The Marcovigi/Pascoli collection at the University

Thanks to an agreement with the Emilia Romagna Region, the Bologna University Library - BUB, has received the Marcovigi/Pascoli Collection, which contains an important core of letters written by Giovanni Pascoli to his friend, the Bolognese lawyer Raffaello Marcovigi, for whose wedding the poet collected the first edition of Myricae in 1891.

The correspondence spans the poet's university years to his professorship in Bologna, until his death in 1912. The collection is enriched by a further exchange of letters between Marcovigi and the poet's sister, Maria Pascoli. There are also poetic texts in Italian and Latin. As a result, the University has acquired important documents for reconstructing some of the most important periods of the poet's university life.

Through an agreement, the University of Bologna and the Emilia Romagna Region have drawn up a joint plan for the reorganisation and valorisation of the Marcovigi/Pascoli collection. The Region will provide specific expertise in archiving, while the University will launch a project for the reorganisation, study and valorisation of the collection, accompanied by the transcription of the text and the complete digitisation of the documents.

There is also a two-year project to produce a book and an exhibition in order to make the collection accessible to the general public. In addition, the University Library will meet the needs of researchers and scholars by making the collection available for consultation.

"The acquisition of the Marcovigi collection, made possible by the Emilia-Romagna Region," states Rector Giovanni Molari, "enriches the University's patrimony with precious documents that shed light on the life of Giovanni Pascoli, an illustrious poet, but also an excellent student and teacher at the University. On the other hand, the collection gives us a more detailed portrait of Raffaello Marcovigi, also a student and Law graduate of our University, who remained close to the poet from his student days until his death. It will be our duty to promote the study and the appreciation of such an important legacy to the history of our university and our city".

"The acquisition best represents the implementation of the cultural heritage policy developed in recent years by the department", says Regional Councillor for culture, Mauro Felicori. "We will continue to acquire collections that are vital to the regional cultural heritage, making them accessible to the public and enhancing their content through detailed descriptions and digitisation.”