The German memoirs of a Maltese intellectual : Giovan Francesco Buonamico, (1639-1680)

Abstract

Just over 350 years ago, one of the greatest living Maltese intellectuals of the period, Giovan Francesco Buonamico, visited some of the most beautiful cities of Europe. On 20th May 1600 he left Paris by horse drawn carriage to visit the town of Aachen, stopping at a number of German and other cities on the way, and back. Buonamico was curious to visit the European continent in order to widen his outlook on life, thus probably becoming one of the first Maltese to cultivate a fully-fledged European spirit. On the occasion of German reunification day and on the eve of the tenth anniversary of Malta's accession to the European Union in 2004, I thought it fit to commemorate the 350th anniversary of Buonamico's visit to Germany, since it is one of the earliest testimonies in the early modern period of close German-Maltese relations. This idea has also materialised thanks to the unstinted efforts of Dr Albert Friggieri, who not only contributed to making this publication a reality but also actually provided me with invaluable hints and suggestions worthy of a real scholar. For this I am truly indebted to him. I must also thank the management of the Malta based German firm, ProMinent Fluid Controls Ltd., for the sponsorship that made this publication possible, Ms Vikki Attard for her help with proof reading and Ms Ingrid Vella for the cover design.