Event #29

Gratitude is as ancient as humanity itself, if not more. We, along with animals and plants, feel gratitude. We trust, we give thanks. Always and everywhere – inside churches, temples, and caves, but also outdoors, where the only roof is the sky. Along roads, amidst forests, beside crosses and at crossroads, on top of the mountains and overlooking the sea, wherever humans tread, figures of stone or colour remain to say thank you. In the lands between Liguria, Tuscany, and Emilia, this mystical gratitude is called Maestà: ancient figures of Madonnas and Saints, heavy stones to cling to in life’s tempests. Here, as everywhere, in the deep act of giving thanks to the sky, the earth, the water, and to each other, we find our true humanity. In these moments we are human, animal, and divine. We are truly alive.