Alexander Volta - Volta Temple

The life of Alexander Volta

Alexander Volta was born in Como on February 17, 1745; following the death of his father in 1752 he went to live with his mother and the sisters of his canonical uncle, Don Alessandro. By his education Alexander Volta was directed to humanistic studies in the Jesuit school; in 1761, in order to avoid his being tempted to embark upon an ecclesiastical career, the old uncle arranged for his transfer to Como's Saint Caterina Seminary.

At 18 years of age he was already in epistolary correspondence with Father Beccaria, with Nollet and Franklin in America, with Priestley, and other famous physicists of the time; Volta published his first significant work, from the scientific point of view, in 1769.

In October 1774 he was named Reggente delle scuole di Como (Regent of Como's schools) in the following year he obtained the professorship in experimental physics at Como's Reale Ginnasio. In 1777 Volta embarked upon a long journey which brought about his meeting the Bernoulli family, a family of physicists in Basal, De Sausser in Geneva and Voltaire in Fernet.

In 1778 Volta was called to take on the chair of experimental physics at the University of Pavia, in July of 1784 he was received in Vienna by the Emperor Joseph II. He married Teresa Peregrini in 1794, upon his return from Austria in 1799 he designed the battery (Como 1800). In 1804 he was named Magistrato delle acque del dipartimento del Lario (Magistrate of the Lario Department's Waters), the next year he entered into the Consiglio elettorale dei dotti (Electoral Duct Council), between 1806-1807, Volta was the Delegato dell' Ufficio della libertà di stampa.

In 1805 he was recognised with the 'Legion d'Honneur' and the title of Cavaliere dell'Ordine reale della corona di Ferro (Knight of the Ferro Crown Royal Order) in May of 1806, to these could be added an extraordinary number of academic recognition from the entire scientific world of his time. In 1814, the death of his son Flaminio preceded by a few years the definite abandon of his commitments at the University of Pavia, in 1820 Alexander Volta settled in Como in the Campora residence; he died on March 5, 1827 at the age of 82.