We will talk about the sanctuary of the Madonna del Piastraio on Wednesday 8 May (5pm) in the auditorium of the Toniolo university hostel – in Pisa in via San Zeno 8 – on the occasion of the next appointment of the “Thè di Toscana Oggi”, the cultural meetings promoted by the weekly Tuscan with regional diffusion.
Anna Guidicollaborator of “Toscana Oggi” will take those present to Stazzema which, as is known, although located in the province of Lucca, is part of the jurisdiction of the diocese of Pisa.
It is here that, in 1821, the sanctuary was inaugurated, in the same place where, in the 18th century, there was a votive shrine, called “del Piastraio” because it was close to quarries where plates were obtained to cover the roofs of mountain houses. The aedicule was held in great veneration and looked after by a widow, Bartolomea Bertocchi. In 1772, since the image of the Madonna had deteriorated, Bertocchi had Guglielmo Tommasi paint another one. It is the one seen today in the sanctuary. Her title is “Madonna del Bell’Amore”. In two centuries the sanctuary of the Madonna del Piastraio has been the destination of numerous pilgrimages. And the Madonna del Bell’Amore invoked for a thousand reasons.
Professor Anna Guidi reconstructs this and much more in the book The Madonna del Piastraio. Story of a devotion published with the contribution of the Tuscany Region.
Anna Guidi will be presented by Sofia Secchi and Francesco Solditwo students of the Santa Caterina Institute and interviewed by Andrea Bernardini (Tuscany Today) e Carina Cherubini (Radio Incontro). Radio Incontro (Fm 107.75) will broadcast the recording of the meeting the following Tuesday 14 May after the radio news at 6pm.
The tea – supplied by the Vie del Thé of Florence – and the pastries – prepared by the Unitalsi chefs – will be served at the table, however, by the students of the Matteotti hotel institute.
The author
Originally from Seravezza, teacher of Italian and history in high schools in Massa, now retired, Anna Guidi was part of the editorial staff of the bimonthly magazine “Labirinto” from 1984 to 1991. She is the author of many articles in magazines and texts. She was among the authors of Stone cloudspublication dedicated to the 1996 flood, e the Azzanos of Italy. In 2018 you wrote The cult of the Magdalene in Pretrosciana, a border landin 2019: Colle di sparkle, the town of memory with Aedes masonry. He also wrote a lot about Sant’Anna di Stazzema and the 1944 massacre.
