Carlo Zucchi

 

Carlo Zucchi was born in Reggio Emilia on 25 February 1789 into a wealthy family of professionals. He was not keen on studying regularly, and after spending several years in France he came back to Italy and enrolled in the Napoleonic army, making the rank of officer. After leaving the military, he settled in Milan around 1800, where he learnt the craft of engraving, achieving remarkable results.

 A member of the Sublimi Maestri Perfetti secret society, Zucchi was involved in the risings of 1821 and was arrested in Reggio in 1822. He was condemned to three years in prison by the Duchy of Modena and Reggio court on 11 September of the same year. After serving 15 months in prison, his sentence was changed to exile and, in 1825, Zucchi left for South America, which was a common destination for many persecuted European politicians who went to seek their fortune in the new continent.

 Working as an engineer and architect, he was commissioned by the Argentinian and Uruguayan governments for various public building projects, such as hospitals, bridges and cemeteries. In 1831 he was appointed engineer and architect for the Buenos Aires province and in 1836 engineer and architect for the board of topography and public buildings in Montevideo, the city he had moved to earlier that year.

 After briefly living in Rio de Janeiro in 1843 to 1844, where he had become shaken and embittered by the fierce controversy surrounding his work during the tense atmosphere of the continent’s civil wars, he went to France. However, his health conditions became worse, which prompted him to return to Reggio where he could be helped by his family. He obtained permission from the Duke to return and, in late 1848, Carlo Zucchi went to live with his nephew Pier Donnino Bongiovanni. It was in his house that Zucchi died on 8 September 1849 at the age of 60.

 

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LEGENDA
BA     Buenos Aires
CZ     Carlo Zucchi
dis.    disegno
IAP    Ingeniero arquitecto de Provincia
MG    Ministerio de Gobierno
MGM  Ministerio de Guerra y Marina
MH    Ministerio de Hacienda
s.d.   senza data
TC    Tribunal de Comercio

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