words by Elizabeth Ganley-Roper
Yesterday, just four days after celebrating his 92nd birthday, Tonino Guerra passed away. Born in Santarcangelo di Romagna (Emilia-Romagna) on the 16th of March 1920, Guerra was a poet, writer and screenwriter who collaborated with some of the world’s most important film directors.
A relative of Cesare Zavattini, the most prominent figure in the Neorealist movement in Italian cinema, Guerra worked with renowned filmmakers such as Vittorio De Sica, brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Michelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini, Francesco Rosi, Andrei Tarkovsky and Theo Anghelopulos.
Passionate about his homeland, Guerra worked to preserve Romagna’s gems and designed fountains, painted watercolours and devised plans for gardens and museums. His Orchard of Forgotten Fruits in Pennabilli, part of his series of installations, Abodes of the Soul (I Luoghi dell’Anima), has been visited by travellers from all over the world, including the Dalai Lama. The museum, The World of Tonino Guerra, brings together his artistic works including ceramics and paintings.
Guerra also won awards for his poetry and continued writing up until his death. He was the first to launch his regional dialect on a national stage and received much recognition for this feat.
We say “Addio” to Tonino with some of his famous quotes and aphorisms:
