San Marco in Firenze in Città Metropolitana di Firenze, Tuscany, Italy — Southern and Western Europe (Mediterranean)

Father Guido Alfani, D.S.P.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, July 24, 2025

1. Father Guido Alfani, D.S.P. Marker

Inscription. Qui nella casa del Padre Augussto letterato insigne naque e crebbe nella vita cristiana Padre Guido Alfani D.S.P. 17 • I • 1876 - 20 • 11 • 1940 Direttore per quaranta anni del l'Osservatorio Ximeniano seppe rin novare la fama e la gloria. Sacer dote esemplare coltivo la scienza come sentiero per salire a Diο.

17 • I • 1970 nel XXX anniversario della morte

[English translation of Italian text:]
Here in the house of Father Augustus, a distinguished man of letters, Father Guido Alfani, SchP, was born and raised in the Christian life. January 17, 1876 - November 20, 1940. Director of the Ximenian Observatory for forty years, bringing it fame and glory. An exemplary priest, he cultivated science as a path to ascend to God.

January 17, 1970, on the 30th anniversary of his death.

Erected 1970.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures • Science & Medicine. A significant historical date for this entry is January 17, 1876.

Location. 43° 46.621′ N, 11° 15.519′ E. Marker is in Firenze, Toscana (Tuscany), in Città Metropolitana di Firenze. It is in San Marco. It is on Via Ricasoli, on the left when traveling north. The marker is on the side of the building

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that is, as of July 2025, a bookstore called Libreria Gozzini. The marker is across the street from Galleria dell'Accademia, the home of the famous David statue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Via Ricasoli 49, Firenze, Toscana 50122, Italy. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Europe,

the European Union,

the Schengen Area,

a coastal Mediterranean country,

and the Western World.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Byzantine Empire,

the Roman Empire,

and specifically the Holy Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Chiesa e convento di San Marco / Church and Convent of Saint Mark (about 120 meters away, measured in a direct line); Pasquale Poccianti (about 210 meters away); Mario Del Monaco (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Filippino Lippi Burial Place (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Chiesa di San Michele / Church of San Michele (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Giovanni delle Bande Nere Statue (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Portico of Santa Maria Nuova Hospital (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Chiesa di Sant'Egidio / Church of Saint Giles (approx. 0.4 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Firenze.

Regarding Father Guido Alfani, D.S.P.. Guido Alfini was a Piarist priest who was one of the premier seismologists of his time. Leading the Ximenian Observatory in Florence, he invented instruments that enabled him to register earthquakes thousands of miles from his observatory.

The Piarists are a Catholic religious order devoted to education. Alfani is the namesake of a Piarist-run school in Sesto Fiorentino, west of Florence..

Also see . . .

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, July 24, 2025

2. Father Guido Alfani, D.S.P. Marker

Guido Aflani's 1940 obituary in the New York Times.

Excerpt: "Father Alfani invented a photographic type of seismograph, and issued an annual bulletin of data on Italian earthquakes. During the eighteenth Italian Congress for the Advancement of Science in Florence in 1929, he performed a pendulum experiment demonstrating the rotation of the earth."

(Submitted on August 13, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, July 24, 2025

3. Father Guido Alfani, D.S.P. Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 13, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 59 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 13, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.