Educating to beauty

Caravaggio’s picture in St.Louis Church in Rome

Rome [ENA] Despite the serious economic, political and social moments it is experiencing, Italy has an extraordinary variety of landscapes and an equally great variety of ecosystems. Italian culture and the so called Italian Style are references for the whole world. It cannot happen again that memory is lacking otherwise in the future there’s always the possibility to fail. And in fact, considering the contemporary tourist,

Painting in Trisulti Abbey. Italy

he seems to be a consumer of the present moment and not a person aware of the past and the future. Within this logic, a reflection seems to be legitimate: can tourism be democratic? Is mass tourism the victory of democracy? Or it is only the victory of economy?Obviously the reference can never link freedom of tourism and wealth. Of course, it is important the sensitivity, the appreciation of beauty and of all that is history and culture which relates to the human tendency to feel powerful transcendent emotions. But such a state of mind can be acquired only through the school!

Villa Mondragone ceiling. Monteporzio Catone. Rome

Educating to beauty is still a priority: as it is education to refinement of soul, the one that makes you move in front of an unexpected archaeological excavation, of the sea, of a mountain, of a new town . Dostoevsky was sure beauty would save humanity. But will the distracted man of our time still be able to be fascinated by beauty? It is necessary to trigger educational processes that have to pass through the welcome that tourism workers, at all levels, adopt: mindful of a history and aiming at building a future that also passes through the conservation, protection of the landscape and historical heritage and art of the Nation.

San Leo town. Italy

The scarcity of memory and desire for the future is not only the property of the vacationer / tourist, but also of those who offer hospitality to make it an opportunity for work. One has to try to be good citizens, to be a self-aware person. This goes hand-in-hand with a responsibility to preserve the spirit of international solidarity that has characterized the response to this shared crisis of COVID19, a response that has included international institutions, the civil society at large and individual citizens. Again and again, the pandemic puts us to the test and proves that we are stronger if we act together and not in isolation.