Thematic sites - Municipality of Milan

Piazzale Lavater remembers Gillo Dorfles and Guido Lopez, two great protagonists of Milanese culture, lifelong friends, who lived a few steps from the recently redeveloped square. The unveiling ceremony of the stone with a plaque celebrating the two intellectuals was held on Friday 12 April 2024 in the presence of family, friends and many people who in that very place with Dorfles, professor of Aesthetics and art critic and Lopez, journalist and writer, both of Jewish origins, walked and chatted.

The installation, also requested by the residents of the neighborhood supported by Municipality 3, to honor the two illustrious fellow citizens, was approved by the Council as part of the "Milan is Memory" project, born in 2017 to highlight and remember people, facts and events which testify to the history and identity of the city and which in recent years has supported and promoted numerous initiatives thanks to the collaboration of associations, citizens and citizens.

Following the unveiling of the Gillo Dorfles - Guido Lopez Plaque, the following spoke:

• the Councilor for Housing and Neighborhood Plan, Pierfrancesco Maran;
• President Municipality 3, Caterina Antola;
• readings by studentsComprehensive Institute “A. Stoppani – Bacon – Saint Catherine of Siena”;
• Fabio Lopez, son of Guido Lopez.

The party was held on the day of the birth of Gillo Dorfles, which took place on 12 April 1910 in Trieste, and saw the participation of many girls and boys from the "Antonio Stoppani" school who participated in the "Games of the past" organized by Town Hall 3 in collaboration with the Stoppani Parents Association and the grandparents of the neighborhood.

“On the centenary of my father's birth I am very happy that a plaque in Piazzale Lavater remembers his name together with that of Gillo Dorfles – explains his son Guido Lopez Nunes –. They both lived next door and were united by ancient family relationships. Guido Lopez contributed profoundly to the knowledge of the city with his books, including "Milano in mano", "La Roba e la Libertà", "History and stories of Milan" (the latter was a wedding gift from Palazzo Marino to the newlyweds, with the Pisapia council). We thank the municipal and municipal administration for the beautiful initiative."

The memory of Gillo Dorfles and Guido Lopez will continue on Monday 15 April, at 18 pm at the Shoah Memorial with the presentation of “Fàlfal. Being Jewish is difficult, dangerous, but stimulating", a small volume produced by Ugo Mursia Editore for the centenary of Guido Lopez. Fàlfal is a grotesque fantasy around the theme of anti-Semitism. An unpublished story and correspondence with Edith Bruck and Primo Levi. With Rosario Tedesco (Actor and playwright), Alberto Cavaglion and Fabio Lopez Nunes. Screening of videos and memory pills on the life and work of Guido Lopez.

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