Author Archive

The story of Josef Mysliveček, the Czech composer of the 18th century who made Italy his adoptive homeland “He exudes fire, spirit and vitality”, Mozart said about his friend Josef Mysliveček. This is the registered name, for the history books and the general public,...

A visit to the Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius, symbol of the Czechoslovak resistance against nazi invaders Unlike in several historical churches in Prague, the entry to the Orthodox cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius is free of charge: an invitation – or...

The timeless charm of the Okoř Castle – or what is left of it Immersed in the silence of a winter dawn, amid the mist of a void and slightly snowy landscape, the majestic ruins of the Okoř castle could be an invention of...

This book by Jiří Lederer, in Italian translation by Tiziana Menotti, aims to be a biography that helps dismissing the wrong interpretations that have misshapen for decades the story of Jan Palach. The book intends to be a useful tool to eliminate misappropriations of...

That little world of the past, just few steps from the Prague Castle It’s called the “New World”, a name apparently in contrast with this really ancient small area, located a few steps away from the Prague Castle, in the district of Hradčany. There...

This slipcase, by Safarà publishing, is dedicated to three Central European writers: Pavol Rankov, Tomáš Zmeškal and Jan Němec. It comprises three novels very different from each other, but interconnecting through the refinement of a radically European writing and the city of Prague standing...

In 1967, Cardinal Beran flew to the Sardinian island to pray at the memorial, where lie the remains of his brother and thousands of Austro-Hungarian prisoners killed by cholera in 1915-1916 Asinara, the far north-western strip of Sardinia, unfolds from Cape Falcone, on the...

  Student of the well-known illustrator and animator Jiří Trnka, Štěpán Zavřel was a Czech dissident writer, painter and illustrator who lived in Italy for about forty years and passed away in 1999. Edited and translated by Francesca Romanini, “Vodnik” is a work written...

A concise history of Czech studies in Italy The study of Czech language in Italy has faced a complex path overwhelmed by the typical bureaucracy of Italy. The person to whom it is possible to attribute the merit of first Czech scholar is certainly...

30 years ago Václav Havel president of Czechoslovakia Initially reluctant to accept the post, Václav Havel became president of Czechoslovakia on December 29, 1989, thus making history as the first president after the end of communism, and as a guide during the country’s difficult...