IMAGINED DIALOGUES
Walk with Manzoni and Testori from Brusuglio to Novate
The event was organized by Casa Testori in collaboration with Trenord — a sustainable “loop” route from Cormanoto Novate Milanese, including travel by train.
The walk connected Villa Manzoni in Brusuglio, a place of deep significance for Italy’s greatest novelist Alessandro Manzoni, with Casa Testori, the birthplace of Giovanni Testori. Testori, a writer and art historian, considered Manzoni one of his essential points of reference. Manzoni’s attentive focus on the specificity of place planted the seed for a new literary sensibility. Linking the two houses through the shared action of a walk means highlighting the extraordinary richness of a territory marked, even physically, by a strong industrial vocation.
The walk was conceived as a theatrical action, developing across four stages an imagined dialogue between Manzoni and Testori. Along the way, the two voices addressed themes that defined their relationship with their respective homes: their bond with nature, their relationships with their mothers, their sense of belonging to a specific territory, and the domestic space as a creative incubator—along with their shared fascination for interior design and arrangement.
The text montage was curated by Giulia Asselta.
Matteo Bonanni portrayed Alessandro Manzoni, and Sebastian Luque Herrera played Giovanni Testori.
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Departure: 2:30 p.m. from Cormano – Cusano Milanino Station
Conclusion: around 5:45 p.m. at Casa Testori, Novate Milanese
Technical notes:
The route follows urban streets and paths within Parco Nord Milano. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
The theatrical moments (approx. 15 minutes each) take place outdoors, without seating provided. Participants may bring folding chairs or mats if they wish to sit during the readings.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES
Giovanni Testori
I trionfi (1965)
Edipo a Novate (1977)
Conversazione con la morte (1979)
Quell’angelo color ciclamino (1980)
La mia Milano (1982)
I cieli gloriosi di Mario Schifano (1983)
Perché proprio loro, I “Promessi Sposi” (1984)
I promessi sposi alla prova. Azione teatrale in due giornate (1984)
I conti con Virginia (1985)
«Subito fu per me la famiglia, la casa» (1985)
Mater strangosciàs (1994)
I Meridiani (2023)
Alessandro Manzoni
In morte di Carlo Imbonati (1805)
La Risurrezione (1812)
Il Natale (1813)
Il conte di Carmagnola (1820)
La morte di Ermengarda – Coro dell’atto IV (1822)
Lettere sui Promessi Sposi (1823)
Fermo e Lucia (1823)
Gli sposi Promessi (1827)
Sentir messa. Libro della lingua d’Italia contemporaneo dei promessi sposi (1836)
I Promessi Sposi (1840)
Other references
La Ninetta del Verzee, Carlo Porta (1814)
Conversazioni con Testori, Luca Doninelli (2012)
Testori. Opere scelte, Giovanni Agosti (2022)
(Additional reference on Manzoni and Brusuglio – forthcoming from Giuseppe)
