of the postgraduate course, the Scuola was increasingly taking on the function, as well as of a university college, of a higher institute of scientific education and research. At the political level the role of the "President" of the board of directors was defined as the authority responsible for the moral, educational and economic governance of the Scuola. Finally, at an organizational level, there was the increasingly important role of the ''Provveditore-Economo'', who managed the services as well as the human and financial resources, and had disciplinary jurisdiction over the students. The
Matteucci regulations followed those issued by Education Minister
Coppino in 1877, establishing the opening of the boarding school also to the section of Sciences and simplifying the complex structure of the previous "Regulations of studies and examinations".
The Gentile Reform
In 1927, three years after the entry into force of the
Gentile Reform, new regulations of the Scuola Normale were approved, which removed its qualification function while maintaining that of "preparing for teaching in secondary schools and for the examinations which award qualifications for such teaching" and of promoting postgraduate studies, accessible by all graduates at national level.
Nationalist propaganda also took hold within the Normale and the control of the
Regime
In politics, a regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. According to Yale professor Juan Jo ...
became increasingly more invasive, up until the first serious episode of repression, with the arrest in 1928 of three ''normalisti'' for anti-Fascist activity. To deal with the disturbances caused by the political events and the decline of the Scuola, which had increasingly fewer students, the philosopher
Giovanni Gentile
Giovanni Gentile (; 30 May 1875 – 15 April 1944) was an Italian neo-Hegelian idealist philosopher, educator, and fascist politician. The self-styled "philosopher of Fascism", he was influential in providing an intellectual foundation for I ...
, a ''normalista,'' as well as a prominent figure of Italian Fascism, ideologue of the Regime and minister of education, was nominated as commissioner; he later became Director of the Normale, in 1928.
Gentile carried out a structural revision of the institution so that it would acquire national importance; to this end he oversaw the expansion of the headquarters and a considerable increase in the number of students and internal activities. His authority, together with the consensus of the Regime, allowed him to find means and collaboration for his project. Meanwhile, the relationship between the State and the Church inaugurated by the
Lateran Treaty
The Lateran Treaty ( it, Patti Lateranensi; la, Pacta Lateranensia) was one component of the Lateran Pacts of 1929, agreements between the Kingdom of Italy under King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and the Holy See under Pope Pius XI to settle ...
facilitated negotiations with the Archbishopric to obtain the availability of the Puteano College building which, together with that of the Timpano, would later be used to house the young ''normalisti'' while the expansion of the
Palazzo della Carovana
Palazzo della Carovana (also Palazzo dei Cavalieri) is a palace in Knights' Square, Pisa, Italy, presently housing the main building of the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.
History
It was built in 1562–1564 by Giorgio Vasari for the headquar ...
took place.
The ''Normale Gentiliana'', recognized by the Royal Decree of 28 July 1932, was inaugurated on 10 December. Equipped with a new Statute, the Scuola became an independent higher education institution, albeit still connected to the
University of Pisa, and acquired legal status and administrative, educational and disciplinary autonomy. The Normale, affirming its uniqueness in the Italian school system, was expanded above all to educate an increasingly more selected cultural élite.
In 1938 the Scuola Normale, like all the universities of the Italian Kingdom, endorsed the
racial laws
Anti-Jewish laws have been a common occurrence throughout Jewish history. Examples of such laws include special Jewish quotas, Jewish taxes and Disabilities (Jewish), Jewish "disabilities".
Some were adopted in the 1930s and 1940s in Nazi Germany ...
, which affected students and teaching staff. The Normale at that time still had many free-spirited souls in its midst: it was also the Scuola of
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician and banker who was the prime minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and the president of Italy from 1999 to 2006.
Biography Education
Ciampi was born i ...
– who, a few years from then, would join the
Resistance
Resistance may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Comics
* Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm:
** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title
** ''T ...
– and formerly of
Aldo Capitini, theorist of non-violence and firm opponent of the Fascist Regime.
The war and post-war period
The Scuola Normale continued its activity despite the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, although with some regulatory limitations and many practical difficulties. In the meantime, also after the issuing of the
racial laws
Anti-Jewish laws have been a common occurrence throughout Jewish history. Examples of such laws include special Jewish quotas, Jewish taxes and Disabilities (Jewish), Jewish "disabilities".
Some were adopted in the 1930s and 1940s in Nazi Germany ...
, the dissent towards the Regime was becoming increasingly more evident among students and teaching staff.
With the deposition of
Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
by the Grand Council on
25 July 1943, the Normale remained under German domination, since geographically it belonged to the territory of the
Republic of Salò.
After the tragic air raid on Pisa on 31 August 1943, the new Director,
Luigi Russo
Luigi Russo (Verona, 28 September 1882 – Rome, 20 December 1964) was an Italian Fascist politician and civil servant, who served as Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of the Kingdom of Italy from 1939 to 1943. He was also Chi ...
