THE EAGLE. A year ago, on April 27, 2023, she died at 92 years old Raffaele Colapietra, intellectual and historian who wrote fundamental works for the history of Southern Italy. Colapietra, in his own way, also marked the events of the post-2009 earthquake, when his refusal to leave the house in via Pescara ended up on TV and on the pages of all the newspapers. Unfortunately, it should be noted that, in the year that has passed since his death, Raffaele Colapietra has been almost forgotten both by the institutions and by the city’s many cultural associations.
The only event of some importance during which Colapietra was remembered was a meeting, at the end of November 2023, in the Alessandro Clementi lecture hall of the University organized by the Textus publishing house. On that occasion they talked about it Gaetano Quagliarielloformer senator and historian, journalist Ancient Lovethe teacher Valeria Valeri and the professor Enrico Zimei.
Colapietra has certainly not been forgotten by the Deputation of Homeland History, but above all he is remembered by his many friends (historical and otherwise) who frequented him assiduously over the years. In recent months, on social, the proposal was launched for a house museum dedicated to Professor Colapietra to be built where the historian lived until his death. “The house of Raffaele Colapietra”, we read in the proposal, “as a place of culture for the community, giving citizens the opportunity to actively experience the environments where he lived and in which they could read, study, display any of his manuscripts, organize appointments cultural. The scholar’s home therefore becomes a civic home, open – in a respectful way – to all age groups so as to preserve and continue the relationship that linked man to the city. A concrete and constructive way to bring alive the cultural legacy of Professor Raffaele Colapietra who gave so much to the intellectual growth of our community”.
The professor was also at home at the State Archives (the current director Marta Vittorini interviewed Colapietra on the history of L’Aquila, an interview that became the professor’s book-testament) and to the “Tommasi” Library to which the historian donated his rich library.
For next summer, a group of the professor’s friends is organizing the first edition of “Remembering Colapietra, dear friend” (place and date still to be fixed) which will be the story of more or less well-known anecdotes about the scholar and the collaboration that Colapietra did not he never denied it to anyone: students, village historians, enthusiasts of L’Aquila events. His interviews will be re-proposed and excerpts from his works will be read. “Dear friend” was the “standard” phrase with which the professor addressed his interlocutors. The hope is that recognition will soon come from the institutions for a man who perhaps wasn’t liked by everyone (also due to the fact that he certainly didn’t tell them), but who is undoubtedly a character that the city cannot forget.
A memorial mass will be celebrated tomorrow at 12 in the church of San Giuseppe Artigiano in via Sassa.
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