Giovanni Marinelli (1846–1900) and Olinto Marinelli (1874–1926)

Giovanni Marinelli and his son Olinto are regarded as the two main figures in the establishment and institutionalization of modern academic geography in Italy, between the last decades of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. Their contribution was principally in physical geography and in the role played by cartography in describing and understanding the relations between humans and the environment. In spite of their relatively short lifespans, the Marinellis had enduring influence: most Italian geographers accepted their theoretical and methodological \ufffc\ufffc\ufffc\ufffc\ufffc\ufffc\ufffc\ufffc\ufffc\ufffcapproach for a long time after their death \u2013 indeed, the influence of the Marinellis is recognizable in the teaching of geography even today. In making reference to the origins of the Marinellis and to the role they played in shaping Italian geography, some scholars have introduced the term \u2018Scuola Friulana\u2019 (the Friulian School) to connote their conjoint scientific approach and its legacy, even if the centre of influence for their work was Florence and the Istituto di studi superiori \u2013 the main hub of Italian positivism \u2013 and the Societ\ue0 di Studi Geografici founded in Florence in 1895 as an academic response to the politicized Societ\ue0 Geografica Italiana of Rome. It was due to Olinto Marinelli\u2019s work in general and to his participation in international research projects in particular that Italian geography was integrated into the mainstream of European and North American geography. After 1945 especially, criticism of their work stressed their extreme positivism and deterministic approach which, critics argued, isolated Italian geography from new international trends in the discipline. A further element of their critical acceptance concerned their contribution to, and responsibility for, the politicization of the geographical sciences, notably their seeming supporting of Italy\u2019s colonial policies as well as adherence to imperialistic and fascist spatial theories. This essay examines the work of the two men, father and son, and, in review, assesses their contribution within Italy and further afield