In the beginning, there was a priest king who, from the tallest hill, would study the stars, trying to fathom the secrets of time. Then, emperors and more priests built a villa and a secret garden on this hill. Then, came astronomers locked up in secret cells while awaiting trials and exorcisms to fight against the curses of the stars on the Pope. Conspiracies at the service of the Sultan, ambassadors from faraway islands, travellers who came in from the cold and even the Symbol of Evil that knocks at the door of a church and remains entranced by it. Meanwhile, the Dawn rises from the frescoes and Michelangelo flings his door open. Il Colle presents twenty-five centuries of the Quirinal’s history. A lighthearted guide through the salons, sensations, masterpieces and courtly games. With a splash of politics made up of anecdotes, the book brings together cultural entertainment and a narrative style.
Nicola Graziani, Quirinal correspondent and parliamentary
journalist, has followed without interruption the
presidential mandates of Cossiga, Scalfaro, Ciampi, Napolitano
and Mattarella. To the latter, he dedicated the
essay L’Uomo delle regole, 2021.
Pub date: January 2025
Length: pp. 176