05/12/2024 - TO THE FASTEST MAN, THE SLOWEST ANIMAL

The speaker, Stefano Scansani, journalist and writer, and author of the book The History of Mantua in 21 Objects, masterfully recounted the origin of Tazio Nuvolari’s talisman, derived from D’Annunzio Cheli’s turtle. Present at the meeting were the President of the National Union of Knights of Italy (UNCI Mantua Section) and Giuseppe Pottocar, Director of Aci Mantova.

In The History of Mantua in 21 Objects, however, it is the objects that tell the story. Do objects speak? Of course they do: they narrate time because they precede us and outlive us. Unexpected, unsuspected, hidden, or obvious due to our habit of seeing them, these objects make up the bazaar of time. To bypass the well-known history of Mantua, the author—much like Neil MacGregor did with A History of the World in 100 Objects—turned to things. A geography of things. To the Etruscan pig bone, a charm against the evil eye, Virgil’s meditation seat, the unicorn’s horn, a Renaissance cap, Mozart-era teacups, Tazio Nuvolari’s talisman, a two-furrow plow, a Festivaletteratura pass… Precisely twenty-one objects, reflecting the number of this century. Each of them embodies the evolution of our mindset. Of our civilization, step by step. A manual, an atlas, an inventory of surprises that allow readers to journey through Mantua’s timeline in a completely new way.