Transylvania calls Basilicata: it has a great impact Exhibition-Museum “European Dimension of Vlad Tepes (Dracula)” dedicated to the most famous vampire in the world, which opens to the public today in Acerenza, a unique opportunity to discover the links between the famous Romanian voivode and the Lucanian region.
Who really is Dracula?
For Romanians Vlad Tepes, alias Dracula, is a national hero who defended Christianity from the Ottoman invasion. His figure was made famous by Bram Stoker’s novel, but the Acerenza exhibition aims to shed light on the true story of the voivode, between legend and reality. The name Dracula derives from Draco (the dragon in the coat of arms) and became famous during the 1800s thanks to the Irish writer’s novel Bram Stoker. Vlad Tepes’ allied knights were engaged in a bloody war to defend Christianity against the Muslim Turks who were trying to break through the borders and invade Europe, imposing their religion. For this reason, Vlad Tepes (Dracula) is considered a national hero by Romanians. Representatives of the Romanian Government, the Romanian Embassy in Italy, a delegation from the Republic of Moldova and the Municipality of Chisinau, international scholars and researchers, including the meseographer Paulina Amelian, will arrive in Acerenza to unveil a bronze bust and a painting of painter Iolanda Cretoiu.
The link with Basilicata
The exhibition explores the possible links between Vlad Tepes and Acerenza. According to some scholars, her daughter Maria Balsa lived here after her father’s death, and her remains could be buried in the Ferrillo tomb. Another clue is the coat of arms present both on the tomb of Naples and in the crypt of Acerenza: two paired dolphins, symbol of the Romanian region of Dobruja.
Unpublished documents will be exhibited for the first time, including the “Dragon Family Tree”, which tells of the events of the Dragon Knights, to which Vlad Tepes belonged. The exhibition, which will be held at Palazzo Glinni, is the first step of the project which aims to enhance the historical-cultural heritage linked to the figure of Dracula and to promote tourism in Basilicata and Romania.
An ambitious project
The project “In the footsteps of Dracula in Europe” involves the creation of exhibitions, conferences, publications and tourist itineraries in Romania, Basilicata and other European countries. The goal is to enhance the historical-cultural heritage linked to the figure of Dracula and to promote intercultural dialogue. «Our initiative which is first and foremost a cultural operation – explains Carlo Francesco Glinni, one of the promoters of the initiative – and is based on a long search for historical sources initiated by my brother Gianni, on the contribution of Mircea Cosma and others Romanian and Italian scholars, on the precious family library and will have official recognition from the Department for Romanians Abroad with the inauguration of the bronze bust of Count Vlad Tepes”.
