On Thursday, June 16th at 9 pm, the conference “A Tuscan in the 18th-century America: Filippo Mazzei, Thomas Jefferson’s friend and adviser” was held in the premises of the Santa Maria Novella Historic Perfume and Pharmaceuticals Workshop – 1612 (Via della Scala 16, Florence).
The lecture was held by Professor Gianni Fazzini, author of “The Gentleman of the three worlds” on Mazzei’s life, in collaboration with the Tuscan-American Association, on the bicentennial of his death.
Filippo Mazzei (1730-1816), Italian physician, philosopher and essayist, supporter of individual freedoms, civil rights and religious tolerance, was actively involved in the War of Independence and he’s considered one of the fathers of the Declaration of Independence.
He and Jefferson were friends, neighbours and partners, and they stayed in contact by correspondence until his death.
Filippo Mazzei is an ancestor of the Mazzei family, owner of the famous wine brand Marchesi Mazzei 1435.
