Books are the most precious keepers of our culture and experiences.

My father loved books with the same intensity and care with which he loved his wife and five children. He owned a huge library of ancient books kept with great care, respect and attention.

Entire collections of memories, incredible stories, past and present emotions.

Each book was a speaking object, written not only to be read, but above all to be listened to, loved to the last page. 

In this immense library, many years ago I found a book that belonged to my mother, a real relic with an embroidered velvet cover, given in 1860 to General Ferdinand de Salles, my ancestor, by Countess Crotti.

It is a unique book, made in Naples and commented by G. Biagioli, professor of Italian in Paris.

In that Book there is the story of all of us.

Our sufferings, our bewilderments, but also our repentances and our idea of ​​bliss. My father gave me this edition of the Divine Comedy not only to have a vivid memory of my mother, but also to help me make an introspective journey towards joy and Paradise. 

Every time I open it, my mind goes back in time, going beyond the year in which it was given to me, beyond the stories told, beyond the wonderful allegories represented, encroaching on pure imagination.

Like a story within history, I imagine the meeting between my ancestor and the countess, sealed with the gift of a precious book as a pledge of friendship and gratitude.   

Going through its pages provides a powerful emotion.

To hear the sound of paper, touch the velvet of the cover with its delicate embroidery as if it were a haute couture dress. A book passed from hand to hand, from generation to generation, for over 160 years. 

It is not only the beauty of the Prose of the Supreme Poet that makes it so special, but the two centuries that “passed” and have put me in contact with my distant ancestor.

Each of its elements – from the paper to the cover and finally to the type of binding – speaks to me and at the same time amazes me, making me breathe and touch the particular social and cultural context of the time. 

To love literature is to love your own origins.

Literary works have the extraordinary power to broaden our horizons, enrich our imagination and make us dream.

The Divine Comedy is not just one of the books of my heart, but the book of my history, which connects me to my family’s past and origins.

For me it has become a place of memory, a place in which to take refuge to listen to the echo of that distant time, smell it and fly with the imagination.

Books have taught me to go beyond words.

They inspired me in the most important moments of my life. They made me grow, smile, move. But, above all, they helped me to look inside myself and to find the courage to open new chapters in life. 

Like Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse. The extraordinary story of the friendship between the two protagonists accompanied me on my personal path of maturation and growth. In Goldmund’s restlessness I felt the torments of my young age, my idealism and my incredible desire to discover the world.

Read, underline, stop and reflect.

Each page of a book, newspaper, magazine can be transformed into a precious source of inspiration and nourishment for our spirit.

I remember my father who used to underline the pages, rewriting his thoughts and ideas in the margins. An activity he did every time he started a new reading. 

Among his many documents, I found notebooks full of notes and newspaper clippings. Pages that look like real works of art with a thousand colors, characters but above all thoughts, in a unique architectural symmetry, as if the words put together had created a new shape. 

People are like books, what type are you?

This Friday I would like to spend it in a different way and make myself known better, sharing my favorite readings and, at the same time, browsing the life pages of those who follow my blog and my social pages.

Which book are you most attached to? If you feel like telling me your story, I’m here ready to read you. If, on the other hand, you simply want to peek through the visual pages of my story, you can visit my Instagram profile.