Statue of Giovanni Boccaccio, Loggiato degli Uffizi (Firenze), from O. Fantacchiotti (1845)
Reading on the 63rd Anniversary of Hermann Hesse’s Death
Sunday, 10 August 2025, 16.30 · Church of Sant’Abbondio, Gentilino
On the occasion of the 650th anniversary of Giovanni Boccaccio’s death, and the 63rd of Hermann Hesse’s, we honour two literary giants connected by an invisible thread across the centuries: on one hand, the master of medieval storytelling; on the other, a keen observer of modern life.
In 1904, Hesse published a biographical essay on Boccaccio, offering a passionate and insightful portrait of the 14th-century Florentine writer. The words by Hesse, which will be read during this commemorative event, serve as a bridge between two distant eras and styles—united by a shared love of literature and humanism. This tribute celebrates not only Boccaccio’s literary legacy but also the admiration a modern author held for one of the founding figures of Italian literature.
Readings by Antonio Ballerio (in Italian) and Ernst Süss (in German).
Between the readings, Maja Hren will perform Kristine Warmhold’s contemporary medieval-inspired compositions on the lap harp.
Entrance fee: «Pay What You Want» principle