Cosimo Ridolfi, Memorial statue in Florence, Italy
The Cosimo Ridolfi memorial is a white marble statue set on a pink granite base in Piazza Santo Spirito, Florence. The figure shows Ridolfi standing in a long coat, with a thoughtful expression and carefully carved details on his face and clothing.
Cosimo Ridolfi was a 19th-century farmer and scientist who founded an agricultural institute in Meleto and led the farming school at the University of Pisa. The monument was put in place in 1896 and officially unveiled on March 4, 1898, the anniversary of his death, in front of local officials and scholars.
The inscription on the base calls Ridolfi a promoter of agricultural science, which explains why this statue stands in a central square rather than in a side street. Piazza Santo Spirito is a gathering spot in the Oltrarno neighborhood, and the monument fits naturally into daily life there, surrounded by people sitting, talking, and visiting the market.
The statue stands in the open air on Piazza Santo Spirito and can be visited at any time, as it is a public square. It is located in the Oltrarno neighborhood and is easy to reach on foot from the surrounding streets and the square's market.
The sculptor Raffaello Romanelli finished the work two years before the official inauguration, meaning it stood in the square for a time before being formally unveiled. Ridolfi was also a member of the Accademia dei Georgofili, a Florentine society for agricultural research that is still active today.
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