Wiktenauer logo.png

Alfonso Falloppia

From Wiktenauer
Revision as of 02:42, 3 December 2020 by P Terminiello (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Alfonso Falloppia
Occupation Fencing master
Patron Ranuccio Farnese
Genres Fencing manual
Language Italian
Notable work(s) Nuovo et brieve modo di schermire (1584)

Alfonso Falloppia was a 16th century Italian soldier and fencing master. Little is known about his life, but he identifies himself as a native of Lucca, and describes himself as "Ensign of the Fortress of Bergamo".

In 1584, he published a treatise on the use of the rapier entitled Nuovo et brieve modo di schermire ("New and Brief Method of Fencing"). It was dedicated to Ranuccio Farnese, who was 15 years old at the time of publication and would become Duke of Parma, Piacenza, and Castro.

It has been suggested the Falloppia may be the student of Silvio Piccolomini in Brescia mentioned in 1580 by the French diarist Michel De Montaigne during his tour of Italy.

On Monday I dined at the house of Sir Silvio Piccolomini, very well known for his virtue, and in particular for the science of fencing. Many topics were put forward, and we were in the company of other gentlemen. He disdains completely the art of fencing of the Italian masters, of the Venetian, of Bologna, Patinostraro (sic), and others. In this he praises only a student of his, who is in Brescia where he teaches certain gentlemen this art.

He says there is no rule or art in the common teaching, he particularly denounces the practice of pushing your sword forward, putting it in the power of the enemy; then the passing attack; or repeating another assault and stopping, because he says this is completely different to what you see by experience from combatants.[1]

While the timeframe is plausible there is no further evidence to corroborate this theory, and it remains speculation. Furthermore there are no marked similarities between the treatises of Falloppia and Federico Ghisliero (a self-declared student of Piccolomini) although curiously they both dedicate their respective treatises to the same patron, Ranuccio Farnese, within three years of each other.

Treatise

Additional Resources

References

  1. de Montaigne, Michel. Journal du voyage de Michel de Montaigne en Italie, par la Suisse & l'Allemagne en 1580 & 1581, Volume 1. Paris, 1774.p.284.