Prague – The Italian Cultural Institute in Prague is kicking off its autumn program with a rich series of events on art, literature, history, science, and faith.
The program opened on Monday, September 22, with the presentation of the art book curated by Paolo Sabbatini and Sandro Pazzi, “Giacomo Casanova (Apologia) – A Multifaceted Genius,” published by Grafiche Fioroni to mark the 300th anniversary of the Venetian writer and adventurer’s birth. The volume brings together works of art and engravings by Italian and international artists, along with unpublished texts by contemporary writers, poets, and scholars. Through its broad iconographic and textual apparatus, it presents Casanova in his entirety – as a man of letters, intellectual, and European figure of striking modernity.
The series continues on September 25 in the Baroque Chapel of the Institute with the sixth event of “Et Cetera | Dialogues,” the cycle of public interviews organized by the Eleutheria Foundation of Prague. The guest will be Fra’ Alessandro de Franciscis – a physician trained in epidemiology at Harvard, former member of the Italian Parliament, and prominent figure in the Sovereign Military Order of Malta – who since 2009 has headed the Bureau des Constatations Médicales of Lourdes, the body that scientifically evaluates miracles. The interview, titled “Healings and Miracles of Lourdes: Science and Faith in Dialogue,” will be conducted by Francesco Augusto Razetto, President of the Eleutheria Foundation.
The September program will close on Monday, September 29, with the conference “Italy and Czechoslovakia in the European Short Century,” hosted in the Institute’s Conference Hall.