"My book is like a weaving, tied and built by that magical thread that distinguishes the history of Sardinian women. The magic thread is the ancient weaving thread that takes us back to the birth of the first communities in Sardinia. Women saw the magic of their hands through the weaving and creation of their fabrics. Here, I too found that magic thread in my hands, I was afraid of losing it, that's why I wrote everything down. Thus my book was born". Speaking is Virginia Saba, 39, from the province of Cagliari, graduated in literature and passionate about philosophy. Most know her because she is the partner of Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.

But Virginia Saba does not live only on the reflected light of her partner. She is a journalist by profession, works at the Bicameral Commission for regional issues, and recently published a book dedicated to beauty. "A work born several years ago to search for the meaning and value of transcendental beauty, that which 'will save the world' of which Dostoevsky speaks. Beauty is intimately linked to philosophical discussion. And philosophy / theology is beauty that tends towards one. To something superior, precisely to transcendental beauty".

Let's start with the title of the volume, The sound of beauty. Notes of life and philosophy. A very fascinating title ...

"Sound because beauty must be heard rather than seen. This book is a journey of the soul in search of beauty. And the soul discovers what beauty is only when it finds itself. An awareness operation that gradually removes all that is useless. To get to the essence of things. 'Essential' is the key word of this work. My book is almost a practical philosophy course, a path to be able to see the beauty around us only if the beauty is within us.".

book virginia saba

But not just philosophy. The various chapters of Virginia Saba's volume are accompanied by Bach's Goldberg Variations. Accompanied because they dictate the pace. Music as one of the inspiring motifs and as a starting point for writing. A passion also this together with philosophy and theology? Why Bach?

"Unfortunately I'm not a musician but I have a great love for music. And the Variations were important in a difficult period for me. I recently started studying music with an Argentine pianist and I understood that for Bach the Goldberg Variations were an exercise in beauty, each one reveals a secret in a circular path that could make them continue indefinitely. In this movement and in this context I have tried to build a path of the soul within the music".

How do we want to tell this book, in the simplest way possible?

"It is a job where I touch, chapter by chapter, many aspects of life, values ​​and feelings. For example, in the first chapter I talk about what authenticity means. Another chapter is devoted to understanding what truth is. Mine is not an abstract story but I always bring examples. In the book I speak for example of Giuseppe Verdi who writes the Nabucco after a great family tragedy. By chance he opens the page of the booklet with the 'Va, thought' and from there this extraordinary work is born.

Pain is fundamental in the path that leads to this type of beauty. Bach too was overwhelmed by so many griefs and difficulties, starting with the loss of his parents at an early age. His universal music was also born from these great pains. Step after step, or rather chapter after chapter, this journey of mine accompanies the reader to seek and find himself by returning to the essentiality of a child. This is the path I wanted to share. Then each reader will always find something special that will personalize their experience".

The magic of her Sardinia insinuates itself in the words of Virginia Saba and this search for herself. How much did he weigh in the writing of the book?

"Sardinia was my place of reflection and meditation. However, getting out of Sardinia was very important because it helped me to see that period from the outside, in a simpler and clearer way.".

Literature, philosophy, theology… However, we cannot fail to talk about her current life, which sees her as the companion of an Italian politician and minister. How does a lover of philosophy and theology see and read Italian politics today, with what interpretations?

"I don't like to comment on politics. However, I believe that the best of the human being can emerge from this difficult moment. Difficulties help to find solutions, net of so many slogans and so much propaganda. I think it will be the same for our country".

And your boyfriend, Luigi Di Maio, how much did he count in this path?

"I think it was one of the first topics when we met and as we went on we talked about it. On the subject of love, I don't like trivialization. I always distinguish between love that is boring, what I define as a supermarket, and true love. I am living in a relationship where there is no room for normal life. Often I have to overcome myself, selfishness, demands. And go higher. From my partner I learned how to do this and it was interesting. I am living a higher love than what I had known before and which I thought was loveand ".

Other books in his future?

"Yes, I have ideas and I already see and think about something else. For example, I have a nice project in mind that could become a historical novel. It's about an Italian painter, but I don't want to say more. Then I have advanced an essay on the spirit. In a certain sense, the next step after the Sound of Beauty. But I prefer not to add anything else. In this moment I continue with my work in the Chamber, I study at the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Cagliari, writing and theological and philosophical arguments are my refuge. The place where I feel good".

The sound of beauty. Notes of life and philosophy, with the preface by the journalist and essayist Alessandra Necci, it is published by If Press.

Interview with Virginia Saba: The sound of beauty last edit: 2021-12-03T12:30:00+01:00 da Cristina Campolonghi

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