3. Galileo’s Shopping List, Part 2
While Galileo’s shopping list bears some interest for its relevance to the 1609 workings of his telescope prototypes, the other items give a fascinating window into his personal life. The first item of the list is “shoes and hat for Vicenzo.” One wonders who Vicenzo might have been. His father was named Vicenzo, but died in 1591 well before the list was written. The second line includes a “case of wares for Marina.” This item is considerably more precise, as Marina Gamba is the mistress who bore Galileo’s illegitimate children. It would be fascinating to know what the wares were; perhaps fabric or some luxury beauty item.
In addition to gifts for lovers and perhaps friends, it includes several staple food items as well as some more luxurious food products including spices. Lentils, white chickpeas, rice, raisins and spelt all appear on the list, along with sugar, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, spices, jam, and oranges. It would seem Galileo was able to enjoy a healthy and flavorful diet. Other commonplace items include wool and soap. Clearly, in addition to significant things like German lenses, Galileo also managed enough of his own household to know when he needed food and cleaning products. The father of astronomy was an all-together organized man!