Cheese and Worms. The Worldview of a Miller Living in the 16th Century

In 1583, a prolonged inquisitorial process began, lasting several years. On the dock was Domenico Scandella, nicknamed Menocchio — an Italian miller summoned to court for his bold speeches about God and faith, which did not fit the familiar worldview prevalent at the time. Undoubtedly, Menocchio was an outstanding figure and was perceived by most of his contemporaries as a free thinker. The breadth of his horizons, his unique reading and interpretation of religious and humanistic texts, as well as the boldness of his ideas, continue to astonish even today. Rome, closely monitoring the inquisitorial trial against the self-taught philosopher, stifled any humane attempts by the inquisitorial tribunal towards the accused. Unable to fully renounce his views, he appeared before the ecclesiastical court for the second — and final — time. In the fall of 1599, Domenico Scandella was sentenced by the inquisitorial court to be burned at the stake.
How did an ordinary miller from a small Friulian village attract such serious attention from the inquisitors? How did his own understanding of the fundamental questions of the universe lead a man to his demise? And who is Domenico Scandella — a heretic or a true genius of his time?

Based on the materials of the inquisitorial court, the outstanding Italian historian Carlo Ginzburg richly reconstructs Menocchio's spiritual world, recreating the essence of the era and giving voice to the silent majority — the common people. “Cheese and Worms” vividly shows how materials from inquisitorial archives help researchers capture the quiet voices of people who are barely mentioned in historical documents and shed light on relevant issues of modernity — from the challenge posed by the common people to the authorities, to the intertwining of oral and written culture.