In the heart of Altamura, the city of bread and Frederick II's cathedral, the town hall's council chamber becomes a stage for history. The evening is dedicated to Giovanna I d'Angiò, the 14th-century queen of Naples whose reign was shadowed by scandal and hostility. It is a story that feels remarkably close to our own time.
A queen judged louder than she ruled
Few women in medieval Europe held a crown in their own right. Giovanna did, and she paid for it in reputation.
Chroniclers and rivals spread accusations about her private life and the violent death of her husband. The narrative of the event follows these events not as a dry lecture but as an animated retelling, designed to keep the audience engaged from the first minute.
When the Middle Ages meet the comment section
The most original idea of the evening is its parallel with the present. The story draws deliberate links to today's online haters.
Rumour, defamation and public shaming did not begin with social media. Hearing a medieval queen's fate set beside the logic of the modern internet pile-on is both unsettling and illuminating.
- Storytelling with rhythm: a lively narration rather than a traditional talk
- Female power under attack: how authority and gender collided in the 1300s
- Gender-based violence read through history, without losing sight of today
- Modern echoes: the language of online hatred set against old slander
The setting: civic life in the Murgia
Altamura sits on the Alta Murgia plateau, and a cultural evening in its institutional heart has a special dignity. Seeing a historical subject discussed in a civic space gives the event the feel of a shared community conversation.
Because it is organised in a public setting, the atmosphere tends to be informal and open to questions. It suits groups of friends, colleagues or members of local associations who enjoy discussing what they have just heard.
Make an evening of it
Arrive a little early and walk through Altamura's old town, with its tight lanes and claustri, the small courtyards typical of the historic centre. A stop at the cathedral is an easy way to enter the medieval mood before the story begins.
Afterwards, a slice of the famous pane di Altamura or a plate of orecchiette at a local trattoria is a natural way to carry on the conversation.
Bring curiosity and an open mind. The event does not offer easy villains or heroines, but a chance to look again at how we judge powerful women, then and now.