"4 for 5" Sensory-Literary festival

27 September 2026

The event will begin on Sunday, July 5th, at 5:00 pm at the Canonica di Corteranzo, with a presentation of the book "Breve storia della filosofia animale" by Alma Massaro (published by the Faculty of Philosophy of the Pontifical Salesian University). This will be followed by a tasting of Baratuciat wine on the sunny balcony of the relais, which overlooks the 18th-century winemaking cellar. This will be followed by a walk and visit to the small pagoda-shaped church of the Juvarra school dedicated to Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (designed in 1760 by Bernardo Vittone), nestled in the vineyards of the Isabella Winery.

The history of philosophy is punctuated by a rich series of attempts to include animals within the ethical system. This lively focus on otherness testifies to the presence, in human thought, of a genuine dissatisfaction with a strictly anthropocentric approach to morality. By examining this ongoing, albeit minority, focus on the nonhuman, the author aims to retrace the fundamental tenets of that branch of thought that can be defined as "animal philosophy." Specifically, the focus on the nonhuman is reinterpreted in light of two fundamental approaches: that of indirect duties, which identifies the limits of action toward animals in reasons tied to human interests, and that of theriophilia, which locates such limits in the recognition of the intrinsic value of each living being. This two-pronged reinterpretation allows us to unravel the complexity of a discourse that, with ever-new urgency, also questions contemporary issues.

After studying animal ethics and bioethics at Yale and Harvard Universities, the author earned a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Genoa in 2014, where she is currently a Senior Lecturer in the History of Philosophy. Furthermore, she has published scientific papers in national and international journals, two monographs, and participated as a speaker at numerous conferences in various European countries.

The seminar will continue on Sunday, July 26th at 5:00 PM in the former church of San Michele with: "There is no longer anything sacred: differences and divergences between religion and faith," presented by Father Samuele Battistella. Recalling last year's positive experience, Father Samuele will return to Murisengo Monferrato with a thematic exploration that, in some way, will continue to focus on the five senses. Specifically, he will focus on the distinction between religion and faith, and between the sacred and the holy, in a biblical and anthropological excursus that will allow each participant to confront their own experiences, habits, and the ongoing opportunity to rediscover the nature of our relationships and our spiritual dimension. Pairing: wine and a small delicacy.

Following this, on Sunday, August 30th, at the same time and location, Don Samuele will present: "Useless Love: The Art of Pricelessness between Jesus Christ and Saint Francis of Assisi." In a world that incessantly places a price on everything and evaluates situations and people by their usefulness, the Gospel proposes a radical reversal of perspective and offers the opportunity to rediscover the totally free and gratuitous nature of Love. Saint Francis literally experienced this rediscovery firsthand, becoming "Alter Christus" (another Christ). On the occasion of the eighth centenary of the death of the Poverello of Assisi, Don Samuele will retrace the Saint's long journey to be one with his Lord. The flavors of essential nourishment will be shared with those present.

On Sunday, September 20, at 5:00 PM, the San Michele will host a tribute to the memory of the Murisengo dialect narrator, narrator, and poet Nina Prati, with readings from her book "I ricord del me cheur per ja tsorji veri dla me tera, dla me gent e dla me vita" (Memories of my heart for the true stories of my land, my people, and my life), edited by Annita Dellavalle of Profili Monferrini. The 259-page book, containing 60 stories and 14 poems, both in Italian and vernacular, captures Prati's memories as a child (the 1930s) and as a deeply emotional woman living in the Monferrato hills. According to Paolo Ferrero, a general practitioner and writer from Cerrino, who oversaw the publication of the book, Prati, whose nature was marked by the privilege of diversity, with an innate sensitivity that led her to capture the mysterious beauty imprisoned in things and give it form, embodies the opinion of the great artist Thomas Mann. Nina was a woman of great intellectual vivacity, with a profound, inquisitive gaze tinged with a slight melancholy. A woman never satisfied and always longing for movement, new people, and powerful emotions. "If she had been born in London," wrote Ferrero, "she would certainly have been a new Virginia Woolf or a Tamara de Lempicka, rather than an elegant Art Deco painter. She would have been among the special and wonderful women who defined an era." Respecting her nature, and with the necessary sensitivity, Dellavalle will revive her words, her feelings, and the beauty of her being. Free admission. Final tasting.

The series of meetings will close on Sunday, September 27th at 4:30 pm at the San Michele, with journalist, editor, music critic, and writer Mattia Rossi, presenting his latest literary work, "Una brezza verde e serena. Le origini casalesi di Pier Paolo Pasolini" (A Green and Serene Breeze. The Casalese Origins of Pier Paolo Pasolini), published by Remedios and featuring a preface by Dacia Maraini. This publication reconstructs the Monferrato origins of Pasolini's maternal grandmother, Giulia Zacco, who was born in Casale Monferrato in 1866 and lived there until 1887. "His grandmother's Casalese roots were always clear to Pasolini, who, in the mid-1960s, followed his grandmother in order to 'heal' the internal conflict he had with his homosexuality," reads the inside cover. "The book," Maraini writes in her preface, "reveals a Pasolini in his formative years, not yet torn between the myriad roles imposed by public life. A fragile, curious, and grateful Pasolini, who reminds us, with grace, that no destiny is fulfilled without a human and emotional background: the hands that fed us, the words that consoled us, the music that taught us to recognize nostalgia."

All events will be accompanied by a glass of wine and small treats. Summer 2026 cultural program curated by the Municipality of Murisengo Monferrato. Free admission.

15020 Murisengo

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