Ep. 15: Giacomo Leopardi/Le Marche

Literary Italy

This week we tackle the great Italian poet and philosopher Giacomo Leopardi and the region of Le Marche, his birthplace and source of both inspiration as well as despair. In one of his most famous poems, "L'Infinito" ("The Infinite"), Leopardi describes the view of the immense sky from his childhood home, partially blocked by a hedge and a hill. Perhaps precisely because of this limitation, the view is all the more dear to him because of what it leaves to the imagination. Leopardi did eventually overcome both his restrictive upbringing as well as his poor health, and traveled quite a bit around Italy before his death at the age of 38, but the region of Le Marche remains associated with him and his works. Today you can visit Leopardi's home (and extensive library) in the small town of Recanati, but Le Marche also offers extensive parks, gorgeous beaches, and important cultural centers and cities, such as Urbino, the hometown of artist Raphael. Oh, and you can also see and climb that very same hill Leopardi writes about in "L'Infinito."