, threatened with arrest for political reasons, had to leave the city and was replaced by the mathematician
Leonida Tonelli
Leonida Tonelli (19 April 1885 – 12 March 1946) was an Italian mathematician, noted for creating Tonelli's theorem, a variation of Fubini's theorem, and for introducing semicontinuity methods as a common tool for the direct method in the calc ...
, who protected the library and the furnishings of the Palazzo della Carovana, transformed into German barracks, and transferred the most important collections to the nearby
Certosa di Calci.
On 2 September 1944 the city was liberated, but
Palazzo della Carovana
Palazzo della Carovana (also Palazzo dei Cavalieri) is a palace in Knights' Square, Pisa, Italy, presently housing the main building of the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.
History
It was built in 1562–1564 by Giorgio Vasari for the headquar ...
was requisitioned by the Anglo-American army: students and teaching staff were relegated to the Puteano College.
Luigi Russo
Luigi Russo (Verona, 28 September 1882 – Rome, 20 December 1964) was an Italian Fascist politician and civil servant, who served as Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of the Kingdom of Italy from 1939 to 1943. He was also Chi ...
, reinstated as Director, continued the work of safeguarding the material of the Scuola and of its library, while the temporary site resumed its activities.
On 25 September 1945, the ''Palazzo'' was liberated and, in addition to the restoration of the building, it was decided to issue a call for seventy places for veteran or partisan students.
Luigi Russo
Luigi Russo (Verona, 28 September 1882 – Rome, 20 December 1964) was an Italian Fascist politician and civil servant, who served as Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of the Kingdom of Italy from 1939 to 1943. He was also Chi ...
and
Leonida Tonelli
Leonida Tonelli (19 April 1885 – 12 March 1946) was an Italian mathematician, noted for creating Tonelli's theorem, a variation of Fubini's theorem, and for introducing semicontinuity methods as a common tool for the direct method in the calc ...
initiated a long awareness campaign that allowed them to find financial resources, including contributions not coming from the state, and to create a heritage through donations and purchases, in accordance with a policy that would continue in the following years.
The post-war Normale was also the era of women: seventy years from the admittance of the first woman to the Normale, in 1959 a "Female Section" was finally established, with headquarters in Palazzo del Timpano, to enable women to lead a collegial life within the Scuola.
From the post-war period to today
In the 1960s, the Scuola Normale faced the challenges of the "university for the masses". Between 1964 and 1977, under the firm management of
Gilberto Bernardini
Gilberto is the Iberian and Italian version of the originally Norman-French given name ''Gilbert'', used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish languages. In Galician, it's spelled Xilberto or Xilberte. ''Gilbert'' is ultimately derived from the Germ ...
, it affirmed its original vocation for the pure disciplines, renouncing the management of the medical and juridical Colleges (to which the Collegio Pacinotti for applied sciences had been added) : the process that would lead to the establishment of the
Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies
, latin_name =
, image =
, motto = L'eccellenza come disciplina
, mottoeng = Committed to excellence
, established = 1987 from previously existing institutions
, type = State-supported
, administrative_staff ...
began from the latter Colleges.
Between 1967 and 1968 students and teachers of the Normale took part in the
protests that had started 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 ...
and had spread throughout Italy; at the Normale not only was the entire university system challenged, but also the approach of the Scuola and its fundamental regulations. The difficult dialogue between the institution and its students gave rise to the 1969 Statute, from which the new educational framework of the Scuola and the profile of Institute of Scientific Higher Education emerged: in particular, a significant increase in the internal teaching staff, the foundation and the strengthening of research structures and a rise in the number of undergraduate and postgraduate students were achieved. Finally, the law of 18 June 1989 recognized the equivalence of the Scuola's
post-graduate diploma
A postgraduate diploma (PgD, PgDip, PGDip, PG Dip., PGD, Dipl. PG, PDE) is a postgraduate qualification awarded after a university degree, which supplements the original degree and awards them with a graduate diploma. Countries that award postg ...
to that of PhDs issued by Italian universities.
In the academic year 2014/2015 the teaching curriculum for the postgraduate courses was expanded thanks to the merger with the Istituto di Scienze Umane di Firenze (SUM) (the Institute of Human Sciences of Florence, SUM), now named Department of Political and Social Sciences of the Normale. In 2018 the Normale was federated with the
Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies
, latin_name =
, image =
, motto = L'eccellenza come disciplina
, mottoeng = Committed to excellence
, established = 1987 from previously existing institutions
, type = State-supported
, administrative_staff ...
in Pisa and with the University Institute of Advanced Studies in Pavia, to offer new educational opportunities that could integrate the skills of the three institutions in certain areas such as economic-political disciplines and the study of the physical-chemical dynamics that influence climate change and the repercussions in the agri-food sector. Following the merger between the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa and the Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane (the Italian Institute of Human Sciences),
Palazzo Strozzi in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
and the Residenza
Aldo Capitini were added to the buildings dedicated to the activities of the Scuola; the latter building, following its renovation, was assigned to the students of the postgraduate courses of the Department.
