BIANCHI, UGO. Ugo Bianchi (1922–1995) was an Italian historian of religions. Born at Cavriglia (Arezzo) of a Tuscan mother and Roman father who was a parastatal employee, he attended primary and secondary school in Rome. He then studied in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Rome, graduating in 1944 with a degree in the history of religions, under the mentorship of Raffaele Pettazzoni. Subsequently, he completed specialized studies of Roman religion (1947), ethnology (1949–1951) and ancient history (1951–1956) at the same university. After receiving the degree of libero docente (teaching qualification for university) in 1954 and a professorship in 1958, Bianchi attained the chair (professorship) of history of religions at the University of Messina (1960–1971). Subsequently, he taught at the University of Bologna (1970–1974) and the University of Rome (1974–1995). Given his deep Christian and Catholic convictions, he was logically chosen for teaching the same discipline at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in...