Ferdinando Martini

Born in Florence, he worked as journalist and writer. He collaborated with Il Fanfulla and in 1879 he founded the Fanfulla della domenica literary supplement, which he directed until 1882; he was also editor of La Domenica letteraria from 1882 al 1885 and professor at the University of Pisa.

In 1876 he was elected in the Italian Parliament, a position he held for 43 years. He was Minister of Colonies in the Salandra I and Salandra II cabinets, and Minister of the Public Instruction in the first Giolitti cabinet. Martini was also governor of Eritrea from 1897 to 1907, a country that received the name from him.

On 1 March 1923 he was created Senator of the Italian Kingdom. In 1925 he was one of the signers of Giovanni Gentile's Manifesto of the Fascist intellectuals.

In 1920 wrote his famous literary masterpiece, about his years as governor of Eritrea:Il Diario Eritreo.[1]

He died at Monsummano Terme in 1928.

• Cavaliere dell' Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro
• Commendatore dell' Ordine della Corona d'Italia
• Cavaliere dell' Ordine Civile di Savoia

• Chi sa il gioco non l'insegni. Proverbio in un atto in versi, Pisa, 1871
• Ad una donna. Versi, Venezia, Visentini, 1872
• Il primo passo e' quello dell' uscio. Milano, 1874.
• Fra un sigaro e l'altro: chiacchiere di Fantasio, Milano, G. Brigola, 1876
• Cose africane, da Saati ad Abba Carima, discorsi e scritti, Milano, F.lli Treves, 1896
• Confessioni e ricordi, Firenze, Bemporad, 1922 (e successive edizioni)
• Lettere (1860-1928), Milano, Mondadori, 1934
• Nell'Affrica italiana, Milano, Treves, 1891
• Il Quarantotto in Toscana. Firenze, Bemporad, 1918.
• Il Diario Eritreo. Roma. Vallecchi editore. 1920.
• A Pieriposa, novella antica. Milano, Treves, 1923.

• Piero Buscioni. A Ferdinando Martini nel centenario della nascita. Monsummano Terme, 1941

• Works by or about Ferdinando Martini at Internet Archive