FICINO is an international, moderated e-list in the fields of Renaissance, Reformation and Early Modern studies. Established in 1990 at the University of Toronto in Canada, today it brings together some 850 members across more than 25 countries. By sharing knowledge and experience based on different disciplinary, educational, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds, members interact and support each other as they reflect on scholarship and teaching in their own fields and those of others.
The list takes its name from the great fifteenth-century neo-Platonist philosopher, Marsilio Ficino, and its inspiration from comments he made in a letter to Bembo:
The convivium alone … rebuilds limbs, revives humours, restores spirit, delights senses, fosters and awakens reason. The convivium is rest from labours, release from cares and nourishment of genius; it is the demonstration of love and splendour, the food of good will, the seasoning of friendship, the leavening of grace and the solace of life.
Letter 42 to Bernardo Bembo, in The Letters of Marsilio Ficino, vol. 2 (London: Shepheard-Walwyn, 1978), pp. 51f.
Participants in FICINO come from many disciplines and are united by their interest in the culture of the period from the 14th to 18th centuries, and by a spirit of academic fellowship and cooperation.
Highlights and documents
- 1990 FICINO was launched September 28, 1990
- 1990 “Guide to Ficino [PDF]” by Willard McCarty. October 12, 1990
- 1994 “Running ‘FICINO [PDF]’” by Germaine Warkentin. Renaissance News and Notes 7.1, Spring, 1994, 1-2, 4-5
- 1995 “FICINO at 5, and some changes [PDF]” by Germaine Warkentin. September 28, 1995
- 2000 “FICINO at 10 [PDF]” by Germaine Warkentin. September 28, 2000
- 2011 “FICINO at 21 [PDF]” by Richard Raiswell. September 25, 2011. Also posted on HUMANIST.
- 2015 “Analysis of the FICINO List in Its Proposed Migration to a Web‐based Environment [PDF]” by Matt Hiebert. July 2015.
- 2020 On the anniversary of its 30th year, FICINO had 889 members in 27 different countries
- 2023 Creation of a formal advisory committee
- 2023 Launch of a dedicated website at FICINOlist.ca
Institutional affiliation
In addition to the longstanding support of the University of Toronto, in the early years the Centre for Renaissance and Reformation Studies provided a local home through its publication program. As the Centre’s priorities shifted, FICINO became more aligned with the digital publication program of Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Today, FICINO is associated with Iter Canada and its community of organizations.