A packed hall, long applause and the thread of memory intertwined with the responsibility of safeguarding a cultural heritage that now belongs to Europe. Unical remembered Professor Nuccio Ordine yesterday with an intense and participatory day promoted by the Rotary Club Rende – District 2102, culminating in the presentation of the scholarships named after the great humanist originally from Diamante who passed away in 2023.
Academics, students, administrators, friends and representatives of the cultural world gathered in the Caldora hall to pay homage to one of the most translated and appreciated Italian intellectuals in the world, author of “The Utility of Uselessness” and a leading scholar of Renaissance thought. The president of the Rende Rotary Club Sergio Mazzuca opened the proceedings, followed by institutional interventions from the mayor of Rende Sandro Principe and the rector of Unical Gianluigi Greco. Immediately after the screening of the docufilm “Nuccio Ordine. The utility of the useless”, directed by Angelica Artemisia Pedatella, which returned the human and intellectual profile of the Calabrian teacher through images, testimonies and reflections on the value of culture.
Among the most incisive interventions was that of the mayor Sandro Principe, who defined Ordine as “an ambassador of the best Calabria”. The mayor recalled the international prestige gained by the Unical teacher thanks to his studies on Giordano Bruno, Campanella and Telesio, underlining how he taught and held lectures in the most important universities in the world, from Harvard to the Sorbonne. «The negativities of this land are always underlined and never the many positivities that exist», said Principe, also launching a criticism of the way in which Calabria is often described by the national media. «We remember a giant in his university», he added, also announcing the municipal administration’s desire to name the Rende civic library after Nuccio Ordine.
The rector Gianluigi Greco instead linked the figure of the great essayist to the theme of youth emigration and the need to build cultural opportunities in the South. “The right to stay is created by building culture,” he declared, recalling European data which indicates Calabria as one of the regions most affected by the flight of young people. Greco recalled Ordine’s extraordinary ability to speak about the classics “with love”, managing to convey to students the need to engage with humanistic thought even in a time dominated by technological acceleration. «This university is the symbol of this vision», concluded the rector.
Deeply moving was the testimony of Rosalia Broccolo, Nuccio Ordine’s partner, who thanked the University of Calabria and the Rende Rotary Club for wanting a “magnificent” day in the name of remembrance and cultural continuity. “Being here in the Caldora classroom is a great emotion,” he said. «This place saw Nuccio dedicate his life to what he loved most: teaching, constant dialogue with young people and the defense of disinterested knowledge».
Also much appreciated was the speech by Ernesto Magorno, president of the “L’Oro di Calabria” association, who evoked the special relationship between the Order and his hometown, Diamante. «For Nuccio, Diamante was Ithaca», he stated, recalling Ulysses’ journey as a metaphor for knowledge and research. Magorno then recalled one of the professor’s most profound beliefs: «Culture is not only useful for knowing more, but also for becoming better». A message which, according to the former parliamentarian, continues to live on today in the many young people trained by the Calabrian teacher. The speech by Gilles Pécout, president of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and former rector of the Sorbonne, was of great cultural and human importance. The French historian outlined a personal portrait of Ordine, recalling his intellectual generosity, passion for dialogue and ability to create authentic bonds. “Nuccio was truly the friend that everyone would have liked to have,” said Pécout, speaking of the endless conversations with the Calabrian scholar between Paris, Milan and the Mediterranean. «His speeches were not addressed to a master, but to his friends and his disciples».
During the morning, the “Nuccio Ordine” scholarships were also presented, illustrated by Angelo Gallo of the Rotary Club Rende.
The initiative was born with the aim of supporting young scholars and promoting those values that have characterized the professor’s entire life: freedom of thought, centrality of humanistic culture and knowledge free from utilitarian logic. The journalist Arcangelo Badolati moderated the meeting. The conclusions were entrusted to the governor of Rotary District 2102 Dino De Marco.
More than a commemoration, the one staged at the University of Calabria was a reaffirmation of Nuccio Ordine’s thoughts in a time marked by cultural crises, wars and inequalities. An invitation to defend the value of the classics, school and knowledge as instruments of freedom. And above all a message aimed at young people: culture is not a luxury for the few, but a civil necessity capable of making men more aware and communities stronger.