The workshop given of the Top 10 Italians of All Time at the Marvin K. Peterson Library this past Thursday can be summed up in one word, Splendido!

The lecturer was an University of New Haven Alumnus, Mr. Steven Spignesi, a Practitioner in Residence in the English Department, and an author of over 60 books. Spignesi began his speech by explaining that he’d previously written a book called the Italian 100, and that this presentation would only discuss the Top 10 in descending order.

Many students gathered on the third floor of the library and were met with refreshments and programs. In addition, Spignesi gave the audience members a handout of the 100 Italians featured in his book, and included refreshing little surprises throughout his presentation.

Spignesi based his list not on the famous achievements theses Italians accomplished, but on the amount of influence they had over our nation. While his list did include the typical Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci, he put them towards the bottom. He saved the top spaces for others such as Phillip Mazzei, who worked closely with Thomas Jefferson to develop the famous American ideal that, “all men are created equal.”

Among the lesser-known Italians featured was Evangelista Torricelli, a physicist who invented the barometer and forever changed the course of weather prediction. At the number five spot was Alessandro Volta, the man who invented the battery and created the idea of stored energy. The number two position was given to Christopher Columbus, for his westward expansion of Europe, and at number one he spoke of none other than Galileo. He concluded that without Galileo’s creation of the Scientific Method, the way we view the world would be completely different.

The unconventional criteria with which Spignesi based his list of Italians made for an exciting hour full of intrigue and wonder. Students left the workshop feeling satisfied, both mentally and physically.