Attilio Pontanari Maestrini: O precursor da educación física en Compostela no declinar do século XIX

Abstract

Attilio Pontanari Maestrini was the first physical education teacher in Santiago de Compostela. He was born in Italy and studied at the gymnastics school in Florence. Pontanari arrived in Coruña in 1879, where he met his wife, Emilia Rodríguez Fariña. He settled in this city and took on work as a physical education teacher and orthopaedist. In 1883 Pontanari visited Compostela, where he made a presentation of his work. A group of doctors from the Royal Society of Friends of the Country of Santiago proposed the idea of setting up a gymnastics school on the Society’s premises. The school was opened in 1889 and Pontanari was appointed director. He moved to Compostela with his family and also set up a private gym. The school was in operation for almost five years and applied gymnastic methods based on strength and fencing. Pontanari was named professor of physical education at the Institute of Pontevedra in 1893 and shortly thereafter he ceased his activities in Santiago and moved to Pontevedra. Physical Education in Compostela began at this school.