The Palazzone di
Cortona
Cortona (, ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. It is the main cultural and artistic centre of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo.
Toponymy
Cortona is derived from Latin Cortōna, and from Etruscan 𐌂𐌖𐌓 ...
(in the province of
Arezzo
Arezzo ( , , ) , also ; ett, 𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌉𐌌, Aritim. is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of above sea level. ...
) must also be added to this real estate; it is a branch of the Scuola used for conferences and summer schools organized also in collaboration with other authorities and academic and research institutions.
Academic structures
![Pisa Normale Regolamento1811](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Pisa_Normale_Regolamento1811.jpg)
The Faculty of Humanities is divided into subject areas, within which the individual courses are organized. The subject areas refer to: Literature, philology and linguistics; Philosophy; History and paleography; History of Art and Archaeology; Ancient history and classical philology. The Faculty of Sciences is divided into subject areas, within which the individual courses are organized. The subject areas are:Chemistry and geology; Physics; Mathematics and computer science; Biological sciences. The Department of Political and Social Sciences covers the subject areas of political and social sciences.
Teaching curriculum
The Scuola Normale Superiore offers both undergraduate education (which corresponds to the university curriculum of the bachelor's and master's degree) and postgraduate (PhD) education.
Undergraduate courses
The undergraduate courses of the SNS (Bachelor's and master's degrees) cover the teaching curriculum of three macro-disciplinary areas: Letters and Philosophy, Sciences and Political-Social Sciences (the latter only for master's degrees).The students selected through competition must follow both the courses taught at the Normale and the corresponding courses of study of the University, respecting rigorous study obligations. Studies are free of charge.
Postgraduate courses (PhD)
The Scuola Normale Superiore was the first Italian institution to create a PhD programme, in 1927. To date, the PhD courses of the Faculty of Humanities are:
* Philosophy
* History
* Italian Studies and Modern Philology
* History of Art
* Classics
The PhD courses of the Faculty of Sciences are:
* Astrochemistry
* Data Science
* Physics
* Maths
* Mathematics for finance
* Methods and models for molecular sciences
* Nanosciences
* Neuroscience
The PhD courses of the Department of Political and Social Sciences are:
* Political science and sociology
* Transnational Governance
Admission
Admission to the undergraduate courses and to the postgraduate courses (PhD) takes place by competition. You can access the Normale from the first year of university, or after obtaining a three-year degree. Finally, you can be admitted to the Scuola as a postgraduate student (PhD).
For admission to the undergraduate courses, a commission formed by the research staff of the Scuola Normale and of other universities assesses candidates, attempting to identify talent for study and research. The tests, which usually take place in August and September, are written and oral, and concern the disciplinary fields chosen by candidates for their academic career. The exam topics are studied in such a way that admission to the Scuola is guaranteed not for notional and mnemonic skills but rather for originality and intuition.
For access to the first year, A-level results and any other previous qualifications are not assessed during the exam. For access to the fourth year, results obtained for the bachelor's degree and any other previous qualifications are not assessed during the exam. The selection is rigorous: only about 5% of those who take part in the competition are usually admitted. Students of the Scuola Normale Superiore do not pay any fees for their studies: university fees are reimbursed and accommodation and board are free.
For admission to the Postgraduate Course (PhD) the competition, open to graduates from all over the world, is based on qualifications and exams. Those selected receive a scholarship, as well as additional ad hoc grants for research activities in Italy and abroad.
Campus
![Palazzo Carovana Pisa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Palazzo_Carovana_Pisa.jpg)
The Scuola Normale is located in its original historical building, called
Palazzo della Carovana
Palazzo della Carovana (also Palazzo dei Cavalieri) is a palace in Knights' Square, Pisa, Italy, presently housing the main building of the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.
History
It was built in 1562–1564 by Giorgio Vasari for the headquar ...
, in
Piazza dei Cavalieri
Piazza dei Cavalieri () is a landmark in Pisa, Italy, and the second main square of the city. This square was the political centre in medieval Pisa. After the middle of 16th century the square became the headquarters of the Order of the Knights ...
, in the medieval centre of
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 ...
.
Library
The Library was established at the same time as the Scuola and is an essential tool for teaching and research. It currently occupies three locations overlooking Piazza dei Cavalieri – the Palazzo dell'Orologio, the Palazzo della Canonica and a part of the
Palazzo della Carovana
Palazzo della Carovana (also Palazzo dei Cavalieri) is a palace in Knights' Square, Pisa, Italy, presently housing the main building of the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.
History
It was built in 1562–1564 by Giorgio Vasari for the headquar ...
– and, a short distance away, the location of Palazzo del Capitano. The book collection, for the most part with open shelves, has now exceeded one million volumes in total. It focuses on the disciplines under study at the Normale, and also houses texts on information science, bibliography and librarianship. In addition to the regular acquisitions, it has also been enriched by donations by various scholars connected to the Scuola; among these we can mention
Eugenio Garin,
Michele Barbi
Michele (), is an Italian male given name, akin to the English male name Michael.
