Abstract

This essay analyses the intellectual roots and cultural context of the Memoria su lo spedale di Cosenza, written by the young Salfi for the king Ferdinand IV. The Memoria, which has been reproduced in the appendix, expounds a rather original project aiming at the best use of the funds which, after the dramatic earthquake of 1783, were allocated for the enlargement and reorganization of the Calabrian main hospital. The Memoria testifies to the pragmatic needs and ideals of the intellectuals of Salfi’s generation and suggests interesting considerations on the actual making of cultural and civic life in 18th-century Southern Italy