Piccinni, Nicolo: (b. January 16, 1728, Bari. d. May 7,1800, Passy ,France). Composer.
Picciotto (pl. Picciotti): literally a Sicilian term meaning “boy.” In 1860, during Garibaldi’s invasion of Sicily, the contingent of his army comprised of Sicilian recruits were known as i picciotti che combatterono con Garibaldi (the boys who fight beside Garibaldi). These troops, drawn from the rural districts of the island, small gangs of brigands, recruited by Mazzini’s cohorts who organized the 1860 anti-Bourbon revolt on Sicily. After the fall of the kingdom of the Two Sicilies, these picciotti continued their assocation with the Palermo-based elements of the rebels, to form the organization that became the modern Mafia. The term picciotti is still used today for the young thugs who comprise the lowest level in the Mafia hierarchy.
Picenum: an ancient region of central Italy. Its territory was bounded on the W by the Apennines, on the E by the Adriatic Sea, on the N by the river Aesis (mod. Esino), and on the S by the river Suinus, although often the southern boundary is extended to the river Aternus (Pescara). Its southern part is partly encompassed within modern Abruzzo. The northern part of region was inhabited by the Piceni, a branch of the Sabines. The southern area, however, was occupied by the Praetutii, more likely of Liburnian origins. Northern Picenum was devoted largely to the growing of apples, while the southern part was famous for its fine wine.
pifara: A Sicilian double-reed musical instrument similar to an oboe, constructed in a single piece. It is comparable to the ancient shawn and to the smaller, Apennine piffaro. It was usually played in connection with drum during ceremonial processions.
piffaro (piffero): an Italian shawn, a double reed instrument similar to an oboe, commonly found in the Apennines. It is smaller than a Sicilian pifara (bifora), and is often played in duet with the zambogna.
piffero: See piffaro.
Pikler, John: (b. 1734, in Naples; d. 1791 in Rome). Gem-engraver. The son of the Tyrolian gem-cutter, John Anthony Pikler (1700-1779), he was trained in sculpting by Domenico Corvi. He became one of the most notable gem-engravers of his time. In 1769, Emperor Joseph II invited him to Vienna where he was knighted. After a stay in England, he returned to Rome in 1775, remaining there for the remainder of his life.
Pilatus, Leontius (or Leo Pilatus): (fl. mid-14th Century). Monk and scholar. A native of Calabria, he was one of the most important movers in the revival of classical learning in the West. He was the first teacher of Greek in Italy, and numbered Petrarch and Boccaccio among his pupils. He traveled through Greece collecting ancient Greek manuscripts to bring back to Italy for translation into Latin. While returning from one such journey, he was killed by a bolt of lightning.
Pinelli, Gianvincenzo: (b. 1535, in Naples; d. 1601). Patron of literature. Born into a noble family of Genoese ancestry, he moved to Padua in 1535 where he moved in scholarly circles. A poor constitution prevented him from persuing an active life. He became an avid collector of books, scientifical instruments, exotic plants, etc. His library was so famous that, upon his death, the senate of Venice had all of his manuscripts that were related to Venetian topics, some 200 in number, confiscated to become part of that state’s archives. The remainder of the library, packed into 14 chests of manuscripts and 116 chests of books, were loaded into 3 ships which were to bring them to Pinelli’s relative in Naples. One of these ships, unfortunately, was captured by pirates who threw many of the books overboard, tossing the rest onto a nearby beach at Fermo. By a fortunate accident, the local bishop recognized the value of the scattered books and was able to salvage many of them which he sent on to Naples. All of the rest of the library arrived safely and were purchased by Cardinal Frederic Borromeo for 3,400 gold crowns.
Pinne: Ancient name for Penne.