Castello del Buonconsiglio monumenti e collezioni provinciali

Pietro Andrea Mattioli (1501-1578)

Mattioli was born in Siena in 1501, then moved to Venice with his father, to later graduate in medicine at Padua, first practising his profession in Siena and then in Rome.

He moved to Trento in 1527, becoming personal doctor to the Prince-Bishop Bernardo Cles. He dedicated De morbo gallico and the poem in verse Il Magno Palazzo del Cardinale di Trento, published in 1539, to the powerful protector. This last work was an extremely important document that gave precious information about the new aspects taken on by Buonconsiglio Castle after the architectonic interventions commissioned by Bernardo Cles.

Mattioli stayed on in Trentino for almost thirty years, living in the Non Valley, near Trento and Monte Baldo. He was able to dedicate himself to his passion of botany when in the mountains, coming into contact with popular knowledge and traditions, which later led onto his research about the therapeutic properties of plants.

In 1539, following the death of Prince-Bishop Cles, he first left Gorizia and then Prague. In 1544 he published the work Commentari a Dioscoride Anazarbeo relating to naturalistic and therapeutic topics which made him famous, and that was later annotated with other indications taken from other classic authors.

He reached the peak of his career in 1555 when Ferdinand I of Austria called him to court as personal doctor to his second born. Mattioli remained in the Hapsburg’s service until 1571 when he decided to return to Trento where he remained till his death.

His tombstone is preserved in the entrance to the Cathedral of Trento.