Today afternoon at 7pm, the Malavenda 1872 Pasticceria in Bolzano will host an event of great cultural and symbolic value, promoted by the Wine and Food Academy APS Association: “The Vision of Soriano: a bridge of faith between Bolzano and Soriano Calabro”. The meeting was born from the desire to celebrate the artistic and spiritual bond between two apparently distant communities, but united by an extraordinary work, The Vision of Soriano, kept in the Dominican Church of Bolzano and symbol of a history that spans centuries and territories.
Speakers at the evening will be Raffaele D’Angelo, president of the Wine and Food Academy, Alessandra Malavenda, entrepreneur and landlady, Angelo Gennaccaro, vice-president of the Provincial Council of Bolzano, and Johanna Ramoser, councilor for Mobility, Equal Opportunities, School and Leisure of the Municipality of Bolzano. The archaeologist Mariangela Preta, director of the Soriano Calabro Museum Complex, will also be present, who will illustrate the historical and devotional significance of the link between the two cities. During the event, the book “Dolcemente Me” by Alessandra Uriselli will also be presented.
The meeting will end with a tasting of desserts from the historic Pasticceria Malavenda, accompanied by Moscato di Saracena from the Azienda Agricola Diana, a Slow Food presidium. A convivial moment that perfectly embodies the philosophy of the Wine and Food Academy: combining taste and knowledge, promoting culture through the experience of the senses.
For the Museum Center of Soriano Calabro, the event represents an opportunity of great importance, an important step in the path of valorisation and diffusion of Soriano culture beyond regional borders. For years, director Mariangela Preta has worked passionately to build cultural bridges between the South and the rest of Italy, promoting the history and identity of Soriano Calabro through collaborations, exhibitions and educational activities. «This event – declares Dr. Preta – is the demonstration of how art and faith can build lasting bridges between different territories. In recent years we have worked with determination to bring the history of Soriano Calabro beyond regional borders, and today seeing the name of Soriano combined with that of Bolzano is a concrete sign of the cultural dialogue that we have always pursued. Soriano’s Vision is not just a painting, but a message of identity, memory and sharing that continues to inspire generations and communities.”
The work, commissioned by the Mercantile Magistrate, created by the great Emilian master Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as Guercino, depicts a miraculous episode handed down by Dominican tradition: the apparition of the Virgin Mary, accompanied by Saint Catherine of Siena and Saint Mary Magdalene, to a Dominican brother from the convent of Soriano Calabro. During the vision, the Virgin gives the man an effigy of Saint Dominic of Guzmán, inviting him to spread his cult. The scene, imbued with light and mysticism, represents a central moment of Dominican spirituality and an ideal bridge between faith, art and history.