L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Continued from page 4 the act of liberation of a Cir- cassian slave named Cateri- n a , w h i c h t o o k p l a c e s i x m o n t h s a f t e r L e o n a r d o ' s birth, in 1452. I couldn't believe and it seemed absurd to me: could the mother of L e o n a r d o , t h e u n i v e r s a l genius, be a foreign slave from a people considered uncivilized back then, could be she coming from the end of the world and of history? At first, I tried to prove to myself that that slave was not Leonardo's mother: I w a s a f r a i d o f t h e c o n s e - quences. So I started over the research. First, on all the names in that document and then, just as if I were follow- ing a thread in a labyrinth, on all the new names that emerged. In the end, I had to g i v e u p : i t w a s h e r . T h a t slave was Leonardo's moth- er. How long did it last and why did you decide t o r e v e a l h i s t o r y i n a novel? Research in archives and libraries, both in Italy and abroad, was interrupted by the pandemic at the begin- ning of 2020. I had already found almost everything, but there were still some missing pieces. I tried to write some- thing in academic form, but I couldn't. As a story, it was too big, too beautiful and terrible. Because in the end, it's the story of an act of vio- lence, it's about slavery. In the fall of 2020, in three or four months, I wrote this book, working day and night, as if in a dream. It felt like I had to set myself free from w h a t I h e l d i n s i d e l i k e a secret by writing it down. Caterina had to be "freed" a g a i n . A n d I f e l t , w i t h anguish, how current this story is, unfortunately: the story of thousands, millions of human beings who, today, are enslaved, exploited, and victims of violence. Only the literary form of fiction, based on historical truth, could communicate this message immediately and powerfully. Now that Caterina is free again, I feel free too. And, to reassure my academic col- leagues, I have finished and d e l i v e r e d a n e w b o o k , the Life of Leonardo. Cateri- n a ' s S o n , w h i c h w i l l b e released in a few months, with all the documents, notes, and bibliography. The scientific and his- torical value of this dis- covery is fundamental, but what does knowing about Leonardo's family origins mean? As Freud explained, family o r i g i n s c a n b e t h e k e y t o understanding everything enigmatic and mysterious in Leonardo's work, and all its typical elements. I think for instance, of his spirit of free- dom in scientific and intellec- tual research, which made him go ahead always, over- coming barriers and challeng- ing authority: what could have been his mother's, a slave, most cherished desire if not freedom? And then, the love for nature and animals, creative imagination, draw- ing… Leonardo felt free and universal because he knew his mother's story, even though h e c o u l d n o t t e l l a n y o n e about it. He knew he did not belong to just one family, one community, one culture, or c i v i l i z a t i o n . H i s h o r i z o n o p e n s u p t o i n f i n i t y , t o humanity as a whole. Myth often relies on mystery, and not know- ing what lies behind her e n i g m a t i c s m i l e m a d e Mona Lisa the most pop- ular work of art in the world. Paradoxically, can removing the dust of his- t o r y a n d r e v e a l i n g L e o n a r d o ' s s e c r e t s increase his charm? I n m y o p i n i o n , y e s , because the myth continues to exist. We also need myth, dreams, and imagination. History and documents do not tell us everything. They reveal only a part, a small part. Beyond the surface of things, the mystery of life and existence opens up, and this also applies to great figures of the past. We need to believe in something, in a message of hope and, why not, even in a smile: whether it's Caterina's or Mona Lisa's, it doesn't matter. It is a smile that com- forts us in life, that tells us "let's move forward, despite a l l t h e b a d t h i n g s i n t h e world." As Dostoevsky said, it is beauty that will save the world. Although historically incorrect as a definition (since Italy did not exist as we know it during the Renaissance), Leonardo is a symbol of Italian cul- ture abroad. From this point of view, what does such a discovery mean? Will it put the association between Leonardo and Italy into question? Will he become less "ours," will we lose a symbol? I believe quite the oppo- site. Caterina was not "Ital- ian" at the beginning of her life, but she certainly became one — and a great one — by living in our country and set- tling in the beautiful commu- nity of Vinci. In Florence and Vinci she regained her free- dom and dignity as a woman and a human being. The story o f C a t e r i n a a n d h e r s o n teaches us that the true great- ness of Italy and its culture has been, for millennia, being a bridge over the Mediter- ranean, a point of encounter and intersection for peoples and cultures — merchants, artists, poets, but also work- ers, migrants, and paupers. And this, perhaps, has no equal anywhere else in the world. This isn't "national- ism," this is true "Italian- ness," and we can be truly proud of that. It's a beautiful message for the present as well. Can I joke a bit? One of the characteristics of us Ital- ians is our immense love for our mothers: in this regard, Leonardo is a super-Italian. Does the fact he was the child of two cultures and two ethnicities make Leonardo much closer to t o d a y ' s g l o b a l w o r l d ( a l t h o u g h t h e a n c i e n t world was more multi- cultural than we think)? Will this perhaps make him less distant but more s i m i l a r t o u s , m o r e understandable and rele- vant? Absolutely yes, and in the end, that's the story of so many of us. It's the true story of humanity. Even mine. I was born in Naples, but my mother is from Trieste, the d a u g h t e r o f a S l o v e n i a n woman and a half-German father. The book is dedicated to her. My father's mother was a Venetian Jew, and a l a r g e p a r t o f o u r f a m i l y migrated to the United States more than a hundred years ago, and today lives in Long Island, New York. Italian Americans are children of two worlds. Like Leonardo, they have "mixed" DNA, language, a n d c u l t u r e . D o e s t h e "genius" disappear when there is contamination? W e c a n n o t s a y h o w "genius" is born, it's one of life's mysteries. But we can be certain that where there is movement there is life, and where things like ideas and imaginations mix with one another, something new can always come about. Anyone may see or discover or create something that didn't exist… like lighting a fire, building a wheel, or flying in the sky. Y o u h a v e d e d i c a t e d much of your studies to Leonardo's fascinating and multifaceted person- ality. Why, in your opin- ion, does he still generate s o m u c h i n t e r e s t a n d w h a t c a n h e t e a c h t h e world today? The world's fascination with Leonardo has ancient origins, and usually, people's interest focuses only on cer- tain "mythical" elements, such as the famous smile of the Mona Lisa, or on more m y s t e r i o u s , e n i g m a t i c themes, like in The Da Vinci Code. However, I believe that Leonardo, more than myster- ies and enigmas, can and must teach us more impor- t a n t t h i n g s : t h e s p i r i t o f research, free from any prej- udice and aimed only at the truth; love for nature, for life, for the beauty of creation. And now, even his life can teach us something. And it's not just him doing it. It's also C a t e r i n a , w h o m I l i k e t o remember not only and not so much as Leonardo's moth- er, but in her autonomy as a w o m a n a n d a s a p e r s o n . Because, even if she weren't Leonardo's mother, she was still a heroine, a girl, and a woman who suffered a lot but fought and won: a symbol of freedom and hope for the world today. My book, and I'd like to stress it, is not a book about Leonardo: it is the story of Caterina. Vecce says that "Leonardo felt free and universal because he knew his mother's story. He knew he did not belong to just one family, one community, one culture, or civilization. His horizon opened up to infinity, to humanity as a whole" Carlo Vecce (above) has been studying Leonardo for 30 years (Photo: Ufficio Stampa Giunti Editore)

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