When visiting former residences in Italy, it is fairly common to find the decoration intact, but the furniture missing. It was a treat, therefore, to visit a house the other day, complete with furniture and original decoration dating back over one hundred years.
The house once belonged to Giosue Carducci (1835-1907) considered the official national poet of modern Italy. Born in Tuscany, he and his wife moved to Bologna in 1860 in order for him to take up a post teaching Italian Literature at the university, at the time of the Risorgimento (Italian re-unification) when Italy was still a monarchy.
After living in Bologna for thirty years, he sought larger accommodation for himself, his wife, four children and huge library of books, finding it on a piazza between two of the city gates.
Photo: Riccardo Viahov (BACN)
A popular lecturer (in 43 years he never taught the same lesson twice) he was a severe critic of literature and society, as well as being a fierce atheist.
In 1906 Carducci was the first Italian to be awarded the Nobel prize for literature.
The area is fenced off and this is as close to it as you can get.
The walls and carpets in the house show much sign of past water damage, but when we indicated this to the room volunteer (you are always accompanied in Italian museums for security reasons) he shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyes as if to say, ‘I know, but what can you do?’ so we can’t tell if the problem has been rectified, or is continuing.
At some point, work will need to be carried out on the original, peeling wallpaper if it is not going to deteriorate further.
Tortoise Travel 