“Una volta era una città fiorente…”, ovvero l’immagine di Padova nelle lettere di Tomasz Kajetan Węgierski del 1779

Abstract

‘Once it was a thriving city...’, or the image of Padua in the letters of Tomasz Kajetan Węgierski from 1779 Tomasz Kajetan Węgierski (1755–1787) is one of the most outstanding and controversial figures of the Polish Enlightenment. In 1779 this talented poet and satirist made a tour around Italy, during which he regularly wrote letters. They have been preserved in the collections of the Manuscripts Section of the Jagiellonian Library in Cracow, unfortunately as an incomplete copy. The aim of this article is to analyze the poet’s impressions from his stay in Padua. In his notes, full of anecdotes and jokes, we find broad descriptions of the art and architecture of the city, longer characteristics of the inhabitants, as well as their customs and everyday life. An attempt to reconstruct the Polish poet’s perception of Padua during the Enlightenment will undoubtedly contribute to a better understanding of the history of the city and its famous university.