Accademia dei Georgofili
The Accademia dei Georgofili is an academy founded in Florence in 1753 to promote knowledge of agriculture and forestry.
The academy was founded by scientists and landowners to improve farming methods and to spread their knowledge. The name Georgofili comes from the Greek and means lover of farm work. In 1783 it merged with the Botanical Society, which ran the Botanical Garden (Giardino dei semplici) of Florence and received ducal protection under the Tuscan Grand Duke Leopold . The society received new growth in the 19th century under its president, Count Cosimo Ridolfi (1794-1865), a member of the Florentine patrician family Rodolfi , who was himself an important agricultural scientist.
Historical Archives and Library
The archive, with 12,000 manuscripts and a library of 70,000 volumes, has been in the Torre dei Pulci in Florence since 1932. In 1993 it was badly damaged in a bomb attack by a Mafia family that also left five dead.
Name and emblem
The term georgofili comes from the Greek meaning "follower of agriculture ".
The emblem of the academy includes the symbols of agricultural activity dedicated to the goddess Ceres (an ear of corn, an olive branch and a group of graphics), as well as those associated with economic interests, with a dedication to Mercury (caduceus, intertwined snakes and Wing).