"Ungaretti was the poet of our
youth, a time when schools deeply explored the significance of
the First World War." This was the statement from Italy's
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani following his visit to the
Ungaretti Poet and Soldier exhibition. The Karst and the Soul of
the World: Poetry, Painting, History at the Santa Chiara Museum
in Gorizia.
"Ungaretti showed us," the minister explained, "what an
Italian soldier endured in the trenches. This exhibition is
remarkable because numerous contemporary poets have been invited
to reflect on what Ungaretti evokes in them. It's an exhibition
I'd recommend to all students to deepen their understanding of
our history and national unity—a subject still seldom discussed,
even though it's not been so long since 1918. Wars must teach us
to prevent future conflicts, yet we mustn't forget the
sacrifices we've witnessed, as seen in the Redipuglia Memorial."
The exhibition—sponsored by the FVG Region along with the
municipalities of Gorizia and Monfalcone and curated by Marco
Goldin—combines history, painting, literature, and the lands of
the Great War. Together with the From Boccioni to Martini: Art
in the Venices in the Time of Ungaretti on the Karst exhibition
at Monfalcone Municipal Gallery of Contemporary Art, it forms
part of a single project celebrating Nova Gorica-Gorizia as the
European Capital of Culture 2025.
"Ungaretti doesn't need my praise," Tajani continued. "He was
one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, and his words are
like sculptures, etched into walls, impossible to erase due to
their depth and power to depict sensations and challenging
moments in life. Yet, he also offered hope when he saw a renewed
Karst after the war. It reminds us that after war, life begins
again, and we must never lose hope."
After the visit, Tajani met with Damjan Terpin, president of
the Slovenska Skupnost, and Walter Bandelj, president of the
Confederation of Slovenian organizations. He then met with
regional leaders and local representatives of Forza Italia.
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