Subiaco

Subiaco is a formative religious place in Don Aurelio’s history: he knew Benedetto there, through his friendship with the Benedictine Don Clemente of Santa Scolastica. Its later appearance in photographs in Don Aurelio’s study makes the town part of the spiritual landscape he carries with him, even while serving in Lago di Velo.

Don Aurelio and Benedetto

Don Aurelio’s connection to Subiaco began through Don Clemente, his intimate friend at Santa Scolastica. Don Aurelio met Benedetto at Subiaco and later saw him again in Rome, also at his friend’s wish. The account establishes Subiaco as an important point in the network of religious friendship that bound Don Aurelio to Benedetto and, through him, to Massimo Alberti.

A remembered monastic setting

Subiaco enters the novel again through two photographs displayed above the fireplace in Don Aurelio’s study: one of the Sacred Speco and the other of the Cosmatesque cloister at Santa Scolastica. The room is otherwise defined by its crowded shelves of religious books, including works by mystics and the collected writings of Antonio Rosmini and Father Gratry. The photographs place Subiaco among the material reminders of Don Aurelio’s religious attachments, within a modest, carefully kept space that reflects his learning and devotion.

Narrative significance

Subiaco is not presented through an extended scene of its own; its significance is conveyed through recollection and objects. The town marks where Don Aurelio first knew Benedetto, while the images in his study preserve a visual connection to the monastic places associated with that history. Together, these references make Subiaco a quiet point of continuity between Don Aurelio’s earlier religious life and his present friendship with Massimo Alberti.