Presentation of the essay by Giovanni Cardone Rituals and Rituals in Naples in Campania and in southern Italy

On Wednesday 8 May, at the Palazzo delle Arti in Naples at 5.00 pm, the essay Rites and Rituals will be presented in Naples in Campania and in southern Italy published by Prospettiva editrice, the last book by the essayist, art historian and art critic as well as professor of History of Modern and Contemporary Art at academic, university and higher education institutions, Giovanni Cardone. The presentation promoted by the ARTHISTORIE Cultural Association in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Municipality of Naples, moderated by Salvatore Perillo Journalist, will intervene, Rosario Pinto Storico dell ’Arte and Marco Perillo Journalist who wrote the essay's preface. The artwork on the cover is by the artist Amedeo Gabucci in art deò, the slide shows and photographs of Umberto T. Vocaturo will be transmitted during the event. This essay of mine wants to tell a historical, anthropological and ethnological path of ritual that turns into rituality, I think: “that we are the custodians of evocative events such as: Legends, Myths, the Cult all moments well narrated by two great Ernesto De Martino and Roberto De Simone. I wanted to re-evaluate the figure of the great Neapolitan anthropologist who had to partly fight against the great thinkers of the time. In this research he brought out all that popular language that Amalia Signorelli beautifully describes in his interview with Sergio Torsello in 2005. At the same time, I did not want to forget that part of the myth, of religious worship and legends, for this I mentioned the miracle of San Gennaro and at the same time the Mithraic cult and later the fundamental figures of our popular culture Pulcinella, Vesuvius, the Sibilla Cumana, Virgil the Magician, Raimondo di Sangro Prince of San Severo and the Veiled Christ up to the various Madonnas starting from the Madonna di Piedigrotta up to the Madonna Immacolata celebrated in Torre del Greco ”. Without neglecting the solstitial cult of St. John the Baptist, up to the Tammurriata and the language of the Taranta always described by De Martino. I didn't want to forget Sicily telling the Cult of Santa Rosalia, Sant’Agata and Santa Lucia and the Mysteries of Trapani. The Rites and Rituals wants to have the ambition to tell a historical-anthropological path with new research elements but at the same time not different from that which is our Tradition without forgetting its popular origins that are at the base of our millenary culture.


Biography
 Giovanni Cardone Essayist, art historian and art critic, professor of History of Modern and Contemporary Art at academic, university and higher education institutions. He has directed important public galleries of contemporary art and has carried out research and study activities in academic contexts and in university and higher education institutions. In 2014 he became Honorary Academician of the Swiss Italian University while in 2015 he was awarded the Honorary Degree in History of Art at the Swiss Italian University.