«Libertas philosophandi» and the First Italian Translation of Works of Spinoza

For two centuries after their publication, the works of the 'notorious atheist' Spinoza were not only never translated into Italian, but their content was known only through short and often biased summaries drawn mostly from other authors. The first work by Spinoza to be translated into Italian did not appear until 1875: this was a translation of the Theological-Political Treatise, the only original book published during the lifetime of the philosopher. This text shows how Spinoza's defense of libertas philosophandi is the element that determined and gave rise to this first Italian translation published for the first time in Italy after the abolition of the Pope's temporal power and the declaration of freedom of expression and of the press.