Raffaele Ciferri

Born in Fermo on May 30th, 1897 – Died in Pavia on February 12^th, 1964

Raffaele Ciferri was born in Fermo on May 30^th, 1897. He was the firstborn son of Giuseppe Ciferri (from Fermo) and Eugenia Ciccioli (from Petriolo).

Raffaele spent his childhood and part of his youth in Petriolo (Province of Macerata), where his father, who worked as an attorney, was also the major. It was reported that Ciferri family had many properties in Petriolo.

He graduated in Agricultural sciences at the University of Bologna in 1919, after the commitment in World War I. Between 1921 and 1922, he handled many researches in phytopathology for Alba’s Viticulture and Enology School. Then, he focused even more on scientific research at the Superior Institute of Forestry in Florence. The following year he worked as an assistant at Pavia’s Botanical Institute.

In 1925 Raffaele Cifferri begun the scientific career in Central America: he was chosen to establish and to manage the technical-agricultural services in the Dominican Republic. He established the agronomic workstation of Haina (which later was replaced in Moca). In the meanwhile, a lively activity of research and formation for agricultural technicians was starting. At the same time, he started the collection of materials of naturalistic and mycological interest.

Ciferri’s research activities also arrived in Tropical America and in the Antilles. In 1932, he started collaborating with the Dominican Agricultural Company in Santiago De Los Cabarellos. There, he established a sperimental workstation to study manioc. Moreover, he left for a mission in Ecuador to do some researches about the diseases linked to the consumption of cocoa beans.

In June 1932 he went back to Italy to resume the researches on phytopathology. He was supported by scholarships offered by Pavia’s Botanical Institute and by Palermo’s Observatory for Phytopathology. In the same year, he got the license to teach Agricultural Microbiology as an academic. One year later, he became vice director of the Cryptogamic Laboratory of Pavia. He also taught in the courses of Plant physiology and General botanics.

Between 1934 and 1935 he went to Somalia to organize agricultural and phytopatological services. Then, in 1936 Cifferri won the contest published for the teaching of Botanics at the University of Florence. In 1942 he became the executive director of Pavia’s Botanical Institute and Cryptogamic Laboratory, achieving the best position for the field of his scientific researches.

World War II forced him to seek refuge in the Langhe to run away from the German reprisals (Cifferri had sympathized with the resistance movements).

When the war finished, Raffaele Cifferri worked hard on the renewal of structures and functionalities in Pavia. He enriched the scientific production, choosing valuable associates.

He died on February 12th, 1964 in Pavia at the age of 66. His scientific and cultural production was still lively and prolific.

Two autobiographical booklets contain information about his works: “Notizie sull’attività scientifica e didattica” (Pavia, 1935) and “Attività didattica ed operosità scientifica durante il trienno dal 1936-37 al 1938-39” (Pavia, 1939).

Cifferri’s activity of research is extraordinarily various and ingenious. Between 1921 and 1964 he wrote nearly 1,500 publications (short notes and big volumes). He managed to do that thanks to his ability to work hard, to organization and information skills, to his open-mindedness towards unpretentious works, and to his uncommon memory and assimilation.