Michele (pronounced ), is also an English female given name that is derived from the French Michèle. It is a variant spelling of the more common (and identically ...
,
Francesco Flamini,
Cesare Luporini,
Vittore Branca,
Giorgio Pasquali,
Arnaldo Momigliano
Arnaldo Dante Momigliano (5 September 1908 – 1 September 1987) was an Italian historian of classical antiquity, known for his work in historiography, and characterised by Donald Kagan as "the world's leading student of the writing of history i ...
,
Paul Oskar Kristeller
Paul Oskar Kristeller (May 22, 1905 in Berlin – June 7, 1999 in New York, United States) was an important scholar of Renaissance humanism. He was awarded the Haskins Medal in 1992. He was last active as Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Colum ...
,
Delio Cantimori,
Sebastiano Timpanaro,
Clifford Truesdell
Clifford Ambrose Truesdell III (February 18, 1919 – January 14, 2000) was an American mathematician, natural philosopher, and historian of science.
Life
Truesdell was born in Los Angeles, California. After high school, he spent two years in Eur ...
and Ettore Passerin d'Entrèves. A digital library is also being developed as part of the library service.
Archives
The Archival Centre of the Scuola Normale Superiore, established in October 2013, preserves, in addition to the rich documentary heritage of the Scuola, numerous archives of 19th and 20th century cultural figures acquired through testamentary legacies, gifts and deposits but also thanks to a targeted purchasing policy. Many collections come from former students and / or former lecturers of the Scuola Normale (collections from the directors
Enrico Betti,
Alessandro d'Ancona,
Ulisse Dini,
Luigi Bianchi
Luigi Bianchi (18 January 1856 – 6 June 1928) was an Italians, Italian mathematician. He was born in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, and died in Pisa. He was a leading member of the vigorous Italian school of algebraic geometry, geometric school which fl ...
and
Gilberto Bernardini
Gilberto is the Iberian and Italian version of the originally Norman-French given name ''Gilbert'', used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish languages. In Galician, it's spelled Xilberto or Xilberte. ''Gilbert'' is ultimately derived from the Germ ...
), but also from gifts or purchases: among these, mention must be made of the Salviati archive, which, among its important documents, also preserves an autograph manuscript by
Machiavelli.
Research centres and laboratories
The research centres and the laboratories operating at the Normale are:
* Bio@SNS – Laboratorio di Biologia(Biology Laboratory)
* CRM – Centro di Ricerca Matematica Ennio De Giorgi (Ennio De Giorgi Mathematics Research Centre)
* DocStAr – Documentazione Storico Artistica (Artistic Historical Documentation)
* NEST – National Enterprise for nanoScience and nanoTechnology
* SAET – Storia, Archeologia, Epigrafia, Tradizione dell'antico (History, Archaeology, Epigraphy, Tradition of the ancient)
* SMART – Strategie Multidisciplinari Applicate alla Ricerca e alla Tecnologia (Multidisciplinary Strategies Applied to Research and Technology)
* STAR – Systems and Theories for Astrochemical Research
Colleges and canteen
The students of the Scuola Normale, in Pisa, are currently housed in four colleges, located in the town:
* The
Carducci College is located in via Turati, not far from Pisa central station; it has been owned by the Scuola since 1994. Partially restored in 2002, it is also being renovated at the moment. This building was dedicated to the illustrious poet and scholar,
Giosuè Carducci
Giosuè Alessandro Giuseppe Carducci (; 27 July 1835 – 16 February 1907) was an Italian poet, writer, literary critic and teacher. He was very noticeably influential, and was regarded as the official national poet of modern Italy. In 1906, h ...
, who was an undergraduate student of the faculty of humanities from 1853 to 1856 and a
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
winner for literature in 1906.
* The
Fermi
Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian (later naturalized American) physicist and the creator of the world's first nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1. He has been called the "architect of the nuclear age" and ...
college, owned by the Scuola since 1993, is located a few steps away from the
Palazzo della Carovana
Palazzo della Carovana (also Palazzo dei Cavalieri) is a palace in Knights' Square, Pisa, Italy, presently housing the main building of the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.
History
It was built in 1562–1564 by Giorgio Vasari for the headquar ...
and has been used as accommodation for students since 1996. It is dedicated to the distinguished Italian physicist
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian (later naturalized American) physicist and the creator of the world's first nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1. He has been called the "architect of the nuclear age" and ...
, a ''normalista'' as well as
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
winner for physics in 1938.
* The
Faedo College, which opened in 2006, is the last residential college acquired by the Scuola Normale and is shared with the
Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. The building is located in Via del Giardino, near the Palazzo di Giustizia, and is dedicated to
Alessandro Faedo
Alessandro Faedo (18 November 1913 – 15 June 2001) (also known as Alessandro Carlo Faedo or Sandro Faedo) was an Italian mathematician and politician, born in Chiampo. He is known for his work in numerical analysis, leading to the Faedo–Gal ...
