ON October 18 a landmark agreement was reached in order to foster greater appreciation and exchange between Filipino and Italian cultures, as the National Library of the Philippines and the Philippine Italian Association (PIA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) under the auspices of the Italian Embassy.
Among the first fruits of this MOU is the creation of an Italian Corner within the premises of the National Library, an outreach program that will eventually extend to other public libraries throughout Metro Manila, making it easier for students to access Italian books. Incidentally, PIA has collected more than 2000 titles since 1972 undoubtedly making it the most complete Italian library in the country.
On the day itself, graced by Italian Ambassador Massimo Roscigno who expressed his appreciation for PIA’s continuous and unwavering support in spreading the Italian culture, the MOU formal signing and ribbon cutting was followed by a lecture on “Coffee in Italian Culture” conducted by Angela Raymond Ferreira Tan of the Barista and Coffee Academy of Asia and Alessandro Milani of PIA. Participants got a glimpse of how coffee shaped Italian habits and customs. They were treated to a barista skill demo and they were able to partake in a coffee degustation.
After lunch, the activities continued with sponsor Fedrigoni Asia, represented by Kervin Valero, formally presenting the National Library, as well as other public libraries around the Metro, including some university-based ones, such as Far Eastern University and Adamson University with copies of The Forms of Paper a guide on how to maximise the use of paper in graphic design published by Fedrigoni, fine paper manufacturer since 1888.
A lecture by David Tonello, freelance journalist and professional storyteller, entitled “Orlando and Love: the Sword, the Heart and the Birth of the Italian Culture,” followed as the final activity of the day. Participants were given an overview of how the birth of the Italian language and culture draws its roots from antiquity as Tonello traced the origins of the concept of love and beauty from Greek philosophy, which was wholeheartedly embraced by the Romans who became an effective conduit for all things Greek directly proportionally to the expansion of their empire.
Greece was actually the filter where cultural inputs from the East as far as India were refined and metabolized into an original expression of culture that became the foundation of Western culture as we know it, gifting us with familiar ideas, such as democracy, as well as art, architecture, theater and poetry.
While the classical Greek-Roman culture is an obvious foundation, barbarian concepts of mounted warfare made their way into the Roman Empire as there were continuous waves of steppe people established themselves within its borders. Noteworthy was the representation of the Centaur as a metaphor for Steppe people, known to the Greeks as nomads who lived and fought on horseback.
At the same time, Christianity was spreading its message throughout the empire, while it may have appealed to various people, it was not easily digestible for warlike pillaging barbarians who could identify more with the victorious Christ of the Second Coming rather than the suffering Christ on the cross, giving rise to iconography, such as Saint George, Saint Michael and Saint Maurice, who were far more appealing to the newly converted barbarians.
As the Roman Empire faded as a physical entity, it endured as a unifying concept even in the aegis of barbarian emperors. This unique period eventually produced literary chivalric cycles, such as La Chanson de Geste, which was inspired by Charlemagne’s reign and the Arthurian cycle. Italy was heavily influenced by the former, surviving to this day in Sicily’s traditional Opera dei Pupi, a marionette theatrical presentation of the Song of Roland.
In the Italian context, this medieval literary tradition is inextricably intertwined with the birth of the Italian culture and language, courtly love becoming the favorite subject of literary exponents, such as Guido Guinizzelli, founder of the “Dolce Stil Novo,” who Dante Alighieri credits as a mentor.
Soon after, the concept of love in chivalry romance changed as seen in the early 16 century typified by Ludovico Ariosto’s “Orlando Furioso,” wherein the platonic element is lost in the new humanistic outlook, combining realism and fantasy as the hero, Orlando, rides a hippogriff, and his adventures are set against the known world involving a trip to the moon, as well.
Tonello ended his lecture comparing this latter form to pulp fiction, written to amuse the audience, rather than edify as the early forms of chivalric romance would have it.
The inauguration and the lectures were held in the context of the celebration of the 16th Week of Italian Language in the World, Italian and Creativity: Brands and Traditions, Fashion and Design within which a host of activities will be organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce, PIA and Società Dante Alighieri under the auspices of the Italian Embassy in Manila.
Image credits: Italian Embassy, Cristina Moricca