The Bertacchi's coats of arms

The Bertacchi's coat of arms appears in various armorials, like the Armorial of the Collegio Araldico Italiano (Libro d'oro), the historic and heraldic dictionnary of Crollalanza and the European Armorial of Johannes Baptista Rietstap (1828-1891). From all this sources, it appears that some elements are present for all the branches. The azure is a symbol of devotion, fidelity, justice, beauty, nobility, watchfulness, perseverance and fame. This color was for long time the distinction of the Guelfs (supporters of the Pope, against the Imperor, opponent of the Guibellin). The gold is for the sun, the faith, the leniency, the charity, the love, the splendour and the glory.

The common little pet can be an hedgehog ("riccio" or "istrice" in italian), symbol of the one who braved the danger, or a porcupine ("porcospino" in italian) , in this case, the family was certainly connect with the Order of the Porcupine (or Order of Orleans), created by Louis from France.

Other elements are common to some branches only. The elm indicate a feudal right on the forest ; the vine is for the cheerfulness, the recreation, the swiftness and the friendship. The eagle, absolute symbol of the power and of the majesty, is in this case the same of the family d'Este, from which the Bertacchi received all their privileges. The stars are an other distinction of the Guelfs and symbols for a schrewd mind, for the fame, the nobility and the splendour of all a great family.

The motto of the Bertacchi's family is :"OPPORTUNA QUERO", that mean "search the opportunity".

Garfagnana's branch (Original branch)

D'azur, au bâton d'or, posé en pal accolé d'un rameau de rosier, et senestré d'un porc-épic au naturel.

Modena's branch (used by Pellegrino and Jacopo)

Quaterly 1 & 4 from gold with a vert baston sinister couped, twisted by a branch from the same, on the sinister a natural porcupine ; 3 & 4 from azure with three gold mullets set 1 and 2 ; over all from azure with an Argent eagle gold membered with a gold coronet.

Tuscany's branch (Barga, Florence, Pisa)

Per fesse : 1° azur with 3 gold mullets ; 2° azur with an elmtwisted by a branch of vine, on the sinister a natural hedgehog : gold fesse.

Tuscany's branch (Barga, Modena, San Miniato, Pisa)

Quaterly 1 & 4 from azure with three gold mullets set 1 and 2 ; 3 & 4 from gold with an elm twisted by a branch of vine, on the sinister a natural hedgehog ; over all from azure with an Argent eagle gold membered with a gold coronet.

Bertacchi's coat of arms in the Bologna's Archigymnasium

The Bologna's archigymnasium was the headquarters of the city's University between 1563 and 1803 and became afterwards the main Library. On the walls of its rooms are present 6000 coats of arms of student from XVIth and XVIIth centuries.

3 of this coats of armes are from Bertacchi's family members, Giulio Cesare ans Carlo (soons of Sigismondo from the Modena's branch), Orazio (soon of Lelio from the Garfagnana's branch). On this coats of arms are presents the same attributs of the Modena's branch.

The similarity between the coat of arms of a Castelnuovo di Garfagnana's family member and the coat of arms of Modena's family members give us infomations about the familial unity at the beginning of XVII century. We think that the abandonment of the original coat of arms to the Modena's coat of arms with the eagle was not only the fact of the Modena's branch, but the fact of entire Bertacchi family.

This coats of arms prove that the distribution between quarters with stars and quarters with porcupine was not really fixed.

Bertacchius Carolus (Carlo) - 1636 - Modena (legista, légiste, layer)
Bertacchius Horatius (Orazio) - 1633 - Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (legista, légiste, layer)
Bertacchi Iulius Caesar (Giulio Cesare) - 1626 - Modena (legista, légiste, layer)

Bertacchi's coat of arms in the city of Barga

In the medieval city of Barga, in the Lucca's province, we founded a Bertacchi's coat of arms on the door of the Cordati palace (this palace was the property of the counts Bertacchi).

This coat of arms is the Tuscany's coat of arms of the Bertacchi's family ; we can see a porcupine who eat grapes from the vine, three stars, and the coat of arm is per fesse. The family sentence "Opportuna quoero" is visible.

Dettaglio dello stemma Bertacchi
Détail du blason Bertacchi
Detail of the Bertacchi's coat of arms