The Centre for Historical Studies ‘Giacomo di Prampero’

The 'Centro Studi Storici Giacomo di Prampero' (Centre for Historical Studies Giacomo di Prampero) was founded in 1981 by Pietro Enrico and Marisanta di Prampero, along with a small number of scholars of the university of Udine. It is a non-profit organization, whose founding principle is to promote historical studies in general and more specifically those related with the history of Friuli. It was established as a tool to keep alive the memory of the castle destroyed by the earthquake of 1976 - after the remarkable historical role it played for the Friuli region - as well as to promote its restoration. Indeed, its logo is the silhouette of the di Prampero Castle, entrusted to the artist’s and of Mario Micossi, who had drawn the Castle several times before its destruction, and who presented the logo to the Centre, as a sign of support to the forthcoming initiative.

After more than 30 years, a part of the castle is ready to host the Centre which, by means of seminars, meetings, publications, research work, under the bright vice-direction of Pier Cesare Ioly Zorattini has substantially contributed the understanding of the history of the Friuli region, as well as to the enhancement of its cultural heritage.

The research activity of the Centre was supported by public Institutions and autonomous funds, and concerned specifically the sources of the history of Friuli and of its protagonists. This was achieved implementing the census of the archives and private libraries of the Region (1982); a meeting on the methodology of historical research (1983); the reissue of the volume La Contea di Gorizia Illustrata dai suoi Figli (The County of Gorizia Illustrated by its Sons) by Giuseppe Floreano Count Formentini (1984); the agreement with the Chamber of Commerce of Udine for the organization of a prize to the best monograph on the 'Protagonists of the Economical History of Friuli from the mid-18th Century until the Second World War (1986); followed by the widespread diffusion of the so collected knowledge by means of suitable publications: Guida agli archivi e biblioteche privati del Friuli Venezia Giulia (A Guide to the Archives and Private Libraries of Friuli-Venezia Giulia) edited by Marisanta di Prampero de Carvalho, Pier Cesare Ioly Zorattini, Luigi De Biasio, Udine 1982 and Aggiornamento della Guida agli archivi e biblioteche privati del Friuli Venezia Giulia (Updating of the Guide to the Archives and Private Libraries of Friuli-Venezia Giulia), Udine 1984; Metodologia e ricerca storica, Atti del Seminario Internazionale (Methodology and Historical Research, Proceedings of the International seminar), edited by Pietro Enrico di Prampero and Marisanta di Prampero de Carvalho, Tavagnacco 1984.

Even if the re-organization of the archives and private libraries has been constantly pursued by the Centre, numerous cultural projects conceived by the Centre Governing Board in the years 1988-1989 were not realized because of the total lack of funds. In addition, across the millennium the Centre was silent, for both private and institutional affairs involving some of its members. Having overcome these difficulties, in 2003 the Centre started novel research programs, leading to the one-day workshop in collaboration with the university of Udine: I tre Cantastorie del Castello (The three Storytellers of the Castle) - Ermes di Colloredo, Ippolito Nievo, Stanislao Nievo (2004), to the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the death of Giacomo di Prampero, by publishing and illustrating his manuscripts devoted to his memoirs of Wold War I: Per non dimenticare and Con D'Annunzio (2004) and to the round table Le ricchezze dell’abbattuto Palazzo Torriani in Contrada Strazzamantello (The Treasures of the Pull-down Torriani House in Contrada Strazzamantello) in collaboration with the municipality of Udine (2006).

Since 2007 the Centre initiated a fruitful collaboration with other associations aimed at enhancing the cultural worth values of the material heritage of the past, nowadays still standing in the cities and the environment, dictating their preservation in order to project them towards the future well preserved and enhanced. After the initial agreement with ADSI - the Association of the Historical Houses in Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia branch, and the ensuing seminar La Funzione Pubblica di un Bene Privato (The Public Functions of a Private Possessions)(2007); the collaboration was then extended to include the Philological Society of Friuli, with the meeting: Il Paesaggio come Bene Pubblico: i Corsi d’Acqua e i Percorsi della Storia – Parchi e Giardini in Friuli Venezia Giulia (The Landscape as a Public Property: the Rivers and the Tracks of History - Parks and Gardens in Friuli-Venezia Giulia) (2008), as well as the Udine Academy of Science and Arts. Maria Amalia D'Aronco, member of the Governing Board of the Centre, serving as President of the Scientific Committee, has broadened the focus of the meetings so that the invited experts would stress the fact that the cultural heritage should be preserved and enhanced, no matter whether it is under public or a private ownership. In 2009, the same four associations under the same scientific supervisor originated the long-term project Città della Strada, Città della Spada (Cities of the Roads, Cities of the Swords) sponsored by authoritative local Institutions, the aim of the project is to highlight the role of Gemona (2009), Osoppo (2010), Cividale (2011) and Palmanova in 2012, in their past history and nowadays.

In 2011 the Proceedings of the meetings held in 2008 and 2009 were published by the Philological Society of Friuli: Città della Strada, Città della Spada. Friuli, Terra di Passaggi (Cities of the Roads, Cities of the Swords, Friuli, Land of Passageways) edited by Maria Amalia D'Aronco, Udine, 2011.