ALBERTO FOLIN

The voluptuous dishes of Giacomo Leopardi

Alberto Folin takes us on a thrilling trip between food, literature and poetry. From the Boccaccio's Decameron, often set in places that are dense of soots and leaden of smells, and where sensual scenes dominate, we arrive to discover allegoric food on the rich and poor tables in the romance “Promessi sposi”.

And, then, we arrive in Naples, at the Giacomo Leopardi's table, in the kitchen of Villa delle Ginestre, where the chef of Casa Ranieri, Mr Pasquale Ignarra, satisfied the voluptuous appetites of the poet with fired food, livers, gnocchi and bigné.

The itinerary traced by Alberto Folin continues with him telling us about his own heart places and food – Venice, Naples, Greece; livers, creamed stockfish, sarda, tripe – and it finishes with a beautiful definition of Mediterranean and the Mediterranean diet, inspired to classic mythology: «The Mediterranean is impulse of life […] it is wine and transparent water. It is abyss and relation».

Interview information

Geographic information

Country: IT

Region: Campania

City: Napoli

District: NA

Suburb: San Ferdinando

Locality: UNIVERSITA' DEGLI STUDI SUOR ORSOLA BENINCASA

Altitude: 17m s.l.m.

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People

Alberto Folin

Year: 1945
City: Venezia
School: University
Profession: Teacher/Professor
Languages: Italiano

References

Bibliography:

Alberto Folin, Costellazioni del pensiero. Scritture poetiche dell’Occidente, Moretti&Vitali, 2009
 
Alberto Folin, Leopardi e il canto dell’addio, Marsilio, 2008
 
Alberto Folin, Pensare per affetti. Leopardi: la natura, l’immagine, Marsilio, 1996
 
Alberto Folin, Leopardi e la notte chiara, Marsilio, 1994
 
Domenico Pasquariello, Antonio Tubelli, Leopardi a tavola. Quarantanove cibi della lista autografa di Giacomo Leopardi a Napoli, Fausto Lupetti Editore, 2008 

Document by: Helga Sanità, MedEatResearch-Centro di Ricerche Sociali sulla Dieta Mediterranea, intervista a cura di Helga Sanità, traduzione scheda in inglese di Marzia Mauriello, sottotitoli a cura di Maria Funiciello
Video by: a cura di Davide Mancini
Created: 28-03-2013

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