Marianna Paulucci Panciatichi Ximenes d’Aragona, the geological interests of the first woman member of the Italian Geological Society

Enrico Talenti¹, Ilaria Mazzini², Gianna Innocenti¹ & Simone Cianfanelli^1
1Museo di Storia Naturale, "La Specola", Sistema Museale di Ateneo dell'Università di Firenze, Via Romana 17, 50125 Firenze, Italy.
²CNR-IGAG (Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering), Area della Ricerca di Roma 1, Strada Provinciale 35d, 9, Montelibretti, Rome, 00100, Italy.
Corresponding author e-mail: ilaria.mazzini@cnr.it

Marianna Panciatichi Ximenes d’Aragona (Florence, February 3, 1835 - Reggello, Florence, December 7, 1919) was a leading exponent in Italian naturalistic circles during the second half of the nineteenth century. Her contribution and scientific production, which includes 40 papers (32 related to malacology, the others of botanical and ornithological content) was long forgotten in the 20th century, with the exception of a few specialists in malacology of continental species, who dealt with the modern taxonomic revision of nineteenth-century species. The beginning of the enhancement of the figure of Marianna Paulucci, with the knowledge and deepening of her naturalistic activity, began only in 1998, on the IV Congress of the Italian Society of Malacology (S.I.M.) in which one day was dedicated to the Tuscan scientist. Since then, studies and events have followed, both on the scientific activity of the Florentine scientist and on the knowledge of her life. This contribution explores her early interest in Geology and Palaeontology, emphasising the importance of the fact that she was the first woman member of the Italian Geological Society, already a perpetual member in 1882.

Marianna Paulucci, history of science, women in sciences.