From Cirò to the European history of time

Cirò, in Ionian Calabria, is the place with which the memory of the brothers Luigi and Antonio Lilio is bound up. Their story connects the history of the area with one of the great scientific and religious problems of the Renaissance: the reform of the calendar.

Luigi and Antonio: distinct contributions to a common project

Luigi devised the mathematical project that would form the basis of the new calendar. Antonio supported its transmission after his brother's death, bringing it to the attention of the papal authorities and taking part in the process that led to the reform.

Studying both makes it possible to understand not only how a scientific idea was developed, but also the conditions that made it possible for it to be known, discussed and applied.

A heritage to be discovered through the sources

For the Study Centre, honouring the link with Cirò means exploring the history of the Lilio brothers through documents, books, correspondence and testimonies of their environment.

The research also takes careful account of the different forms of the name found in the sources: Lilio, Giglio, Lilius, Luigi, Aloisio and Aloysius. These variants are essential for finding references in catalogues and archives, but every identification requires verification.

Local memory thus becomes the starting point of an international investigation, capable of linking Calabrian cultural heritage to the European history of science.