Pier Ambrogio Curti

Pier Ambrogio Curti (1819–1899) was an Italian writer, historian, lawyer, and politician.

Biography

Pier Ambrogio Curti was born in Milan on 2 August 1819. His ancient Lombard family is traced back to the 10th century. After completing his humanistic studies, Pier Ambrogio Curti entered the seminary in Lecco for theological studies, but soon realised that he was more interested in the humanities. He thus abandoned his ecclesiastical career and moved to Pavia to study law.

In Pavia, he wrote the Racconti storici danteschi, which he later published in Milan under the title Storie italiane del XII secolo narrate con la scorta della Divina Commedia. Also during this period, he wrote La figlia dell'armajuolo, a Milanese history of the 16th century. He started to collaborate with some literary magazines, already beginning to show a certain impatience with Austrian domination. Somewhere around 1841 he became friends with the actress Adelaide Ristori, to whom he dedicated a lively and affectionate biography in 1855.

After graduating in 1844, he began practicing law at the Criminal Court and then at the Civil Court. During that time, he wrote the volume Tradizioni e leggende di Lombardia (Traditions and Legends of Lombardy). Having completed his forensic practice, he became a lawyer.

On 20 March 1848, he became a member of the Public Security Committee under chairman Angelo Fava. Curti, trying to penetrate the Palace of Criminal Justice from which the Austrian military garrison had been driven out with the intention of disposing of the files of political trials against Italians, reached it in time to prevent all the prisoners from escaping. In April 1848, Curti left the committee and retained the office of Councillor of Grace for the revision of criminal trials.