There was a full house in the San Giovanni Aula at Palazzo Rucellai for the presentation of two volumes of the Edizione Nazionale delle Opere di Lorenzo Valla on May 13th. Extra chairs were brought in so attendees could sit comfortably under the stunning frescoed ceiling, while Prof. Marco Petoletti (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore) presented “De elegantia lingue latine. Prolegomena” (ed. by Clementina Marsico and Mariangela Regoliosi), followed by Prof. Andrea Severi’s (Università di Bologna) presentation of “Secundum Antidotum in Pogium” (ed. by Alessio Patané).
In his opening remarks, Stefano U. Baldassarri (Director, ISI Florence) admitted to be somewhat surprised — despite his own studies in humanist literature — to see so much interest in an early Renaissance author (mostly remembered today for his rediscovery of classical Latin) at a time when the humanities are often being looked down upon as marginal, if not quite useless. Yet, it could also be the charm of this Renaissance palace, designed by Leon Battista Alberti in the mid-fifteenth century, especially when associated with events like this. In a passage of his diary (the “Zibaldone“) Giovanni Rucellai (1403-1481) wrote that he wanted this palace of his, which was then under construction, to serve as a meeting place for humanists. We are glad to keep his hope alive; there were indeed plenty of humanists (past and present, in spirit and in person) at Palazzo Rucellai the other day.
Click on this link to purchase the latest volumes of the Edizione Nazionale delle Opere di Lorenzo Valla.