Gruppo dei Romanisti

The Gruppo dei Romanisti (Group of the Romanists) is a private-law cultural association based in Rome, Italy, founded in 1929. It brings together Romans and non-Romans united by a love for the city of Rome, with the aim of keeping alive the spirit of Romanità and highlighting the city's historical, artistic, and cultural heritage, its events, protagonists, traditions, and dialect. The group's statute states its purpose as contributing, free from any political conditioning, to the protection and enhancement of the cultural and environmental heritage and to the development of the city of Rome in respect of its traditions and historical function. The group emerged from informal gatherings of scholars, academics, and admirers of Rome in the 1920s, initially meeting at the Osteria della Cisterna in Trastevere and later at the antique gallery of Augusto Jandolo in Via Margutta. In 1929, a group of individuals including Ceccarius (Giuseppe Ceccarelli), Vitaliano Rotellini, Franco Liberati, Augusto Jandolo, Trilussa (Carlo Alberto Salustri), Ettore Petrolini, Ignazio Mascalchi, and Ettore Veo decided to form an association, which on 8 June 1929 officially took the name I Romani della Cisterna. By 1938, the group had evolved into the Gruppo dei Romanisti. Since 1940, the group has published the Strenna dei Romanisti, an annual anthology of writings on Roman subjects, traditionally presented to the Mayor of Rome on 21 April, the anniversary of the founding of Rome (Natale di Roma). The publication continues to this day. The group also maintains a bulletin and organizes various events. Its membership has included prominent figures from journalism, theater, literature, and the arts, as well as local administrators. The association remains active, with its headquarters in Rome, and continues to pursue its original cultural mission.

The Gruppo dei Romanisti originated in the 1920s from informal gatherings of Romans and non-Romans who shared a love for Rome. They met regularly at the Osteria della Cisterna in Trastevere, where an earlier association called "Amici della Cisterna" had formed. The group consisted of men who appreciated Roman traditions and dialect and were active in journalism, theater, literature, and the arts. This type of spontaneous association had a long history, dating back to the 19th century with the proliferation of new cafés. Examples include the "Babbioni" association founded by mathematician Luigi Pessuti at the end of the 18th century, and the "Società della pippa" founded around 1920 by painter Orazio Amato, which included later Romanists such as Trilussa and Jandolo. In May 1929, Ceccarius (Giuseppe Ceccarelli), Vitaliano Rotellini, Franco Liberati, Augusto Jandolo, Trilussa (Carlo Alberto Salustri), Ettore Petrolini, Ignazio Mascalchi, and Ettore Veo decided to form a group. After several meetings at Jandolo's antique gallery and with Prince don Francesco Ruspoli, the core group was established, and at the meeting of 8 June 1929, it officially took the name I Romani della Cisterna. The association remained without formal rules, although a small group (Jandolo, Liberati, and Veo) coordinated initiatives and handled the admission of new members. Soon, personalities from the municipal administration were admitted, such as Giuseppe Bottai, Governor of Rome in 1935–1936, Antonio Muñoz, General Inspector of Fine Arts of the Governatorate of Rome from 1928 to 1944, and Aroldo Coggiati, city councilor of Trastevere. The local press regularly reported on the weekly meetings held at the Cisterna or other public places. One of the association's constant main interests was the knowledge and transmission of the Roman dialect. In 1936, the death of the energetic Petrolini changed the group's physiognomy; it now met regularly at Jandolo's studio in Via Margutta, without abandoning the Cisterna or other osterias for shared dinners. During this period, the term Romanisti began to prevail, preferred by Marcello Piermattei over other definitions such as Romani col botto (Petrolini) or Romanifili (Giorgio Pasquali), with the clarification that no confusion should arise with terms related to Romance philology, Roman law, or Roman football, but that this term should primarily designate passionate admirers of Rome in all its aspects, similar to the Romani della Cisterna. From the union of the Romani della Cisterna and the Romanisti, the Gruppo dei Romanisti was born in 1938. In 1939, although not yet officially institutionalized, the group counted about forty members, including one woman (Emma Amadei), united around three figures who guaranteed continuity: Augusto Jandolo, Giuseppe Ceccarelli (Ceccarius), and Enrico Tadolini. All were of Italian origin, mostly Romans, but the presence of foreigners was not excluded a priori, though this only materialized after the war. Meetings remained weekly, but the Cisterna was no longer the main meeting point: in summer, the Romanists met in the trattorias of Piazza S. Maria in Trastevere or Piazza Navona. Jandolo's antique gallery at Via Margutta 53 remained a constant reference point. The first major and longest-lasting initiative that distinguished the Gruppo dei Romanisti from the Romani della Cisterna was the publication in 1940 of the Strenna dei Romanisti, which appeared with a preface by Bottai and had Augusto Jandolo, Piermattei, and Ettore Veo as editors, joined in the second year by Ceccarelli. In the first three volumes of the Strenna, published from 1940 to 1943, the group adopted the rhetoric of the dictatorial regime, apparently aware that fascism was nothing more than a transient moment in history. During this period, two Romanists were members of the Gran Consiglio of the National Fascist Party, and those who held official positions, particularly in the Rome city administration, were also party members. After World War II, the group continued its activities, publishing the Strenna annually and maintaining its cultural mission. The association remains active today, with its headquarters in Rome, and continues to organize events, publish its bulletin, and promote the study and appreciation of Rome's heritage.

• 1943

  Publication of the Strenna continues through the war years.

• 1940

  First volume of Strenna dei Romanisti published, with preface by Bottai.

• 1939

  Group counts about forty members, including one woman (Emma Amadei).

• 1938

  Gruppo dei Romanisti is formed from the union of the Romani della Cisterna and the Romanisti.

• 1936

  Death of Ettore Petrolini; group begins meeting at Jandolo's studio in Via Margutta; term 'Romanisti' gains currency.

• 1929

  Informal group begins meeting at Osteria della Cisterna; on 8 June officially named I Romani della Cisterna.

A private cultural association dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Roman heritage, traditions, and dialect, independent of political conditioning.

• Strenna dei Romanisti

  Annual anthology of writings on Roman subjects, published since 1940 and traditionally presented to the Mayor of Rome on 21 April.

• Bollettino

  Bulletin of the association.

1. 1GRUPPO DEI ROMANISTIgruppodeiromanisti.it
2. 2Gruppo dei Romanistiwikidata.org
3. 3Gruppo dei Romanistide.wikipedia.org