“Ich blieb in Florenz…und ich habe viel erlebt”. Intellettuali ebrei-tedeschi nella Firenze degli anni Trenta

Abstract

This contribution aims at presenting the first account of a two-year research project which investigates Florence as a migration goal for German-Jewish intellectuals during the 1930s. In the first section, the historical and cultural background of Italian Exile are examined, with specific attention to the relationship between the intellectuals and political power. The second section presents a short overview of how German intellectuals had perceived Florence between the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. The third section is then focussed on the perception of Florence during the Thirties as it emerges from both the memories and works of some of the refugees, who recorded their exile and represented the city both as the only possible shelter during this time of migration and the pleasurable waypoint of a potential Grand Tour.