Highlights

13 May 2018

Translation - I fondamenti della scherma italiana by Poggio Vannucchi

Below you may find my translation of Poggio Vannucchi's 1915 treatise I fondamenti della scherma italiana, or, in English, The fundamentals of Italian fencing.

Translation

Scans

This treatise is interesting not purely for its Radaellian sabre content, but because of the fact that it so closely resembles the original Radaellian sabre system, showing not much variation from that seen in the 1880s by the other Radaellians. Together with his colourful introduction, Vannucchi appears to try to hearken back to the good ol' days of fencing, before the adoption of the recently officially-sanctioned compromise Neapolitan-Radaellian system.

Vannucchi constantly reminds the reader to ensure that the student shows good 'precedence of the blade' instead of 'precedence of the body'; that is, presenting a threat with the blade before moving the body forward to attack.

If nothing else it is worth reading the introduction, as it gives a great insight into the development of fencing as a sport from the perspective of an ageing, devout Radaellian.