Serena Dandini (photo by Gianmarco Chieregato).
CThere are small books that you carry everywhere to read during every daily break and then there are the large books that are kept on the low tables in the living room and embellish the environment.
Today I want to talk to you about a big book that you might want to take with you, not only for the beauty of the images but for the compelling story it tells. Pompeii yesterday and today by Massimo Osanna published by the Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani is not only an elegant volume with beautiful photos by Luigi Spina, but it is an exciting journey to discover Pompeii together with those who have spent a lifetime studying, discovering and protecting this magical place.
Osanna, for years, was archaeological superintendent and general director of the Superintendency of Pompeiiand together with the team of the Great Pompeii Project he brought to light hidden wonders thanks to new excavations but above all he restored dignity to this open-air museum which was experiencing a moment of neglect and abandonment.
Through the excited eyes of the many travelers who have discovered Pompeii over the centuries, the author reveals the secret of his eternal charm which continues to bewitch our imagination. And it’s not just about the beauty of the frescoes and mosaics and the astonishing conservation of houses, temples and shops.
The strength of Pompeii is also in the story of the smallest details of the daily life of a humanity of two thousand years ago that we rediscover much more similar to us than what the history books have handed down to us. Thanks to the unveiling of a civilization that has remained magically intact, we are able to see our contemporary life reflected in a mirror and deeply understand the eternity of human nature.
“Pompeii yesterday and today” by Massimo Osanna published by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia.
We are all there with our fears, our pains, our hopes and our joie de vivre; walking among those houses we relive our sentimental pains in the dedications of lovers or we share the mocking irony of graffiti that celebrates the most earthly eros; we tremble with the terror of death together with the casts of the shrunken bodies fleeing from the lapilli and we try to protect ourselves with superstitious objects clutched to our chests to ward off the end.
It is no coincidence that the poet Jean Cocteau, in a letter to his mother, cited in the book together with many poetic impressions of travelers of all times, speaks of his arrival in Pompeii as a return home. Yes, Pompeii is our home, the cradle where we were bornwhere it is sweet to return to never lose our humanity.
All articles by Serena Dandini.
iO Donna © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED