Subject
In his Notti romane (Roman Nights), Alessandro Verri (1741-1816) elaborates a tale in which he imagines talking to ancient Romans as they accompany him in a walk along the Appian Way: an evocative passage inspired by the discovery of the Sepulchre of the Scipioni, taking place in 1780. Among his spectral companions is Cicero, who in the Tusculanae Disputationes made mention of the sepulchres along the famous road, as Verri in turn notes in his Colloquio Quinto, Notte quinta (Fifth discussion of the Fifth night). In his dialogue, Verri also reflects on the state of abandonment and the ruin befallen the monuments, due to the neglect of generations disrespectful of their ancestors and antiquity.
Placement
The British Library
Credits
Google Books, The British Library
References
Le Notti Romane del conte Alessandro Verri sulle ruine della magnificenza antica, Tomo II, Firenze 1824.