, a ''normalista'' who subsequently became rector of the
University of Pisa, president of the
National Research Council National Research Council may refer to:
* National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development
* National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome
* National Research Council (United States), part of ...
and senator.
* The Timpano College was the first real estate donation to the Scuola, in 1932: located on the Lungarno Pacinotti, it was donated to the Scuola by a singular character, the Calabrian Domenico Timpano, who had made a fortune selling, in the United States at the time of Prohibition, alcohol-based restorative products from his pharmaceutical industry. The building, damaged during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
by the explosion of the nearby Ponte Solferino, was rebuilt in the 1950s, and was initially the female housing section for students of the Scuola Normale Superiore. Currently it is assigned to students and scholarship holders and is divided into three colleges: Timpano, Timpanino and Acconci (the latter acquired in 1967).
Students of the postgraduate course do not usually stay in the colleges, but receive a monthly grant for accommodation; in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
, however, the Residenza
Capitini – a building owned by the City of Florence, recently renovated with funds made available by the
Ministry of Education, Universities and Research
The Ministry of Education, University and Research (in it, Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca, italic=no or MIUR) is the ministry of the Italian government for the national education system, the Italian universities and ...
– can accommodate students of the postgraduate courses of the Department of Political and Social Sciences .
Those who have right of access to the canteen of the Scuola Normale, located on the lower floors of Palazzo D'Ancona (in the immediate vicinity of the Palazzo della Carovana, in Via Consoli del Mare 5) are: undergraduate students, Italian and international PhD students, research grant holders, scholarship holders, teaching and administrative staff, and guests of the Scuola.
Rankings
*The
Academic Ranking of World Universities
The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong University ...
puts this system at the first place in Italy (National Rank # 1) and within the best 30 universities in Europe.
*
Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies
, latin_name =
, image =
, motto = L'eccellenza come disciplina
, mottoeng = Committed to excellence
, established = 1987 from previously existing institutions
, type = State-supported
, administrative_staff ...
, together with
Scuola Normale Superiore
The Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students.
It was founded in 1810 wi ...
are named as leading institutions in ''Italy's six top higher education institutes'' by
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli ...
,
where for 2014–2015 was ranked at 63rd place in the world and 15th in Europe. As for 2019 rankings,
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli ...
puts
Scuola Normale Superiore
The Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students.
It was founded in 1810 wi ...
161 place in the world and 2nd in Italy.
According to
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli ...
,
Scuola Normale Superiore
The Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students.
It was founded in 1810 wi ...
is the first in Italy for teaching.
* According to
QS World University Rankings
''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...
,
Scuola Normale Superiore
The Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students.
It was founded in 1810 wi ...
are part of the initiative "Invest Your Talent in Italy" which puts Italian graduate programmes on the world's stage.
* The European Research Ranking, a ranking based on publicly available data from the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
database puts
Pisa University System among the best in Italy and best performing European research institutions.
Notable alumni and faculty
![Giovanni Gronchi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Giovanni_Gronchi.jpg)
Notable alumni and faculty of the Scuola Normale include:
*
Aldo Andreotti, mathematician, noted for his fundamental contributions to the
theory of functions of several complex variables
*
Giuliano Amato
Giuliano Amato (; born 13 May 1938) is an Italian politician who twice served as Prime Minister of Italy, first from 1992 to 1993 and again from 2000 to 2001.
Later, he was Vice President of the Convention on the Future of Europe that drafted t ...
, politician and former
Prime Minister of Italy
The Prime Minister of Italy, officially the President of the Council of Ministers ( it, link=no, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is ...
, also studied at the Collegio Medico-Giuridico of the Scuola Normale Superiore, which today is Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies
*
Paola Barocchi, Art historian
*
Luigi Bianchi
Luigi Bianchi (18 January 1856 – 6 June 1928) was an Italians, Italian mathematician. He was born in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, and died in Pisa. He was a leading member of the vigorous Italian school of algebraic geometry, geometric school which fl ...
, mathematician, a leading member of the vigorous geometric school which flourished in Italy during the later years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century
*
Giosuè Carducci
Giosuè Alessandro Giuseppe Carducci (; 27 July 1835 – 16 February 1907) was an Italian poet, writer, literary critic and teacher. He was very noticeably influential, and was regarded as the official national poet of modern Italy. In 1906, h ...
, poet, 1906
Nobel Prize in Literature
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, caption =
, awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature
, presenter = Swedish Academy
, holder = Annie Ernaux (2022)
, location = Stockholm, Sweden
, year = 1901
, ...
*
Antonio Cassese, jurist who specialized in
public international law, President of the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon, also studied at the Collegio Medico-Giuridico of the Scuola Normale Superiore, which today is Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies
*
Sabino Cassese, Professor of Administrative Law and a judge of the
Constitutional Court of Italy, also studied at the Collegio Medico-Giuridico of the Scuola Normale Superiore, which today is Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies
*
Lamberto Cesari
Lamberto Cesari (23 September 1910 – 12 March 1990) was an Italian mathematician naturalized in the United States, known for his work on the theory of surface area, the theory of functions of bounded variation, the theory of optimal control ...
