Giovanni Pascoli
What do we know about the death of Giovanni Pascoli ?
The great Italian poet, one of the greatest exponents of European Decadentism, died on April 6, 1912 in Bologna.
He had been living in the Emilian city for some time, after having succeeded Giosuè Carducci as a professor of Italian Literature at the University.
The emeritus professor had just turned 56:what led him to such an untimely death?
Officially Pascoli was the victim of stomach cancer, as indeed the death certificate states.
Probably, however, this was due to an explicit request to the doctor by Maria, called Mariù, beloved sister of the artist, his heir and curator of the posthumous works.
In this way, the woman intended to "cleanse" the image of the famous brother of any shadow or aspect in her eyes that was not very "presentable".
A large and moved crowd pays homage to Giovanni Pascoli on the day of his funeral
Among these was the increasingly marked addiction to alcohol , from which hepatitis had arisen for some time.
The disease almost certainly degenerated into liver cirrhosis causing the poet's premature end.
The news of the death of Giovanni Pascoli, one of the most complex and elevated personalities of his time, caused enormous emotion in the country.
For two days and for two nights, without interruption, men and women paid homage to the coffin.
A composed and silent crowd did not fail to greet him at each station where the train on which the body was laid to make the last journey made a stop.
After the celebration of the solemn funeral in the Basilica of San Petronio , by the same will of him, Pascoli was brought back to Castelvecchio di Barga (Lu), today Castelvecchio Pascoli in honor of him, to be buried in the chapel located near his beloved home.