Sandro Veronesi wins the Premio Strega

Our special meeting with the Tuscan writer who, with his "Il Colibrì", makes the encore of the most important award in Italy

The book you found the most enlightening in the past three months?

I must confess, I read less than usual. I listened to a lot of music, mostly Bob Dylan, the two new and wonderful tracks he released online. One of them, Murder Most Foul, is a sort of sea storm bringing pieces of our culture ashore.

Have you been writing lately?

I’m writing some scripts…

What changes do you see coming after this pandemic?

A green change: it’s the only change I expect to see, as the others would be for the worse. It’s time to get rid of some of the toxic that has clung to our lives for so long. And since bringing the world to a stop cost us enormously, this change is ours in return, especially our children’s. As for the rest, we will get back to hugging and cuddling…we’ve had enough of distancing.  

What is this summer’s must-do tour of Florence?

I would enjoy seeing again (since I’ve seen these places a few times) the city’s monumental cemeteries. This time I would really love to see the Misericordia Cemetery on Via degli Artisti, usually closed to the public, because it is truly unique, despite its state of neglect. These are places for the living, where art and memories are the answer to death. 

What image best represents the past few months?

The Pope- enveloped in a blue light- praying. He represented our state of mind in those days: we felt isolated and as blue as he was. 

The key words of 2020?

The English “cluster” is a word that we could easily add to our vocabulary. But we have to use it sparingly or we’ll get sick of it.