, mathematician, remembered for his achievements on the
Plateau's problem
In mathematics, Plateau's problem is to show the existence of a minimal surface with a given boundary, a problem raised by Joseph-Louis Lagrange in 1760. However, it is named after Joseph Plateau who experimented with soap films. The problem is ...
, on the theory of parametric
minimal surfaces, on
Lebesgue measure
In measure theory, a branch of mathematics, the Lebesgue measure, named after French mathematician Henri Lebesgue, is the standard way of assigning a measure to subsets of ''n''-dimensional Euclidean space. For ''n'' = 1, 2, or 3, it coincides wit ...
of
continuous
Continuity or continuous may refer to:
Mathematics
* Continuity (mathematics), the opposing concept to discreteness; common examples include
** Continuous probability distribution or random variable in probability and statistics
** Continuous ...
and related other
variational problems: he also worked in the field of
optimal control
Optimal control theory is a branch of mathematical optimization that deals with finding a control for a dynamical system over a period of time such that an objective function is optimized. It has numerous applications in science, engineering and ...
and studied periodic solutions of systems of nonlinear
ordinary differential equation
In mathematics, an ordinary differential equation (ODE) is a differential equation whose unknown(s) consists of one (or more) function(s) of one variable and involves the derivatives of those functions. The term ''ordinary'' is used in contrast w ...
s by using methods of nonlinear
functional analysis
Functional analysis is a branch of mathematical analysis, the core of which is formed by the study of vector spaces endowed with some kind of limit-related structure (e.g. Inner product space#Definition, inner product, Norm (mathematics)#Defini ...
*
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician and banker who was the prime minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and the president of Italy from 1999 to 2006.
Biography Education
Ciampi was born i ...
, Prime Minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and
tenth President of the Italian Republic from 1999 to 2006. Until his death, he served as
Senator for life
A senator for life is a member of the senate or equivalent upper chamber of a legislature who has life tenure. , six Italian senators out of 206, two out of the 41 Burundian senators, one Congolese senator out of 109, and all members of the Bri ...
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 ...
*
Pietro Citati
Pietro Citati (20 February 1930 – 28 July 2022) was an Italian writer and literary critic.
He was born in Florence. He wrote critical biographies of Goethe, Alexander the Great, Kafka and Marcel Proust as well as a short memoir on his thirty-ye ...
, writer and literary critic
*
Massimo D'Alema, President of the Italian Cabinet
*
Ennio De Giorgi, mathematician who worked on
partial differential equation
In mathematics, a partial differential equation (PDE) is an equation which imposes relations between the various partial derivatives of a Multivariable calculus, multivariable function.
The function is often thought of as an "unknown" to be sol ...
s and the foundations of mathematics, solved the
19th Hilbert problem, won
Wolf Prize
The Wolf Prize is an international award granted in Israel, that has been presented most years since 1978 to living scientists and artists for ''"achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among people ... irrespective of natio ...
in 1990
*
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian (later naturalized American) physicist and the creator of the world's first nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1. He has been called the "architect of the nuclear age" and ...
, physicist, 1938
Nobel Prize in Physics
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...
for his work on
induced radioactivity, particularly known for his work on the development of the first
nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat from nu ...
,
Chicago Pile-1
Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1) was the world's first artificial nuclear reactor. On 2 December 1942, the first human-made self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was initiated in CP-1, during an experiment led by Enrico Fermi. The secret development of t ...
, and for his contributions to the development of
quantum theory
Quantum theory may refer to:
Science
*Quantum mechanics, a major field of physics
*Old quantum theory, predating modern quantum mechanics
* Quantum field theory, an area of quantum mechanics that includes:
** Quantum electrodynamics
** Quantum ch ...
,
nuclear
Nuclear may refer to:
Physics
Relating to the nucleus of the atom:
* Nuclear engineering
*Nuclear physics
*Nuclear power
*Nuclear reactor
*Nuclear weapon
*Nuclear medicine
*Radiation therapy
*Nuclear warfare
Mathematics
*Nuclear space
*Nuclear ...
and
particle physics
Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) an ...
, and
statistical mechanics
In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities. It does not assume or postulate any natural laws, but explains the macroscopic be ...
. Fermi is widely regarded as one of the leading scientists of the 20th century, highly accomplished in both theory and experiment.
[
] Along with
J. Robert Oppenheimer, he is frequently referred to as "the
father of
Often, discoveries and innovations are the work of multiple people, resulting from continual improvements over time. However, certain individuals are remembered for making significant contributions to the birth or development of a field or tech ...
the
atomic bomb
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
".
*
Alessio Figalli
Alessio Figalli (; born 2 April 1984) is an Italian mathematician working primarily on calculus of variations and partial differential equations.
