About Historia Minuta

Dear Reader,
Historia Minuta was born from my passion for the history and culture of my country, Italy.

What fascinates me most are the minor episodes that rarely find their way into history books. When examined with a bit of patience and curiosity, usually they can reveal a great deal about the times in which they unfolded and the people who lived them.

What does a shopping list tell us about Michelangelo and his world? Who was Bassilla, the "tenth muse" mentioned on a stele now housed in the Archaeological Museum of Aquileia? What do the personal ads in a late 19th-century local newspaper reveal about emotional relationships of the time?

My particular interest in the Belle Époque sometimes takes me beyond Italy. For example, did you know that a young Proust once fought a duel to defend his honor?

If these kinds of stories interest you too, you'll find that I always begin with a concrete, material detail and follow its thread until a fuller picture emerges. I don't publish on a fixed schedule: I do it when a story feels ready.

That's why I write Historia Minuta: to uncover a little more of the lives of those who lived before me and share them with people who believe the past is never truly past.

Thank you for being here.

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