We had the distinct pleasure of welcoming to the VITSENTZOS KORNAROS Shelter a distinguished group of consuls, journalists, and cultural figures from Italy, at the initiative of Georgia Lambraki, Consul of Greece in the Emilia-Romagna region, based in Bologna.
During the visit, Angela Christaki, a member of the Shelter’s Management Committee, presented in Italian the life and work of Vitsentzos Kornaros, with special reference to the significant position of EROTOKRITOS in Cretan and European literature.
We were delighted to welcome:
- Georgia Lambraki – Consul of Greece in Emilia-Romagna, based in Bologna.
- Lorena Veronica Zuniga Aguilera – Consul of Chile
- Marino Forcellini – Consul of the Republic of San Marino and journalist
- Giorgio Rinaldi – Consul of Uruguay and journalist
- Ginetto Campanini – Screenwriter for Italian public television (RAI)
- Francesca Nunberg – Journalist for Il Messaggero newspaper
- Sandro Marini – Journalist for RAI and the show Voyager
- Giulio Biasion – Italian journalist
A special moment of the meeting was the presence of Giulio Biasion, son of the important Italian painter, engraver, and writer Renzo Biasion (1914–1996), who offered us his father’s book titled Sagapò and spoke to us about its creation and history.
The book, inspired by the author’s personal experiences in Crete during the Italian occupation in World War II, is of particular interest to our region, as it connects with places and people of Eastern Crete.
Giulio Biasion also referred to the book’s unique journey to cinema, the initial attempts at its film adaptation with Anna Magnani and Roberto Rossellini, as well as the circumstances that led, several years later, to the creation of the film Mediterraneo, which was honored in 1992 with the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
We sincerely thank everyone for their presence and the interest they showed in the Shelter and its work.
Special thanks are due to Georgia Lambraki, Consul of Greece in Bologna, for her initiative and the organization of this special visit, as well as for her continuous contribution to fostering communication and cultural cooperation between Siteia and Italy.