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THE WORLD RECORD holder for the most university degrees is a cheery but truculent 70-year old Italian.
Luciano Baietti lives in the town of Velletri in the Alban Hills near Rome and spends his days pottering around his small house and garden.
Early every morning at 3am he pulls out his textbooks and starts studying.
He now holds 15 bachelors or masters degrees from universities across Italy, and is already embarking on his 16th.
“Thanks to books, I feel free, dammit,” he told international news agency AFP.
“After all, the words share the same root,” he says, referring to the Italian words libro (book) and libero (free).
The certificates proving his prowess hang on the walls of his study, framing a portrait of the 19th century French essayist, Louis-Francois Bertin, whom he cites as an influence.
Passion for a challenge
“He was a man of culture and knowledge,” said Baietti, a former headmaster of a secondary school, who made it into the Guinness Book of Records in 2002 with his eighth degree, that time in motor skills.
At that point he already had degrees in sociology, literature, law, political science and philosophy, most from Rome’s prestigious La Sapienza University, one of the oldest in the world.
Since then he’s added seven others to his list, including one in criminology, a distance-learning one in military strategies from Turin, and the latest in tourism from an online university in Naples, which he was awarded at the start of this month.
“Each time I set myself a new challenge, to see how far my body and my brain can go,” says Baietti, who started life as a sports teacher.
His long-suffering wife, some 30 years his junior, describes Baietti affectionately as “a real character” who is known throughout their town.
He got most of the qualifications under his belt while also doing his day job and volunteering with Italy’s Red Cross.
This ageing eternal student’s first degree was in physical education in 1972 – and he fell instantly in love with the academic world.
As well as the sporting events, there were modules in theory which I liked, and which gave me a taste for studying.
‘I surprised myself’
The most challenging and unusual degree so far has been the military strategies one: “It was co-organised by the defence ministry and Turin University and dealt with sensitive subjects related to national security”.
“We had to attend the exams in uniform,” he recalls, showing off the regimental garb hanging in his wardrobe.
His masters in criminology, which saw him interview prisoners, also had a lasting impact.
Listening to them, I sometimes surprised myself; I’d be convinced by their arguments, and would wonder about what was right or wrong – before realising that I had gone off course.
Baietti is back on course, and already preparing to start the next degree, this time in food science.
Once again, he’ll be pouring over his books by the light of his desk lamp as outside the world sleeps on.
“At that time the brain is more open to assimilating knowledge, and it also allows me to keep a normal family life,” he says with a grin.
Most major factories have been allowed keep up with hundreds of staff on site at times since covid kicked in under the banner of being “essential” apparently some believed once u put essential over these large businesses it gave them immunity from covid more than small businesses who were forced to close with little choice……go figure
@Tarraing Mo Liathróidí: Bang on. Was always gonna happen with outbreaks. Amazing how certain business deemed non essential a year ago are now miraculous deeming themselves essential knowing full well nowt can or will be done about it.
@Tarraing Mo Liathróidí: And rightly so. It helps to improve reputation of Ireland and protect jobs.
@Rob Jones: If that’s the case open every business back up. Let’s protect all jobs including those stopped since March last year.
@Tarraing Mo Liathróidí: It is only small businesses & their staff that spread covid. Large businesses have stayed open through out the pandemic. What does this tell us about the government & opposition. They do not care about the ordinary people in Ireland. When are we going to cop ourselves on.
@Gere: plenty of small manufacturing businesses open to support larger ones, Pharma & medical especially
@talksense: and the reason those small businesses are open is cos of that reason they are supporting the big pharmaceutical or multinationals….who do ya think pulled those strings to deem them essential. Its an utterly pathetic joke how some bang on here everyday about holding form, and we are all in this together nonsense, while massive corporations and businesses have literally written their own covid rules from day one with government support and a blind eye turned by so many including the great NPHET
@Tarraing Mo Liathróidí: so you think it would have been a good idea to shut pharma plants? Sure who needs that kinda stuff in a pandemic?
@Pseud O’Nym: my point is the whole narrative at the start that we were all in this together was a total bluff and spoofing by those in charge and their supporters. These companies not to mention the big electrical giants and others have been allowed write their own covid rules under a banner of essential and nobody has batted an eyelid. Yet some lady tries opening her business a few months back and 6 squad cars are there to shut it down…..
