Culture as Care: A Talk on Humanist Letter-Writing (in Italian)

Why did Renaissance humanists write such vivid and detailed personal letters? Why did they collect them for a wider readership? This lecture explores these questions by investigating Renaissance humanitas in a double-sense: as cultura, a course of learning; and more importantly as cura, or concern for others. Humanist letters show how humanist friendships deepened their reading of the ancients, and conversely how their study fostered the emotional intimacy between humanists and their correspondents. Understanding the humanitas of humanist letter-writing provides us with the potential to restore in our lives a greater feeling for wholeness and health.