Galatina hosts cultural event honoring writer Cesare Giulio Viola

The UNESCO Club of Galatina and the Grecìa Salentina is hosting an event dedicated to Cesare Giulio Viola, a prominent 20th-century Italian novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. The initiative, held in collaboration with the Galatina Bibliomuseal Polo, aims to rediscover significant cultural figures linked to the territory and is directed toward local students.

Viola, born in Taranto, spent summers in Galatina, a theme reflected in his collection of short stories, ‘Capitoli’ (1922). His final novel, ‘Pater’ (1958), also features Galatina and Taranto. Beyond literature, Viola was a key figure in Italian cinema, collaborating with Vittorio De Sica and Cesare Zavattini. His work ‘Pricò’ (1924) served as the basis for De Sica’s film ‘I bambini ci guardano’ (1943), a precursor to neorealism, and he co-wrote the screenplay for the Oscar-winning film ‘Sciuscià’ (1946).