Alberto Nessi © Foto: Mario del Curto
Presentation of the new book In cerca della luce by Alberto Nessi
Friday 27 February 2026 · 18.00 · Sala Boccadoro, Via dei Somazzi 4, Montagnola ♿
As part of Beyond Hesse – LetteraTalk, journalist Clara Caverzasio will be in conversation with Alberto Nessi on the occasion of the presentation of his new book In cerca della luce. Storie di artisti venuti in Ticino.
In 1919, Hermann Hesse settled in Montagnola, finding in this region a fertile quietness and a light capable of nourishing some of his most celebrated works. Like him, many other restless and nonconformist spirits arrived in Ticino, drawn by a call that is difficult to define: a combination of landscapes, freedom and the possibility of artistic renewal. Places such as Carona and Monte Verità thus became unexpected crossroads of cultural experimentation.
In his new book, Alberto Nessi reconstructs these presences through a series of narrative portraits that move along the boundary between history and imagination. In the chapter dedicated to Hesse, Nessi does not offer a biography but a lateral and poetic perspective: that of someone observing the master from afar and, precisely within that distance, measuring his own desire for writing, his illusions and his life choices. Hesse’s figure thus becomes the symbol of a broader search – that for the meaning of creation, individuality and authenticity – a theme that runs throughout the book and resonates deeply with the history of Ticino as a land of arrival and artistic transformation.
Moderated by Clara Caverzasio. A convivial aperitif will follow.
In Italian.
Entrance fee: «Pay What You Want» principle