He was awarded the Prix and in 2012, the EMS Prize in 2012, the Stampacchia Medal in 2015, the ...
, mathematician, 2018
Fields Medal
The Fields Medal is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians under 40 years of age at the International Congress of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), a meeting that takes place every four years. The name of the award ho ...
winner. He works primarily on calculus of variations and partial differential equations.
*
Guido Fubini, mathematician, known for
Fubini's theorem and the
Fubini–Study metric
In mathematics, the Fubini–Study metric is a Kähler metric on projective Hilbert space, that is, on a complex projective space CP''n'' endowed with a Hermitian form. This metric was originally described in 1904 and 1905 by Guido Fubini and Edua ...
*
Giovanni Gentile
Giovanni Gentile (; 30 May 1875 – 15 April 1944) was an Italian neo-Hegelian idealist philosopher, educator, and fascist politician. The self-styled "philosopher of Fascism", he was influential in providing an intellectual foundation for I ...
, Minister of Public Education (1923) and neo-
Hegelian Idealist
In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected to ide ...
philosopher, a peer of
Benedetto Croce
Benedetto Croce (; 25 February 1866 – 20 November 1952)
was an Italian idealist philosopher, historian, and politician, who wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, historiography and aesthetics. In most regards, Croce was a lib ...
, described himself as 'the philosopher of
Fascism
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
', and
ghostwrote ''
A Doctrine of Fascism'' (1932) for
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
, also devised his own system of philosophy,
Actual Idealism, and Professor at the Scuola Normale Superiore
*
Carlo Ginzburg
Carlo Ginzburg (; born April 15, 1939) is an Italian historian and proponent of the field of microhistory. He is best known for ''Il formaggio e i vermi'' (1976, English title: ''The Cheese and the Worms''), which examined the beliefs of an Ital ...
, noted historian and proponent of the field of
microhistory. He is best known for his ''Il formaggio e I vermi'' (1976, English title: ''The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth Century Miller'') which examined the beliefs of an Italian heretic,
Menocchio
Menocchio (Domenico Scandella, 1532–1599) was a miller from Montereale Valcellina, Italy, who was tried for heresy by the Roman Inquisition for his unorthodox religious views and then was burnt at the stake in 1599. The 16th-century life and me ...
, from
Montereale Valcellina
Montereale Valcellina ( fur, Montreâl) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the northeast Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The comune is located about northwest of Trieste and about north of Pordenone. The comune was formerly part of the P ...
*
Giovanni Gronchi
Giovanni Gronchi, (; 10 September 1887 – 17 October 1978) was an Italian politician from Christian Democracy who served as the president of Italy from 1955 to 1962 and was marked by a controversial and failed attempt to bring about an "openi ...
, politician, President of Italy from 1955 to 1962
*
Eugenio Elia Levi
Eugenio Elia Levi (18 October 1883 – 28 October 1917) was an Italian mathematician, known for his fundamental contributions in group theory, in the theory of partial differential operators and in the theory of functions of several complex var ...
, mathematician, noted for his fundamental contributions to
group theory
In abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as group (mathematics), groups.
The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as ring (mathematics), rings, field ...
, the
theory of partial differential equations and
theory of functions of several complex variables
*
Michela Marzano, philosopher, writer
*
Medea Norsa, Papyrologist
*
Francesco Orlando, Literary Theorist
*
Carlo Rubbia
Carlo Rubbia (born 31 March 1934) is an Italian particle physicist and inventor who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1984 with Simon van der Meer for work leading to the discovery of the W and Z particles at CERN.
Early life and education
...
,
Knight Grand Cross particle physicist
Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of Elementary particle, fundamental particles and fundamental interaction, forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standa ...
and inventor who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1984 with
Simon van der Meer
Simon van der Meer (24 November 19254 March 2011) was a Dutch Accelerator physics, particle accelerator physicist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1984 with Carlo Rubbia for contributions to the CERN project which led to the discovery o ...
for work leading to the discovery of the
W and Z particles
In particle physics, the W and Z bosons are vector bosons that are together known as the weak bosons or more generally as the intermediate vector bosons. These elementary particles mediate the weak interaction; the respective symbols are , , and ...
at
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in a northwestern suburb of Gene ...
*
Francesco Ruggiero, contributor to the design of the
Large Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and highest-energy particle collider. It was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) between 1998 and 2008 in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists and hundred ...
*
Salvatore Settis
Salvatore Settis (born 11 June 1941) is an Italian archaeologist and art historian. From 1994 to 1999 he was director of the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities in Los Angeles and from 1999 to 2010 of the Scuola Normale Superio ...
, archeologist, former director of the
and also of the Scuola Normale itself, now President of the Scientif Committee of the
Musée du Louvre
*
Walter Siti
Walter may refer to:
People
* Walter (name), both a surname and a given name
* Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968)
* Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...
