Could you name the masters of Italian literature? Outside of Italy, especially if not in the field of literature, one would probably mention Dante, Petrarca or Boccaccio… Ask instead any Italian that you happen to meet and surely, he would immediately mention Alessandro Manzoni among others!
Perhaps you have heard or even read something of Manzoni, but has not come up as important a name or has not meant vitally important to you… but it is for Italy!
Try now going back about two centuries in history, when Italians were divided as a country and did not speak the same language. Divided by regions and speaking different dialects, how could they become unified as a nation unable to connect with each others? It started with a simple story, a book that Alessandro Manzoni wrote and became a must in Italian literature. This book gave people who were disconnected but wanted to be independent, a common language that enabled them to communicate.
This was the idea of Alessandro Manzoni, father of the modern Italian language. This was the importance of his book, the Promessi Sposi!
To know the whole story of how Italians became one people, visit the Alessandro Manzoni historical house in the center of Milan, right near The Gallerie d’Italia in via Manzoni. You will get to know how he lived, how he thought and worked. Walk through each room, observe his study, his desk and his library and imagine how this genius found the way to unite Italians.
Spend some peaceful time in a hidden corner in the heart of the old Milan.
CASA del MANZONI Via G. Morone 1 Milano
