Alessandra Melucco Vaccaro facts for kids
Alessandra Melucco Vaccaro (born April 4, 1940, in Rome – died August 29, 2000, in Rome) was an Italian historian and archaeologist. She was famous for her important work in three areas: the Early Middle Ages, fixing up old archaeological finds, and protecting the environment and historical places. Italy's President, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, honored her with a special award for culture and art in February 2001.
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Her Life
Alessandra Vaccaro was born in Rome on April 4, 1940. She came from an important Roman family. Her grandfather, Michelangelo Vaccaro, was a university professor who wrote a key book about understanding crime. He also became a senator, which is like a member of parliament. Alessandra's father was a chemist who was an expert in preventing diseases. Her mother, Emerenziana, was in charge of a special institute that studied how to protect old books. In 1965, Alessandra married Gianfranco Melucco, who was a lawyer.
Her Career and Discoveries
Alessandra Vaccaro went to La Sapienza University in Rome. There, she studied ancient Greek and Roman history and archaeology. She became an expert in archaeology at a special national school.
Early Excavations
From 1962 to 1963, Alessandra helped dig at an ancient Etruscan site called Pyrgi. Today, this place is known as Santa Severa. She also worked at a center that explored underwater archaeology.
In 1964, she received a scholarship to study at the Italian Archaeological School in Athens, Greece. In 1965, she helped publish an art history yearbook. She also took charge of a part of the Pyrgi excavation. Here, she worked on publishing details about specific types of ancient pottery found there.
Working with Ancient Treasures
In 1965, Vaccaro joined the Italian government department that looks after ancient things and beautiful art. She led many digs, including one at the Old Cathedral of Arezzo from 1970 to 1974. In 1971, she also worked at a Longobard cemetery in Chuisi-Arcisi. The Longobards were an ancient Germanic people who ruled parts of Italy.
Her interests grew, and she began to reorganize and restore Roman statues in the Archaeological Museum of Florence. At that time, studying the Early Middle Ages was a very new field of research.
Leading Museums and Research
In 1971, she moved to Rome to work at the Central Institute for Restoration (ICR). In 1974, she became the director of the Museum of the Early Middle Ages. She made sure the museum published more works about this new and exciting area of history. These publications included important books like Corpus della Scultura Altomedievale (which means "Collection of Early Medieval Sculpture") and I Longobardi in Italia ("The Longobards in Italy"). These books are still important guides today. She also helped make the Early Middle Ages a subject taught more widely at universities.
In Parliament and Restoring Monuments
From 1976 to 1979, Alessandra Vaccaro was elected to the Italian Parliament. After leaving parliament, she became a special supervisor for archaeology at the Ministry of Cultural and Environmental Heritage. She also became the director of the Archaeological Heritage Service at the ICR. Her wide range of scientific interests allowed her to lead many new and expert restoration projects.
She directed research and restoration for some of Italy's most famous ancient marble monuments in Rome:
- Trajan's Column
- Column of Antoninus Pius
- Arch of Constantine
- Arch of Septimus Severus
- Temple of Hadrian
- Temple of Saturn
- Temple of Vespasian and Titus
- The Tombs of Tuffatore at Paestum
- The ancient Christian underground remains of S. Salvatore of Cabras in Sardinia
- The bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius in Rome
- The famous Bronzes of Riace in Reggio Calabria
During her fifteen years at the ICR, her new ideas for archaeological work were shared widely. She published works on how to preserve stone, the look of old buildings, and the colors used on ancient monuments. Her work on restoration and "maintenance programs" helped create the "Carta del Rischio del Patrimonio Culturale Italiano." This is like a map that shows the risks to Italy's cultural heritage. At this time, Vaccaro also helped set up and teach many new courses at Italian universities that combined archaeology and restoration.
Protecting Heritage and the Environment
In 1994, she was in charge of international relations and dealing with big risks to the environment and historical places. This was at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. She started research into natural and human-made dangers to the environment and landscapes. This was especially important for archaeological zones like Pompeii.
Alessandra Vaccaro also represented Italy in international groups. These included the National Work Group for the UNESCO World Heritage List. She also worked with the Council of Europe, among many other national and international roles.
