The Vittorio Cini Archive is a collection made up of the following fonds:
- Vittorio Cini Archive (1903 – 1977, with earlier material from 1847 and later material up to 1987. 281 folders)
Mainly preserves the correspondence that Senator Cini maintained with prominent figures — of both Italian and international standing — from the business, economic, political, institutional, cultural and artistic worlds. It also holds some personal documents and papers relating to ceremonies held in the Porto Marghera area (Venice) during the 1950s and 1960s, together with material concerning the two conferences held in Venice in 1962 and 1969 on the problems of the lagoon city. - Giorgio Cini Archive (1924-1950, with later material up to 1951.
13 folders)
This fond includes the civil-registry and personal documents of Vittorio Cini’s eldest son, together with papers relating to his schooling. It also contains a small body of correspondence and a few papers concerning the young entrepreneur’s professional activity. Finally, it holds press cuttings and messages of condolence received by the family on the occasion of his death. - Lyda Borelli Archive (1921-1960. 5 folders)
The documentary core consists mainly of press cuttings and messages of condolence on the actress’s death. There are few papers of a personal nature or relating to her travels, as well as some general administrative papers. - Luigi Cini Archive (1754 – 1902. 7 folders)
The documentation relates in particular to Cini’s activity as vice-consul of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in Ferrara. It also includes personal correspondence and papers concerning the administration of his estate. - Paolo Cini di Luigi Archive (1806 – 1901. 3 folders)
This small fond includes family and professional correspondence, and working papers relating to the administration of landed property. - Giuseppe Giraldi Archive (1829 – 1893. 8 folders)
For the notary Giraldi, the fond preserves mainly drafts and preparatory notes for deeds, together with a few papers of a personal and estate-administration nature. - Giorgio Cini di Paolo Archive (1853 – 1917, with earlier material from 1605 and later material up to 1920. 8 folders)
This fond includes documents concerning Cini’s studies and professional activity, first as a veterinary surgeon and later as an entrepreneur active in quarrying at Monselice (Padua). - Giuseppe Cini di Paolo Archive (1893 – 1901. 1 folder)
The small amount of documentation preserved relates to the professional activity of the engineer Giuseppe Cini. The papers include plans, technical drawings and industrial patents.
The creators of the records:
A little history…
The Vittorio Cini archive was built up, and has always been kept, in his Venetian home, Palazzo Cini a San Vio. It owes its present structure and organisation to Silvio Tonello, who was the entrepreneur’s secretary from the years after the Second World War until his death. Over time Tonello was also entrusted with the papers of Giorgio Cini, as well as those of other family members who lived between Ferrara and the Euganean Hills in the nineteenth century (Luigi, Paolo, Giuseppe and Giorgio di Paolo Cini, Giuseppe Giraldi) and of the actress Lyda Borelli. At the Senator’s express wish, his strictly private documents were destroyed on his death. In 2006 the archive was declared to be of particularly important historical interest under the Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape (Legislative Decree 42/2004). A project of description and arrangement followed, which first covered the post-war correspondence and later the other groups of documents. The inventory, produced using the X-dams software distributed by Regesta, is nearing completion and will be made available to scholars as soon as possible.
Access
The Vittorio Cini Archive is served by a detailed inventory, which will shortly be made available to scholars. Access to the documentation is already possible by submitting a formal request to the Archival and Bibliographic Superintendency for Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige, in Venice. All the relevant information and forms are available on the Superintendency’s website .