From Naples to America: Enlightening Correspondences and the Pursuit of Happiness

A talk by Amedeo Arena 

Date and Time: April 21, 2025, at 10:30 AM

Venue: Calandra Italian American Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10036

Introduction by: Professor Anthony Tamburri

Sponsored by: NIAF Dr. A. Kenneth Ciongoli Colloquium

This lecture explores two deeply meaningful connections between N–aples and America during the Enlightenment. The first focuses on the correspondence between Domenico Cirillo—renowned Neapolitan physician, botanist, and patriot—and John Morgan, founder of the medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. Though it is unclear whether they ever met in person, their letters reflect a shared commitment to scientific progress and public health. Their exchange led to Cirillo’s election as a corresponding member of the American Philosophical Society in 1768, making him the first Italian to be honored by a major American academic institution. The talk draws on archival materials, including a clerical error that obscured this connection for more than two centuries.

The second story centers on the epistolary dialogue between Gaetano Filangieri, one of Italy’s foremost Enlightenment thinkers, and Benjamin Franklin. Although they never met in person, their letters—written in the years leading up to the drafting of the US Constitution—reveal a deep intellectual kinship grounded in shared ideals of justice, freedom of expression, and the pursuit of happiness.

By revisiting these transatlantic correspondences, the lecture sheds new light on Naples’s contribution to American scientific and political thought and invites reflection on the enduring legacy of Enlightenment values across the Atlantic.