Origini Collection

Fundamental Texts on the Art of Arms

The ORIGINI collection aims to preserve and disseminate the Italian fencing heritage through the publication of critical editions of historical fencing treatises from the 15th-17th centuries, restoring them in their philological integrity and making them accessible to scholars, practitioners, and martial history enthusiasts. Through rigorous work of transcription, commentary, and contextualization, the collection intends to contribute to the systematic study of primary sources and to the enhancement of a technical-cultural tradition that played a fundamental role in the development of European fencing.

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Each volume page now includes a dedicated errata section.

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The Volumes

Duello

Achille Marozzo

2025 December, 2

The first volume of the ORIGINI collection brings to light the famous treatise «Duello» by Achille Marozzo, a Bolognese master and key figure in Italian Renaissance fencing. The work, originally published in 1536, represents one of the most complete and influential codifications of the art of fencing of the period.

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Latest article

Antonio Manciolino and the 1518 contract for Opera nova

Author: Elia Herbst, Niki Corradetti

This article challenges the traditional dating and historical significance of Antonio Manciolino’s fencing treatise, Opera Nova. While previously believed to have been written in 1531, a newly discovered contract signed in Rome in 1518 between the author and the printer Stefano Guillery reveals that the manuscript was ready for publication thirteen years earlier. This study investigates the editorial history of the first fencing treatise ever printed in Italy and re-evaluates Manciolino's role within the peninsula's martial tradition. By shifting the timeline back to the early 16th century, the article reconsiders the relationship between Manciolino and the so-called 'Bolognese School', distinguishing his work from that of his contemporary Achille Marozzo. Consequently, Manciolino is presented as a pivotal transitional figure amidst the technical and social changes characterizing the 'Military Revolution' at the turn of the 16th century.

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About Us

The ORIGINI collection represents an innovative publishing project by the National Fencing Academy Publisher, in collaboration with the Achille Marozzo School of Arms, dedicated to the rediscovery and enhancement of Italian-language fencing treatises from the 15th-17th centuries. Each volume is the result of careful philological and critical work, carried out by a team of expert historians, philologists, and fencing instructors, to make this extraordinary cultural heritage accessible to scholars, enthusiasts, and practitioners of the fencing art.

The Curators

Niki Corradetti

Works in the field of artificial intelligence. Has been studying historical fencing since 2003 and teaching it since 2007.

Marcello Villanova

Studied history in Bologna and philology in Ferrara. Has been studying, practicing, and teaching the art of dueling for sixteen years.