In Grado, under the beach umbrella many books, also chosen by Paolo Scandaletti

Author: Rosanna Turcinovich Giuricin

Meeting with the author of History of Istria and Dalmatia In Grado, under the umbrella many books, also chosen by Paolo Scandaletti It is the challenge of modern times, in which knowledge flees, retaining it is increasingly difficult due to the little time available but above all due to the avalanche of information that comes at us despite ourselves and that we often cannot filter. “Here is the important role of journalists” – warns Renzo Codarin, President of FederEsuli, invited to present the latest book by Paolo Scandaletti dedicated to the eastern lands of the Gulf of Venice. “For those who do not have time to follow the complicated reasoning of historians, these quick-read books are essential for a first approach; further study can take place later.” Scandaletti agrees, but he also gives another meaning to the operation he is carrying out with the series "Stories of the cities": "I intend to tell the story of Italy through some symbolic cities, remembering that the basis of our State is still the distant Italy of the municipalities. There is no intention of finding new documents, but rather high dissemination: anchored to the completed history, referring to society and its small and large protagonists, to the facets of living beyond the great events; and with a substantially narrative mode, pleasant to read, capable of interesting readers and broadening knowledge”. Is it inspired by previous models? “From Montanelli onwards, some journalists and some history professors have done it well. This is what I asked the authors of the new series, who accepted the invitation." Does the book on the Eastern Adriatic, in some ways, deviate from the itinerary of the cities? “In fact, my “History of Istria and Dalmatia” (Edizioni Biblioteca dell'Immagine), which starts from the imprint left there by Rome and Venice and reaches Tito's ethnic cleansing and the exodus of 350 thousand Italians, is also a historical guide that can accompany you down the Peninsula and along the Dalmatian coast. But it intends to integrate the memory of the country with what Italy has done for the lands on the other side of the Adriatic; the many Italians who were born there and have worked so well and so often there. Also tell the story of Nazi and Fascist misdeeds, the violent conquest and ethnic cleansing carried out by Tito's partisan brigades in the name of Soviet communism. The truly biblical exodus of Italians, often badly received by their homeland and so quickly forgotten. At 60 years old it was right to remember...”. At the presentation of the book in Trieste, the debate on the history of the territory immediately ignited, even with some polemical notes. How complicated is it to explain the development dynamics of this land with so many susceptibilities still present? “You know better than I how difficult it is to delve into the historical territory of the last half century. Due to the documentary difficulties and the balance of the evaluations, due to the disputes and rivalries that existed among the exiles themselves. But I also believe that the path chosen by our President Napolitano is the most reasonable and positively practicable. As for the book, I am reassured and honoured by Lucio Toth's assessment of it: "It is a wonderful historical excursus of Istria and Dalmatia, from antiquity to the tragedies of the 900th century, up to today", he wrote. The reference to sources is of extreme importance. What are they in this case? “The sources are ancient ones and those I used for the "History of Venice", my other book. Moving forward, it must be said that the documents from the "Yugoslav" side are still missing. Archives closed, but I have published a terrible page from the manual for ethnic cleansing written by a Bosnian nobleman for Tito, as well as the equally terrible report on the foibe by an Alpine officer in 1957, covered by military secrecy until the day before yesterday. At the end of the book I thank the many who helped me, with texts and opinions. Here I would like to report in particular the action carried out by Fulvio Salimbeni to update high school teachers on these events". The iconography in the book has a primary role for a specific reason… “The wonderful iconography is all thanks to the choices of Giovanni Santarossa, the editor. The result is a more complete and evocative story through words and images. Who knew anything about the Morlach women without photographs? In a world that communicates through images, it was very important to provide this dimension as well. In addition to the landscapes, the publisher wanted to include the reproduction of splendid prints that tell the story of the people, their customs and their traditions”. How can you cover history from antiquity to the tragedies of the 900th century, up to today, in the short space of a book? What is the approach? “This is an ever-present problem when telling relevant stories and writing biographies. Little by little you learn and if you succeed your readers will tell you, with the re-editions and translations of your books abroad”. The idea for the volume follows the fortunate encounter with Missoni, of whom you wrote the biography entitled "Ottavio Missoni - Una vita sul filo di lana" published by Rizzoli in 2012. How was this relationship? Missoni was an incredible character, fascinating but difficult to harness… “Missoni had twice refused Rizzoli’s proposals to collaborate on the production of a biography. To the director of nonfiction, while drinking a coffee on the terrace of the Hilton in Rome, he pointed to me and said: "I trust him." He was like that, instinctive. We met in Venice on the boat of mutual friends one night of the Redentore. With the track in hand, we saw and talked for months; I wrote and he integrated, we had a cheerful dinner with friends at the fixed table of his Roman restaurant. Finally, he accompanied me to his studio in Sumirago, which opens onto the tree-lined and flower-filled park, with Monte Rosa in the background. With only a few rolled up fabrics and lots of coloured threads around us, the graph paper album and markers were on the wooden table to try out shapes and colour combinations over and over again. Here and thus he created his magical fabrics. Works of art, the most authoritative critics have written. On the wall of the dining room is Balthous' palette, with the dedication: "To Ottavio Missoni, master of colour". The rest is history." The real driving force behind your interest in the Adriatic, cities and history was born with the book dedicated to Venice. What has it left its mark on your professional career, but also on a personal level? Why are you so attached to this work? But who is Paolo Scandaletti? “I was born and raised in Padua, I have lived in Rome for over forty years. But in Venice I studied history with Carlo Cipolla. As a journalist, I investigated the Veneto and its development, I helped relaunch Palazzo Grassi, I was a special correspondent and editorialist for the Gazzettino. From the general management of Rai I have enhanced Palazzo Labia. I have been at home for years at the Libreria Marciana and its vast archive, led by Marino Zorzi. In the biographies of Anthony of Padua, Galileo Galilei and Gaspara Stampa the roots of this world are many and fascinating. And it is not excluded that he will return to the scene of the "crime"... I started out as a reporter, reporting other people's stories. I continued as an author, writing about men and beautiful stories. It's natural that there's something of mine in it. What is important is not so much that I recognize myself in what I write, but that others, editors and readers, appreciate it." She is also the coordinator of the project "Let's read the Great War again" for the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region. How will it be structured? “It was a wonderful experience and I am always grateful to the Regional Council for entrusting me with the task in February 2007. Now the centenary of the beginning of the Great War is upon us and we Italians must also deal here with the insufficient and defective historical memory that we have of it”. To what extent do you know the Adriatic lands you described also through personal experience? “In 63 I took my honeymoon there aboard a VW Beetle: Trieste, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade, Sarajevo and down to the Mostar bridge, going up the coast: Split, Zadar, River, Pula and Koper. Then other returns, up to Ragusa. The last, emotional, with judge Anteo Lenzoni, in his Pola”. What do you answer to those who believe that the mass media are the main culprit behind the Italian “confusion”? “The most responsible one, definitely not. The journalists who have told the story of Italy, of good and evil, with their investigations, have done a service to the Italians. It's a shame that the culture and desire for it have been lost. For the benefit of too many, modest, often useless acquaintances, or gossip”. What will Scandaletti's summer be like?