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The day started early at Santa Maria Novella, where we caught the train directly to Rome. We arrived and went to our first activity in front of the Chiesa del Gesù and met up with the members of Visualising Science in Media Revolutions at the Bibliotheca Hertziana (Max Planck Institute in Rome). At the Chiesa del Gesù, Pamela Long and Ann C. Huppert spoke about the construction of the church for the Society of Jesus and its implications within the cityscape of Rome in the 16th century, from the politics to the imprints of the stoneworkers and their development of building knowledge.
We also had the chance to go inside the church, where one can find a fresco by Federico Zuccari, an Italian painter and architect, and also the designer of the Palazzo Zuccari, where the Bibliotheca Hertziana is housed today. After lunch, we had a session at the Bibliotheca Hertziana where the research and working groups presented their work. We ended with a small session of exchanging various visual and material sources from individual researchers’ projects. Finally, after visiting the institute, we ended the day on the terrace with a full view of Rome.
On the 19th of May, the Visual and Material, History of Science Working Group and the Visualising Science in Media Revolutions Research Group will be meeting again for a special masterclass with Dr. Chonja Lee at the European University Institute in Florence.