Felice Giordano a great geoitalian

Giorgio Vittorio Dal Piaz^1
1Sezione Storia delle Geoscienze, Società Geologica Italiana.
Corresponding author e-mail: gv.dalpiaz@gmail.com

Felice Giordano was fellow student and friend of Quintino Sella, then his right- hand man and effective performer of his projects. Although hidden in the shadow of his powerful friend, Giordano was a very special character who deserves to be emphasised and made popular. Indeed, his life has been very intense, varied, sometimes adventurous and in latest years embittered by growing adversity and enmity. He was an expert and appreciated hydraulic and mining engineer, field geologist, faithful civil servant as regent, inspector and director of R. Corpo delle Miniere, head of the project for the Geological Map, despite the hostility of university professors and the oppressive bureaucracy of ministry. Giordano was also a brave mountaineer, ascending Mont Blanc and Matterhorn, and protagonist of an adventurous four-years journey around the world (Salgari used his accurate geographical and ethnological descriptions of northern Borneo and surrounding seas for his novels). Giordano’s tireless hyperactivity was always accompanied by the rigor and technical competence of the engineer-geologist, the curiosity of the scientist and the spirit of service distinguishing his whole life. He always described himself with excessive modesty, belittling difficulties and achievements, a behavior that Sella amicably reproached.

Felice Giordano, Quintino Sella, Corps of mines, Geological map of Italy, Geosciences history.