, writer
*
Ruxandra Sireteanu
Ruxandra Sireteanu (19 September 1945 – 8 September 2008), also known after her marriage as Ruxandra Sireteanu-Constantinescu, was a Romanian biophysicist and neuroscientist who undertook pioneering research into the human visual system. Born ...
, neuroscientist
*
Leonida Tonelli
Leonida Tonelli (19 April 1885 – 12 March 1946) was an Italian mathematician, noted for creating Tonelli's theorem, a variation of Fubini's theorem, and for introducing semicontinuity methods as a common tool for the direct method in the calc ...
, mathematician, most noted for creating
Tonelli's theorem, usually considered a forerunner to
Fubini's theorem.
*
Vito Volterra, mathematician and physicist, known for his contributions to
mathematical biology
Mathematical and theoretical biology, or biomathematics, is a branch of biology which employs theoretical analysis, mathematical models and abstractions of the living organisms to investigate the principles that govern the structure, development a ...
and integral equations.
*
Jiyuan Yu
Jiyuan Yu (July 5, 1964 – November 3, 2016) was a Chinese moral philosopher noted for his work on virtue ethics. Yu was a long-time and highly admired Professor of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, in Buffalo, New York ...
,
moral philosopher
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...
noted for his work on
virtue ethics
Virtue ethics (also aretaic ethics, from Greek ἀρετή arete_(moral_virtue).html"_;"title="'arete_(moral_virtue)">aretḗ''_is_an_approach_to_ethics_that_treats_the_concept_of_virtue.html" ;"title="arete_(moral_virtue)">aretḗ''.html" ;" ...
The ''Associazione Normalisti'' and the ''Normale'' bulletin
Various associations of alumni and professors have been operative at the Scuola at various stages of its history. After the first initiative by the philosopher
Giovanni Gentile
Giovanni Gentile (; 30 May 1875 – 15 April 1944) was an Italian neo-Hegelian idealist philosopher, educator, and fascist politician. The self-styled "philosopher of Fascism", he was influential in providing an intellectual foundation for I ...
in 1933, later revitalized in the 1950s, in 1997, at the proposal of
Alessandro Faedo
Alessandro Faedo (18 November 1913 – 15 June 2001) (also known as Alessandro Carlo Faedo or Sandro Faedo) was an Italian mathematician and politician, born in Chiampo. He is known for his work in numerical analysis, leading to the Faedo–Gal ...
, the current Association was founded, simply called ''Associazione Normalisti''.
The current president is Roberto Cerreto; previous presidents were
Luigi Arialdo Radicati di Brozolo
Luigi Arialdo Radicati di Bròzolo (Milano, 12 October 1919 – Pisa, 23 August 2019) was an Italian theoretical physicist
Life and career
Graduated in Physics at University of Turin in 1943 under Enrico Persico, he started his academic car ...
,
Claudio Cesa,
Franco Montanari and Umberto Sampieri.
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician and banker who was the prime minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and the president of Italy from 1999 to 2006.
Biography Education
Ciampi was born i ...
was an honorary president.
The Association publishes the Normale bulletin every six months or every year; the bulletin is the official organ of the association, registered at the Tribunal of Pisa; its current graphic design is the work of
Paolo Peluffo, former ''Consigliere per la Stampa e l'Informazione del Presidente della Repubblica'' (Press and Information Councillor of the President of the Republic) and ''sottosegretario di Stato alla Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri'' (Undersecretary of State at the President's Office of the Cabinet) of the Monti Government. The director is Andrea Bianchi.
Cinema and literature
Some narrative works of the 21st century are set at the Scuola Normale Superiore, such as ''L'etica dell'Aquario'' by Ilaria Gaspari and some pages by
Walter Siti
Walter may refer to:
People
* Walter (name), both a surname and a given name
* Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968)
* Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...
of ''Scuola'' ''di'' ''nudo.'' The Scuola Normale also features in
Elena Ferrante's ''The Story of a New Name'' (2013), second installment of the four-volume work known as the ''
Neapolitan Novels
The Neapolitan Novels, also known as the Neapolitan Quartet, are a four-part series of fiction by the pseudonymous Italian author Elena Ferrante, published originally by Edizioni e/o, translated into English by Ann Goldstein, and published by Eu ...
'': the protagonist of the novel, Elena, is admitted to the Normale and describes her years in Pisa. The Scuola Normale Superiore has also appeared in the following films: ''
Now or Never (Ora o mai più)'' and ''Il Giocatore invisibile.''
See also
*
Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies
, latin_name =
, image =
, motto = L'eccellenza come disciplina
, mottoeng = Committed to excellence
, established = 1987 from previously existing institutions
, type = State-supported
, administrative_staff ...
*
Pisa University System
*
University of Pisa
*
List of Italian universities
*
École normale supérieure
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
*
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 ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scuola Normale Superiore Di Pisa
Education in Pisa
Buildings and structures in Pisa
Universities in Tuscany
Educational institutions established in 1810
1810 establishments in the First French Empire
Universities and colleges formed by merger