Velut ego nunc moveor: evidentia e sentimento del luogo La riflessione di Cicerone su spazio e memoria

This paper explores the relationship between space and memory in Cicero’s philosophical thought, starting from the preface to the fifth book of De finibus bonorum et malorum, where an intense dialogue between Cicero and his aristocratic friends is set (fin. 5, 1-8). The discussion, which takes place in Athens, starts from the observation of symbolic places, such as Plato’s Academia or Pericles’ grave. The author claims that places make great impression on men, producing a mnemonic act, and an equally strong emotion, stronger than simply reading of a book or listening to a lecture. In other words: the memory of Plato is more intense if we find ourselves in front of the Academia rather than reading the Phaedrus. Through his characters Cicero ‘rebuilds’ Athens, but of course it’s the intellectual Athens of the élites far from the actual city. It is not a real trip then, but rather a ‘journey of the mind’ hanging between remembrance, melancholy and history.