Colonial section

The items in this collection are displayed as though they had just been unpacked on the return of an expedition to study colonial livestock husbandry in Africa, by a group of students from the Agricultural Training Institute and their tutors. The first explorer was Professor Ezio Marchi who spent 6 months in Eritrea in 1907 observing local pastoralists and their “ancestral techniques  and practical solutions for tackling life’s inherent biological problems”, which he much admired.

In 1911 it was the turn of Giuseppe Scassellati Sforzolini, 22 and Nallo Mazzocchi Alemanni, 24, two students who spent over a year in Somalia studying livestock husbandry and rural constructions. The last major expedition was organised by Leopoldo Franchetti who in 1913 went to Libya accompanied by two livestock specialists Carlo Pucci and Cesare Gugnoni. Italy’s colonial presence was a subject of debate; the socialist Carlo Pucci, who replaced Ezio Marchi at the head of the Institute in Perugia wrote “we are glad of the invitation to join the Franchetti Mission […] however, given my political persuasion, I have grave reserves as to the opportunity of the colonial policy.”