The only thing consistent about COVID-19 is that the majority (between 70 and 90%) of cases are spread at the workplace. And the private market doesn’t really care in many cases, they will force people into the office. And then hospitality and air travel takes the blame for all of it. Cosy little arrangement.
@Tomo: How can hospitality be taking the blame for Covid when it is closed?
@Justin Gillespie: ask that donkey nuts George Lee, he was waffling on rte a few weeks ago how pubs and restaurants were still responsible for covid cases even though they were closed. Meanwhile meat and big multinational plants and factory’s are protected like sacred cow’s by those in power and ignored by their supporters as a reason we have cases. But hey its easier to hurt and Bury small business and hospitality, retail etc…than dare upset the big boys and FDI’s and actually make them close for a bit to see if that could drive down cases
@Tomo: Many cases are being spread through schools but it goes against the agenda to get kids back to school. Kids get it, pass it around the class, they’re asymptomatic, then bring it back home. The parents get symptoms, get tested and it goes down as household/community transmission…… As for workplace transmission its bound to happen but people need to take personal responsibility. It only has a minute chance to spread with proper mask wearing, proper hygiene and social distancing. Ive worked in the office throughout and there has been no spread internally because everyone is diligent…….. I agree that hospitality and air travel has been unfairly disrupted. Its peoples disregard for the guidelines that is spreading it/keeping cases high
It’s not Intel Staff that are infected….it is the contractors construction workers back on the building site less than a fortnight. Curious to know if it spread after many of them returned from Eastern Europe and didn’t self isolate. As according to construction representatives a few weeks back on Claire Byrne, a huge percentage of them were working while the industry here was in lockdown.
@Jennifer Rabe: site open through lockdown with no outbreaks previously
@Jennifer Rabe: you’re talking through your h0le there Jenifer. Sure the construction site at Intel never shut down as they had a derogation to keep working throughput the lockdown. Not sure how you think they are only back on site 2 weeks.
If I didnt know any better I’d think you’re a bit of a raci5t seeing as ye called out certain communities in your post.
@Eoin Scanlon: That’s a, very valid point Eoin
@Jennifer Rabe: it never closed..money talks
@Ian Synnott: I never made any assumptions of nationality or ethnicity, I only commented on a region that construction representative stated,on national radio, was where construction works from the Irish labour force were working during the lockdown we were in a few weeks back.
@Jennifer Rabe: you could join the construction force yourself Jenifer. You seem well capable of digging a big hole all by yourself. Leave the Eastern European’s alone and stop being a raci5t ;-)
@Eoin Scanlon: really , u must know noone who works there lol
@Jennifer Rabe: you did, you singled out Eastern Europe hahahahaha
@Jennifer Rabe: Jennifer, you’re embarrassing me. Please refrain from that in future. Ta, fellow Jennifer.
@Ian Synnott: comment of the evening goes to you Ian !! Couldn’t have said it better! Wind your neck in Jennifer and just because you heard the tripe that RTÉ are spouting on the radio does not make it true! Ian is out new fact checker !!!
@LadyBMW: *our
I suppose they will all be hotel quarantined now? You know, to stop the spread of infections, etc. It’s risk-assessment, right?
Long as breaks. Table pool.
xbox, and netflix. No clocking in.Doctor on the site
Great dental( 2 implants) five guys drink fountain for free. Sleeping pods.dominos every 3 months and massive bonus every quarter. “Workin from home” for those that catch my drift. Great memories. Still MSD pays more.
@transik: Its the construction site mate, Not the intel employee’s themselves.
@transik: cool story
@JillyBean: The construction guys shared the canteens, toilets, when i was there.
@Trevor Donoghue: No! They let the dirty builders inside? Made the rest of ye share with them? No wonder you left. The very idea.
I drove past it last week and loads of people working on the site were waiting at a bus stop and some were wearing masks and others not. They were all standing quite close together. So hardly surprising if it spread around so much.
@Audrey: Regular occurrence there
“Covid Inside”
What About THOMAS REID living next to the intel plant wouldn’t he want to be protected ?
What about THOMAS REID Living next to the Intel plant ???
He needs to be protected !
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