Foreword

Written by  Alfredo Santini
Those of us who return to Ferrara after a brief or lengthy absence immediately notice how its beauty has remained intact. A thought that strikes not only the citizens of Ferrara but also foreigners.

However, in this age of the global village, the world understood as a single locale, the particular features that make cities so different from one another ought to be preserved and promoted as an individual, typical characteristic. This was the aim of the international conference on literature co-ordinated by Roberto Pazzi, whose intention was to bring to Ferrara, a city with a brilliant literary past and present, the world's most original and fascinating writers, voices that have influenced the collective imagination on a global level. And the Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara, which sponsored the event together with the town council of Ferrara, is very pleased and proud to be able to play a part in it.

 

Knowing the city also means knowing its leading lights: the court of the Estes or Spal, the local soccer team, or a great nineteenth century intellectual with a European reputation, like Leopoldo Cicognara, or the golden age of the Ferrarese school of painting, examples of which are to be found in the museums of the world. And what about the extraordinary landscapes and nature of the Po delta? These are just some of the topics dealt with in this issue of our magazine, which once again brings to the world the voices of a city, thanks to the determination of a Cassa and a Fondazione that have earned the confidence and the affection of an entire city.