326 / 540
CHAPTER 31
Italy and Literature (Testimonial)
By Manuel Salvador Gautier
Architect and winner of the National literature prize
of the Fundacion Corripio and the Ministry of Culture
•
n 1956, the Italian government awarded me a scholarship to study monument restoration at the Univer-
sity of Rome’s School of Architecture. I did, indeed, arrive in Rome and ultimately earned a degree from
that school, as well as the title of PhD in Architecture. Being in Italy and, especially in Rome, means being
thrown into a cornucopia of knowledge about the beginnings of our civilization. The Roman Empire es-
tablished a wide range of institutions from which nearly everything we do today is derived. I was there from
1956 to 1960, at a time when Italy was in full recovery from the ravages of World War II and beginning to
explode in prosperity. Films such as Roberto Rossellini’s
Rome, Open City
and Vittorio De Sica’s
Shoeshine
had
traveled the world, and tourists could be spotted everywhere, but above all, the economy was making great
strides, and Milan had become one of the most important cities in Europe.
The architecture school at the University of Rome was located in the exclusive Parioli neighborhood, op-
posite the Villa Borghese park, one of the most beautiful sectors of Rome at the time. Touring the streets of
Rome was a true delight for any architect, given that both its narrow streets and buildings maintain a stylistic
unity that began with the Renaissance. The Colosseum, the ruins of ancient Rome, and the Appian Way are
singularly and collectively impressive.
In literature, Italy boasts of Dante Alighieri, whose
Divine Comedy
is his most renowned work and who can
be included with Miguel de Cervantes of Spain and William Shakespeare of England to form, arguably, the
most outstanding trio of authors in the world. In the 1950s, writers such as Cesare Pavese and Alberto Moravia
excelled, while Pier Paolo Pasolini emerged with his narratives and his films, which were groundbreaking in
terms of what was being done at the time. I read several of them. I personally met Giuseppe Patroni Griffi,
when he had not yet started his career as a film director but which eventually made him famous worldwide.
At that time, he had already published a book of short stories and directed various plays. In one of those plays,
he cast my fellow
pensione
companion Angelo Zanolli, who was a theater and film actor. Patroni Griffi often
came to converse with him, and I sometimes joined them. It is surprising how simple these famous people
can be in more intimate settings. Patroni Griffi engaged in pleasant conversation and was quite humorous; he
would also bring with him his newly written works, which he would then read to us.
I am an opera lover. The winter opera seasons at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma were an extraordinary
experience for me. I heard the tenors Mario Del Monaco, Giuseppe Di Stefano and Franco Corelli; the sopra-
nos Mirella Freni and Renata Scotto; the baritone Tito Gobbi, and many more. I also heard the famous Maria
Callas, though at La Scala in Milan. Whenever the opening of ticket sales was announced, I made sure to buy
a ticket in the first row of the balcony; as a student, I could not pay for the higher-priced seats, but in that row
the work could be best appreciated. I learned about set design and movement on the stage, period clothing,