Colle Dell'Infinito

The Colle dell'Infinito In the solitude of Recanati, of a narrow and immobile world from which the young Leopardi longs to leave, after years of phyological and literary studies carried out largely by himself, the first Idylls are born. Among the most beloved, in the spring of 1819, the poet writes the infinite. The infinite finds its spatial reference on the hermitage hill, the solitary hill of Mount Tabor, overlooking Recanati, where Leopardi walks and meditates. In reality, the real place of the hill, with the hedge that excludes a strip of horizon from the eye, is a pretext and symbol of those human limits that reason sets, It continually brings man back to the mystery of living which is also pain, evil , non sense. Just as the eye wishes to discover the hidden horizon behind the hedge, so the heart aspires, in a moment of fleeting contemplation, to free itself from the bonds of a cold, ruthlessly consequential philosophy, which sanctioned the unhappiness of men and the emptiness of the world. throwing despair on the young poet. Then looking away, beyond the hedge, becomes an imagining, a pretending: "I pretend in thought". Leopardi does not limit himself to observing the data of reality; he creates with his imagination "endless spaces and superhuman silences" and in the depths of these evoked images his heart seems to almost get lost. This is the landscape before us. On the hill the feeling does not stop, but expands to include the infinite time that comes, by contrast, from the stornir of the wind among the plants, voice of the present moment and of the living season. The wind evokes the passage of time, refers to the dead seasons and sings the present one. It is still the landscape of infinity, an intensely true place. The soul plunges into this sweet sea, it forgets itself. The small circle of every man's existence appears boundless. Mount Tabor thus became the hill of infinity at the turn of the first quarter of a century. When Leopardi died, in 1846 the avenue of the infinity hill was opened ... The landscape breathes and grows, a true living organism ... Leopardi has associated an absolute moment with this hill that we will never lose.

Wonderful park in Recanati from where you can see a splendid panorama of the Marche hills. Some stanzas taken from the infinity of G. Leopardi remind us of the skill of the poet born in this country. Also worth visiting is the Leopardi house and the museum dedicated to the tenor B. Gigli.

Returning from Ravenna I made a small detour to go through Recanati and see this place that has given so much to our literature. It is exciting to think how Leopardi conceived one of his most beautiful lyrics right here. Certainly the horizon is now somewhat closed by trees that are too tall rather than by the hedge. But what about. However, it was there that the infinite feels in the soul and therefore what does it matter. Exciting.

From this point the view of the landscape would be exceptional if it were not for some maritime pines that are now too high, should be replaced with other types of plants. To enjoy the view, you need to go back to the park entrance gate.

"Always dear, it was this red hill, And this hedge, which for a lot Of the last horizon the watch excludes. But sitting and aiming, intermediate Spaces from there from that, and superhuman Silence, and deep quiet I fingo in my pensier, If the Cor is not sparing. And as the wind I Odo Stormir between these plants, I was the infinite silence To this voice, comparing: and I subven the eternal, And the death seasons, and the present And live, and the sound of her. So among this immensity s'annega my pensier: And the Naufragar came sweet in this sea. " #Giacomoleopardi

I will never forget my first visit to Recanati, over twenty years ago. I parked the car at the entrance to the town and, following a sign, I headed towards the Colle dell'Infinito. After an uphill walk in what seemed to me a public garden with benches, I found myself in front of a wall with the words "ALWAYS DEAR MI FU QUEST'ERMO COLLE". Instinctively I turned to look from there to the underlying and surrounding landscape and I could not help but tell my husband that, if Giacomo Leopardi had had the same scenario in front of him, we would never have had a masterpiece like "The Infinite" . What a disappointment! Last September I reached the vegetable garden of the ancient Monastery of S. Stefano from above, along a small road from Palazzo Leopardi and, during the short journey, I was able to observe the Leopardi shrine.