Bulgarians in Northern Italy popularise the history of their homeland and the contribution of the Slaveykov family

published on 10/9/24 11:10 PM

Photo: Rositsa Lazarova-Sbaralia

On 22 and 23 September, Bulgarians, mostly from Northern Italy, gathered in the beautiful Italian town of Brunate on Lake Como. There, against the backdrop of the majestic Alps and with a view of the entire Lombardy valley, they spent two days celebrating not only the 116th anniversary of the proclamation of Bulgaria's independence, but also the contribution of the family of the poet Pencho Slaveykov.

"We had an idea to tell more about Bulgaria and our history" - Krastyo Karaboychev, president of the Bulgarian-Italian association "Pencho Slaveykov", told Radio Bulgaria:

"The idea of celebrating Independence Day and the Slaveykov family at the same time was born during a conversation with Assoc. Prof. Emil Dimitrov, who is a member of our community. He talked about the role of Hristo Slaveikov - the President of the 14th National Assembly and one of the people who played the most important role in the Declaration of Independence of Bulgaria. Hristo Slaveykov read the Manifesto for the Declaration of Independence in Parliament and solemnly presented it to Tsar Ferdinand, and on Tsarevets, after Ferdinand had read the Manifesto, he, as President of the National Assembly, greeted the Tsar of independent Bulgaria.

We can say that this moment was the culmination of the Slaveykovs' struggle for Bulgarian independence, started by the poet Petko Slaveykov, who at the age of 16 began to teach and educate the Bulgarian people. Over the years they published dozens of newspapers, one of which was called "Nezavisimost" (Independence)."

Italian town of Brunate to celebrate Bulgaria's Independence and the Slaveykov family

Of Petko Slaveykov's eight children, only the descendants of Hristo Slaveykov continue the family line. Three generations of this branch were invited to and participated in the event in Brunate, and it was very pleasant for them to communicate with the Bulgarians in Italy. The celebrations included performances by three folklore ensembles from Milan, exhibitions, literary readings and discussions about the Slaveikovs. The film by producer and director Rositsa Lazarova about Alcek and the medieval Bulgarians in Italy was also shown in Italian translation. The Pencho Slaveykov Association is very grateful to the local authorities of the tourist town for their support of its activities.

In the footsteps of the Bulgarians in Medieval Italy

"The association was officially founded in 2022. We wanted to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the death of Pencho Slaveykov in Brunate, for which we organised a big three-day programme - recalls Krastyo Karaboychev. On this occasion, together with the Municipality of Brunate, we founded the Association, which is based in the Brunate Library and is at our disposal for all kinds of events. We are very grateful!

Then we restored the Book of Remembrance, which was placed in the Hotel Bella Vista in 1940 and was last filled in on 28 August 1944. The old owners of the hotel, the Luccini family, had kept it in their archives for many years. By a stroke of luck, the local journalist and poet Pietro Berra, together with Assoc. Prof. Emil Dimitrov, discovered it. The book was donated to the National Archives by the Italian hotel owners. So in 2022, we placed a copy of the book in a memorial corner in the Bela Vista Hotel".

Pencho Slaveykov, the first Bulgarian poet to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature, ended his earthly journey in this small hotel in 1912. Today the association, led by Krastyo Karaboychev, continues to work to keep the memory of Pencho Slaveykov alive in Brunate.

"In front of the Bela Vista Hotel there is a memorial plaque put up by the Bulgarian Sports Association in 1940, by Bulgarian students. There is another plaque with the face of Pencho Slaveykov, later placed by the Union of Bulgarian Writers. During the celebration of the 110th anniversary, a plaque made by Adrian Novakov, a sculptor who is a member of our association, was also mounted on the wall of the Bela Vista Hotel. I can say that tourists from all over the world stop and are interested in who this poet is and see the verses of Pencho Slaveykov".

Photos: Rositsa Lazarova – Sbaralia, The Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad

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