Book Reviews 725 Paolo Mazzarello, L’inferno sulla vetta, Milan: Bompiani, 2019, 258 pp., €14.00, ISBN: 978-88-452-9778-6. In the mid-18th century the University of Pavia began its rise to prominence thanks to several scientific figures who brought it into the limelight with their research and written works.This was a clear consequence of the Italian Enlight- enment, which saw its widest diffusion in Lombardy and its main focus in the city of Milan. Due to its proximity, Pavia was fully involved in this inter- change of ideas and its university established a new mode and standard of scientific inquiry whose effects would continue to be felt up to the end of the 19th century. It began with the biologist Lazzaro Spallanzani, whose rejection of spontaneous generation and his demonstration of the theory as a miscon- ception in the area of microbiology during the second half of the century brought renown to the university. Just a few years later Alessandro Volta’s work on electricity offered a seemingly perfect metaphor for the ‘enlightenment’ in which the chairs in the sciences at the university were then bathed. The Nobel Prize granted in 1906 to Camillo Golgi for his life’s work in the med- ical sciences consecrated the reputation of this centre for academic studies. Golgi owed his achievements in part to the guidance provided by his intellec- tual mentor, Cesare Lombroso, who commenced his work in the same univer- sity. The story recounted by Paolo Mazzarello can be linked to Golgi’s achieve- ments and to the intellectual ferment in academic circles of the period. But it is important to say at the outset that Mazzarello’s book also explores the per- ception in the 19th century of Nature, her power and her irresistible appeal. It is the “disturbing fascination” (p. 7) of a specific mountain – Mount Gridone – that offers the background and moves the strings of this tale. As told from this perspective, the reader is immersed in the spirit of Italian naturalism, and the mood in which the scientists of the time were conducting their investigations into Nature.The looming presence of the mountain as a protagonist in the story is clear from its title, L’inferno sulla vetta, which may be translated as “Inferno on the Peak”. It may be noted that the narrative also provides a vivid glimpse into the history of mountaineering (and Italian alpinism in particular), high- lighting the experiences of scientist-climbers such as the central characters in this book. The protagonists of the story are two brothers, Raffaello Zoja, aged 27, and his brother Alfonso, who was just 19.Their father was the eminent scientist Gio- vanni Zoja, professor of anatomy at the university in Pavia and a friend and close colleague of Cesare Lombroso. Giovanni Zoja earned an international reputation for his scientific work, but he also made significant contributions Nuncius © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2019 | doi:10.1163/18253911-03403014 726 Book Reviews to the study of anthropological criminology. Both brothers were clearly des- tined for brilliant careers: Raffaello (who was nicknamed Jello) was a shining talent in biology, and his studies on the nervous system of shellfish had already surpassed the corpus of studies of the time. Alfonso was working as an assis- tant to Camillo Golgi and dreaming of a career as an anatomist, following in the footsteps of his forebear Bartolomeo Panizza. Taking as his starting point the achievements of Raffaello Zoja, Paolo Mazzarello describes the intellectual spirit in which Raffaello and fellow scientists were working at the end of the 19th century. The story of his early triumphs and tragic end provide a picture of the scientific context of the time and a telling detail in the glorious history of the university of Pavia. L’inferno sulla vetta is divided into three parts, each consisting of four chapters. The first part, entitled “Il sentimento della natura”, revolves around Naturalism and the scientific beliefs of the time, when a completely new idea of humanity was emerging and the study of anatomy was influenced by, and in its turn exerted an influence on, the notions of what it meant to be human. The conception in the 19th century was definite: there were the closest of connections between humans and animals, which were separate and different of course but to be regarded as “relatives” in the broader con- text of nature. This period saw the triumph of Darwin’s theory of evolution, one of whose strongest advocates in Italy was Filippo de Filippi – another important figure in the present story. Simultaneously, thanks to Darwinism, the public’s notion of science as an activity that could make positive contri- butions in the political sphere and influence society for the better gained a foothold. Against this backdrop the University of Pavia became a seat of politi- cal activism. Among some leading lights, faith in science led to a renewed faith in humanity. This was in fact one of the cornerstones of Giovanni Zoja’s philo- sophical stance and played a considerable role in the education of his sons Jello and Alfonso. The second part of the book, “Darwin e il socialismo”, begins with a dis- cussion of the political issues with one of the central political issues of the day – the betterment of mankind and of society as a whole. It goes on to describe Jello Zoja’s early formation, his schooling and cultural experiences, his budding love for the natural sciences, his studies in Pavia and his grow- ing interest in biology, all leading to the start of a promising career. It should come as no surprise that this nascent scientist, whose gioventù irrequieta (rest- less youth) Mazzarello describes so well, eventually embraced socialism and anticlericalism. The inherently democratic and progressive nature of science emerges as a fundamental pillar of his political militancy as a socialist; the sci- entific world provided a model for what a renewed society might look like. Nuncius 34 (2019) 703–731.