The Accademia degli Svogliati ("Academy of the Will-less" or, erroneously, "Disgusted") was a 17th-century association of Italian men of letters in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

. It began as a conversation on 5 November 1620 at the house of Jacopo Gaddi, where it continued to meet. It did not however acquire a name, an

emblem An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often use ...

or a statute until 22 January 1637. It flourished until about 1648. Gaddi was the driving force behind the Svogliati, as evidenced by the title of its statutes: "Statuti dell' Accademia degli Svogliati sotto il Principato dell'Illustrissimo Signore Jacopo Gaddi, suo Primo Principe e Promotore stabiliti". The Svogliati were a well-educated lot: their

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contain learned references to the

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

, and

ancient history Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cove ...

. Gaddi's ''

palazzo A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

'', the "Paradiso Gaddi", now the Boscolo Hotel Astoria, and its gardens along the Via Melarancio was the principal meeting place of the members. The Villa Camerata, now a youth hostel, near

Fiesole Fiesole () is a town and '' comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a scenic height above Florence, 5 km (3 miles) northeast of that city. It has structures dating to Etruscan and Roman times. ...

, and the chapel of

Santa Maria Novella Santa Maria Novella is a church in Florence, Italy, situated opposite, and lending its name to, the city's main railway station. Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence, and is the city's principal Dominican church. The chu ...

were other common meeting places. Membership in the Accademia was regulated by the statutes, which admitted only persons with ''

virtù Virtù is a concept theorized by Niccolò Machiavelli, centered on the martial spirit and ability of a population or leader, but also encompassing a broader collection of traits necessary for maintenance of the state and "the achievement of great ...

'' or ''scienza'' (knowledge), who were elected by the other members. Nationality, however, was incidental and the Accademia admitted as well as

Italians , flag = , flag_caption = The national flag of Italy , population = , regions = Italy 55,551,000 , region1 = Brazil , pop1 = 25–33 million , ref1 = , region2 ...

speakers of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

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, and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

. The English poet

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and politica ...

participated—and read his own work—at four meetings of the Accademia, on 16 and 17 September 1638, and on 24 and 31 March 1639; he may perhaps have attended earlier meetings, on 28 June and 8 July 1638. It is possible that he was even a member and in later writings he refers to the ''Gaddiana Academia'' (Gaddian Academy).

References

{{authority control History of Florence 17th-century Latin-language writers Italian writers' organisations 17th-century establishments in Italy Learned societies of Italy