Alberto Fortis

Alberto Fortis (1741–1803) was an Augustinian abbot, naturalist and travel writer born in Padua. From 1765 he explored Veneto, Istria and Venetian Dalmatia, studying geology, antiquities and local folklore.

His Journey to Dalmatia (1774), translated into English, French and German, described the customs, costumes and epic songs of the Morlach highlanders and first printed the ballad Hasanaginica, drawing European attention to the Balkan hinterland and inspiring a literary fashion later called Morlachism.

In 1785 he became mineralogist to the Bourbon court of Naples, where he was tasked with reforming the saltpeter industry. He was elected to the Royal Society in 1795 and died in Bologna.