João Spadari Adami

Adami was the pioneer of historiography of Caxias do Sul at a time when nothing there had been studied deeply. He stood out for his uncommon objectivity and fidelity to documents, while the "official history" was still systematically mythified in grandiloquent speeches that disseminated a series of factual errors about the city's formation. In his research, he discovered a large number of forgotten documents in public archives and private collections, transcribing and publishing many of them. For years he kept, in his barbershop, the Informative Center of the History of Caxias, where he accumulated a vast amount of historiographic material, and published in the press several articles and chronicles on specific themes.^[5] Despite his amateurism, local historians are unanimous in recognizing the importance of his work and his avant-gardism in a previously unexplored field.^[6][7][8]

His work stands out even more because Adami had a very poor education, attending only the 3rd grade of elementary school. He always acknowledged his precarious training, and protested against the specialists who were not interested in the past of Caxias, forcing an amateur to do what they were supposed to do. As he grew older, he was often consulted by teachers and students on his favorite subject and gave numerous lectures at the University of Caxias do Sul, in schools, cultural groups, and other venues.^[4]

His masterpiece is História de Caxias do Sul, divided into 7 volumes and published between 1951 and 1981, which is a basic reference for the knowledge of local history until today. The priceless documental collection he gathered along the years was donated by his descendants to the João Spadari Adami Municipal Historical Archive, which, since 1997, bears his name in memory and in honor of his work. He also received the Caxias do Sul Medal for his relevant services and, after his death, a new street was named after him.^[8] He was the inspiration for one of the characters in the book Script, by Tadiane Tronca,^[9] and was honored at the 2016 Grape Festival.^[10] In the words of Mario Gardelin,

Few people have been so passionate about an ideal and dedicated so much constant effort to it as João Spadari Adami to the history of Caxias do Sul. Nature gave him enthusiasm and commitment, but refused him basic study, and what would have been the most effective means, attendance at a college. [...] And this did not prevent him from writing in newspapers, addressing often controversial ideas and facts or adopting political positions that today need to be interpreted. [...] He witnessed history, writing and observing episodes he witnessed, collecting newspapers and photographs. [...] João Spadari Adami, in a certain way, repeats when it comes to history what the pioneers were in relation to agriculture, commerce and industry. They improvised. They worked by intuition. And the results were excellent.^[8]

In Décio Bombassaro's opinion,

His work had a clear objective: to bring to light the true events that preceded and were decisive in the founding of Caxias do Sul. In his self-imposed mission, João Spadari was impeccable. Not that he used scientific research processes, since he did not know them. His style is pamphleteering, limiting himself to making assertions shielded by official historical documents. He did not believe in oral testimonies, which are easy to hide, either because of his advanced age or because of human vanity. For the journalist and historian Mário Gardelin, when one examines the work of João Spadari Adami and his contribution to the history of Caxias do Sul, one is amazed at how much he did, with so few means at his disposal. On the one hand, he leaned on his instinct as a man passionate about history, of which, however, he did not have a mythical or heroic vision, but a pure taste for knowledge and knowing the facts. On the other hand, he managed to read, annotate and publish thousands of documents and draft studies that will always be cited by the historian of the future.^[5]

• História de Caxias do Sul:
  • Volume I: Caxias A Pérola das Colônias;
  • Volume II: Caxias do Sul;
  • Volume III: História de Caxias do Sul 1864-1962;
  • Volume IV: História de Caxias do Sul 1964-1970;
  • Volume V: História de Caxias do Sul: Exposições e Festas da Uva 1881-1965;
  • Volume VI: História de Caxias do Sul (Educação) 1877-1967;
  • Volume VII: História de Caxias do Sul (Social-Esportiva);
• História da Poesia Caxiense;
• História da Música Caxiense;
• Dicionário de Intelectuais Caxienses;
• Caxias e o Elemento Luso-Brasileiro;
• Meus Tropeços com o Italianismo;
• Escrevendo para Mim;
• Numerous chronicles and essays published in newspapers and pamphlets.

• History of Caxias do Sul