Gran Dama Pagliano
Presentation at the Teatro Verdi in Florence of the book Angiola Maria Pagliano, “grand dame” in Florence between the 19th and 20th centuries, portrait of a cultured and independent figure of the Florentine Belle Époque, niece of Girolamo Pagliano and protagonist of a famous cultural salon.
On Friday, October 24, at 5:30 p.m., in the foyer of the Teatro Verdi in Florence (Via Ghibellina 99), there will be a presentation of the book Angiola Maria Pagliano, “gran dama” a Firenze fra Otto e Novecento (Angiola Maria Pagliano, “grand dame” in Florence between the 19th and 20th centuries), edited by Carlo Steidl. Created on the initiative of her great-grandchildren, the book brings back to memory a female figure of great charisma and modernity. Angiola was a leading figure of the Florentine Belle Époque and the granddaughter of Girolamo Pagliano, founder and director of the theater that today bears the name of Verdi.
Left alone, she turned her home into a cultural salon frequented by artists, intellectuals, and politicians of the time. From Trentacoste to Romanelli, from Finocchiaro-Aprile to Clemente Origo and Maksim Gorkij, they all frequented the salon. A precious Salon Album with dedications and sketches remains from that experience. Carlo Steidl has reconstructed the stories and protagonists of this album.
A large portrait of Angiola Maria, painted by Edoardo Gelli, is now kept at the Museo del Costume in Palazzo Pitti.
The celebration will be followed by a private concert inspired by the music of the theater’s inauguration. It will take place in Palazzo Galli Tassi in Via Pandolfini, once the headquarters of Girolamo Pagliano’s company and his descendants.
An event that combines memory, art, and music, bringing to light a woman who knew how to be a protagonist of her time.
