The Giovanni Angelini Foundation – Centre of Studies on Mountains

The Angelini Foundation is established on the basis of a collection of ancient books, maps, prints and pictures arranged by the renown physician, alpinist – C.A.I. academic member and writer Giovanni Angelini, who wanted to create a Centre of Studies on  mountain that could also be a support for those who live in the mountains. On this ground the City Council of Belluno, together with the University of Padova and the Angelini family, has constituted the Foundation in 1991, with a starting provision disposed by fourteen municipalities of the Belluno district through the local Cassa di Risparmio. The seat of the Foundation is located in Palazzo ex Monte di Pietà, given for this purpose by the “Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Verona Vicenza Belluno e Ancona”.

The Foundation, with non-profit objectives, has the aim to promote scientific research in the field of mountain environments and to further education and knowledge about them from the following points of view: geographic, geological, naturalistic, alpine, anthropological, linguistic, artistic and economic. Another goal is to enhance and protect the mountain environment (art. 2 of the Statute). The Foundation accomplishes these objectives with periodic formation courses about mountain problems and topics for school teachers and students, for professional men and technicians; educational courses and specialization courses for students and under – graduates of the University of Padova, as for example a Master course “Defending the soil and civil preservation” (2002-2003); scientific projects of research and meetings on subjects of interest of the Foundation, and consequent publications (www.angelini-fondazione.it).

As a geographic institute of studies and since it attributes a broad meaning to the notion of Geography as a synergy between different sciences, a discipline that is interrelated not only with the physical and natural sciences but also with the human ones, it annually keeps courses of Geography on the territory. From 1991 it’s bringing on a research on mountain’s toponymy, and the results are published in a series of notebooks that have as title “Oronimi Bellunesi, research in itinere under the guide of prof. G. B. Pellegrini”, which regards the mountain groups of the province of Belluno and the nearest  bordering zones out of Italy, with the collaboration of professors of the University of Klagenfurt and Innsbruck.

The different scientific activities of the Foundation, supported by the precious work of the Association of Friends of the Angelini Foundation, are mainly thought out and elaborated by the Scientific Council, composed by some outstanding Italian and foreigner university professors and directed by the Rector of the University of Padova; the scientific activities are controlled and followed by the Board of Directors of the Foundation; the mayor of Belluno is at the head of it; it is  constituted by seven members representing the University of Padova, the Angelini’s family, the Italian Alpine Club, the Municipalities of the Zoldo Valley, the “Consorzio BIM Piave” and the Association of Friends of the Foundation.

The Scientific Advice is constituted by the Rector (now represented by the Vice-Rector G. Dalla Fontana) and other professors of the University of Padova, coming from the Departments of Hydraulics, Geography-Geomorphology, Science of Ancient Times; besides in the field of Economy and Civil Evaluation, Forestry Economy, Linguistics, historic and artistic Goods and Palaeontology. Moreover three professors represent the University of Innsbruck and Trier et Genève in the Angelini Foundation.