Gaetanina Calvi

Gaetanina Calvi
Born1887
Milan
Died1964 (aged 76–77)
Carate Brianza
Alma mater
OccupationEngineer
[edit on Wikidata]

Gaetanina Calvi (1887 Milan – 1964 Carate Brianza) was an Italian engineer. She was the first woman to graduate from Polytechnic University of Milan, in 1913, and second in Italy after Emma Strada.[1][2]

Early life and education

She graduated from the Isep Parini high school. In the academic year 1908/1909, she enrolled in civil engineering at the Polytechnic University of Milan. She graduated in 1913 with 85/100.[3][4][5][6]

Career

Calvi worked for the engineers Gardella and Martini in Milan.[3] In 1925 Calvi designed a new wing of the L'Istituto dei Ciechi (Institute for the Blind) in Milan, in collaboration with the architect Mario Faravelli.[7]

L'Istituto dei Ciechi, Milan

She then taught mathematics at the Istituto dei Ciechi[8][9] and in 1933 became a benefactor of the Institute’s Group Home with a large bequest following the death of her mother.[7]

In 1940, with the entry of Italy into the Second World War, Calvi retired from teaching in Milan but took child students in mathematics, Latin and Italian from the local population of farmers or labourers who worked in the spinning mills of the River Lambro, near her home in Costa Lambro, a village in Carate Brianza. She was known as Countess Calvi and "those who could afford to paid a small amount; those who could not paid for their lessons with a few hens."[7]

She worked as a freelancer engineer and teacher until her death, in Carate Brianza in 1964.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Malatesta, Maria (2002-06-20). Society and the Professions in Italy, 1860–1914. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-89383-1.
  2. ^ "Le prime donne ingegnere del Politecnico". Alumni, Politecnico di Milano. 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  3. ^ a b "Gaetanina Calvi | enciclopedia delle donne" (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  4. ^ "Donne lombarde – ANTICHE TRACCE-Brianzaviva". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  5. ^ #Xmilanocittastato (2018-01-25). "La prima donna a laurearsi al Politecnico fu Gaetanina Calvi nel 1913, 50 anni dopo la sua fondazione". Milano Città Stato (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  6. ^ "Calvi Gaetanina — Scienza a due voci". scienzaa2voci.unibo.it. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  7. ^ a b c Mariani, Alessandro (2023-03-28). "Gaetanina Calvi, the first female graduate of Politecnico di Milano". Frontiere – Politecnico di Milano. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  8. ^ TWB (2016-05-05). "GAETANINA CALVI: LA PRIMA DONNA INGEGNERE CIVILE DEL POLITECNICO DI MILANO". TWbiblio (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  9. ^ Seražin, Helena; Garda, Emilia Maria; Franchini, Caterina (2018-06-13). Women's Creativity since the Modern Movement (1918–2018): Toward a New Perception and Reception. Založba ZRC. ISBN 978-961-05-0106-0.
  10. ^ "Giovanna Ferrante Scrittrice – L'Ingegner Gaetanina Calvi". Giovanna Ferrante Scrittrice (in Italian). 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2023-03-14.