Beyond Berlin A love affair beyond time and space: Italy, the ´Sehnsuchtsort´ of the German soul.
A love affair beyond time and space: Italy, the ´Sehnsuchtsort´ of the German soul.
The German-speaking world's centuries-old fascination with Italy has shaped art, literature, and culture. From Goethe's journey to modern times, Italy remains an eternal source of inspiration.
Introduction
Opening Quote: Friedrich Nietzsche: "When I search for another word for music, I can only ever find the word Venice."
Soundscape: Gentle water lapping against gondolas, distant calls of gondoliers, and faint Vivaldi music.
Theme: Explore the enduring love story between the German-speaking world and Italy, a relationship that has inspired art, literature, and culture for centuries.
Key Themes and Highlights
Italy as a Sehnsuchtsort (Place of Longing)
Definition: A place of deep yearning and desire, often idealized in the imagination as a destination for happiness, fulfillment, or inspiration.
Cultural Significance: Italy became a spiritual sanctuary for German-speaking travelers, offering solace during personal crises and frustrations.
Goethe’s Italian Journey
Context: In 1786, Goethe embarked on a transformative journey to Italy, seeking escape from his midlife crisis and professional burnout.
Impact: His travels, documented in letters and later published as Italian Journey, became the foundation for the German-speaking world's profound yearning for Italy.
Key Moments:
Arrival in Rome: "Yes, I have finally arrived in the capital of the world!"
Immersion in Italian culture: Learning the language, buying local clothes, and embracing sensory experiences.
Legacy: Goethe’s journey redefined Romantic literature, turning Italy into a symbol of life, freedom, beauty, and sensuality.
Romanticism and the Arts
Literature: Poets like Clemens Brentano and Heinrich Heine expressed their longing for Italy through passionate verses.
Painting: German Romantic artists, including the Nazarene painters, drew inspiration from Italian landscapes and Renaissance masters like Raphael.
Music: Italian landscapes and the musicality of the Italian language influenced composers and poets like Rainer Maria Rilke.
20th-Century Perspectives
Rilke at Duino: The Adriatic coast inspired Rilke’s Duino Elegies, blending Italian landscapes with emotional metaphors.
Kafka’s Italy: A mix of hope and bureaucratic frustration, as seen in The Trial.
Ingeborg Bachmann: Rome served as both refuge and muse, capturing the city’s paradoxical beauty and decay.
Thomas Mann: Italy as a land of beauty and decadence, explored in works like Death in Venice and Mario and the Magician.
Post-War Italy: A Symbol of Freedom
Economic Boom: Italy emerged as a tourism mecca, symbolizing joy and carefree living.
Cultural Impact: Films like Go Trabi Go (1991) celebrated the newfound freedom to travel after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Modern Love Affair: Continued through Netflix series, books, and music, such as Roy Bianco und die Abbrunzati Boys’ Italian-inspired songs.
Notable Quotes
Goethe: "It feels as if I had been born and raised here and was now returning from a Greenland voyage, from a whale hunt."
Clemens Brentano: "O Italy, land of longing, / You homeland of my dreams, / I greet you with burning heart, / With tears in my eyes."
Heinrich Heine: "If Italy, as the poets sing, can be compared to a beautiful woman, then Florence is the bouquet of flowers on her heart."
Ingeborg Bachmann: "Italy is for me a double-edged sword. It is the beauty that attracts me, and the ugliness that repels me."
MUSIC CREDITS
VIVALDI: The Four Seasons, "Winter" Concerto No. 4 in F minor
MONTEVERDI: Chi vuol veder d'inverno un dolce aprile (No. 14)
ROSSINI: String Sonata No. 3 in C Major
CIMAROSA: Siciliana in A minor
PUCCINI: La Bohème
Italian traditional music (remixed)
Serge Pavkin on Pixabay
Ambient sounds recorded on location
SUBSCRIBE ON
Stories —big and small— that start in Berlin and look eastward, where Europe´s heart beats and its future unfolds. Blog / Photograhy / Podcast
Get full access to Beyond Berlin at beyondberlin.substack.com/subscribe