Eugenio Giovando (1924-2006)

He dedicated his whole life to the study and revival of La Spezia’s traditions, history, art and dialect, becoming one of the leading experts on local culture. He won a number of awards, including the “Sergio Sileri Memorial”, bestowed by the association “A Compagna” of Genoa, also in Genoa the “San Fruttuoso” and the “Superba”. In 1997 he was awarded the gold medal at the “Valente Faustini” prize for poetry in Italian dialects in Piacenza. Author of all the editions of O Lünàio de a Spèza from the first, in 1980, to that of 2007. He organized the national dialect poetry contest “Bèla Spèza” for 30 years. He was for many years editor of the periodical Tuttospezia. He was a prolific composer, writing sacred music, adult and children’s songs. According to F. Toso, “in love poetry, Giovando is a happy evoker of moments rendered with rich imagery, of female and child figures often barely outlined against the background of tender natural descriptions”.

Recordi d’estade

Quando a braza d’i recordi
la se meta a zügae
sorve a sendea
dea mé memòia,
’na ziandoa türchina,
lüsente de mae,
la tinza e ca
d’agosto
e cian cianin
’na cantilena reza
la spanda tüt’entorno
en neito de vasìa.
L’é a té vose
che dosse la sospia
er vento main
de quel’estade perdü.

Vento d’amoe

A ne s’eimo ma ’ncontrà
me e te
sorve a scain de prea
che o tempo i à consümà
e scortegà sensa respeto,
tra cà brüzà da-o só
arrampegà
en sima aa coineta
onde a vazia l’é dosse
come a caessa de ’na maa
e la smeva apena e foge di castagni.
Ma ’na sea
doe paòle dite
ai pè de na scaeta,
come fregoge de stela
i fòo a note
e i fan sconìe i pensei de ciongio.
A ne s’eimo mai ’ncontrà
me e te,
prezonei do tempo
de strade deverse
de aotüni zali
de confin de giasso…
Ma aoa,
libei come rondanine ao só,
a corimo
sorve a viei drapezà de fioi de campo
onde n’ariva sortanto
er borbogiae d’aigoa de fontane…
Lassete andae
ente ’r vento de l’amoe:
ne gh’é ciü frontee
fra noi!