The Baccelli family, descended from a family of Florentine bankers from Peretola, settled in San Vito around 1648, when Mattia Baccelli arrived in the town as administrator of the Theodoli estates. In 1677 Mattia married, as his third wife, the local woman Faustina Ronci, helping to root the family in the local community. From this family would descend Guido Baccelli, destined to become one of the most important figures in Italian medicine and political life in the 19th century.
Guido Baccelli (Rome, 25 November 1830 – Rome, 10 January 1916) was a physician, clinician and politician. Professor of medicine at the University of Rome and director of the Medical Clinic, he was elected to parliament in 1874 and served several times as Minister of Public Instruction and, from 1901 to 1903, as Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce.
As a physician he devoted himself in particular to the study of malaria and diseases of the chest, contributing to the understanding of malarial infection and of the clinical signs of pleural effusions. He was also among the first to use the intravenous route for administering certain drugs.
His political and cultural activity also had important consequences for post-unification Rome. Baccelli promoted the enhancement and protection of the capital’s archaeological heritage, supported the project for the Passeggiata Archeologica, promoted the creation of the National Gallery of Modern Art and was among the main promoters of the Policlinico Umberto I project. During his time as Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce he also gave impetus to the reclamation of the Agro Romano and established the Festa degli Alberi (Tree Festival), celebrated for the first time in November 1898.
In 1931, as part of the celebrations for the centenary of his birth, Rome dedicated a bronze monument to him in the Policlinico area. The work, by the sculptor Attilio Selva, was unveiled on 21 April 1931, the day of the Natale di Roma, the anniversary of the founding of Rome.
In San Vito Romano the presence of the Baccelli family can still be recognised in the Baccelli villas and in the other historic residences that bear witness to the presence, between the 19th and 20th centuries, of families belonging to the town’s cultural and professional elite. These include, together with the Baccelli villas, Villa Castellini, with its park adorned with statues and fountains, the Villino Ivella and the Villino Pacini.