Italy
On August 21, in Gagliano del Capo, in the province of Lecce (Italy), an evening will be held in memory of Stefano Trane Protopapa, who died in 2025 at the age of 50 after an illness. In the final weeks of his life, Stefano also devoted himself to the spazio + spadoni blog, seeking new contacts and new authors. For this reason, today we remember him with gratitude and affection.
I do not presume to call myself a friend of Stefano, because friends are those who are always there, who have shared many moments with you, who have stood by you in difficult times.
I was merely “passing through” Stefano’s life, and even that was a privilege for me.
We found each other again after many years: 35, to be exact. And that is because I have always believed that shared passions and affinities keep people connected despite time and geographical distance.
The thread that united the two of us was the love for writing, for words: both back in high school, when I was the younger sister of his classmate, and two years ago, when we began talking over the phone.
He, who loved books, would smile from above if I told him that whenever I think of him—and that happens often—a quote from Dostoevsky’s “White Nights” comes to mind: «What is the point of acquaintances? Even without them, I know all of Petersburg».
Because Stefano, whether at home or in a hospital bed, listened. He knew how to grasp the subtleties of life, perceiving the needs and emotions of those around him.
And, above all, he had the extraordinary ability to build relationships, to bring people together in a network.
For a couple of years now, I have been collaborating with spazio + spadoni.
It is impressive how much he did for the blog in just a few days: his final days, in fact.
Stefano proved to me that when you care about something, you pursue it even when it takes effort. Moreover, his dedication to finding new authors and correspondents for the blog bore fruit that, to my great surprise, continues even today, more than a year after his passing.
With all possible enthusiasm, he would send me phone numbers of people who, in his view, could write for the blog, whether they were in Gagliano or in India. And through him, wonderful collaborations were born that still endure and lead to new ones.
It is thanks to him that I reconnected with Emiliano and Father Gino, and met Massimo Buccarello, a highly valued correspondent of spazio + spadoni, who in turn introduced me to Antonella, Father Fabrizio, and Chiara.
Good always generates more good, and Stefano, rather than shutting himself away in the pain of his illness, helped sprout seeds that would have otherwise remained dormant: four of our authors are his! For this reason, every time I receive an article from them, it is as if Stefano comes back to life. And I thank him, imagining the smile of someone who knows he did his part, happy to keep that virtuous circle of shared words and stories going.
Today, beyond the nostalgia and deep sadness of his absence, I am happy for him, for a dream of his coming true: the publication of his book of poems, “Murmure, suoni e ri-suoni”.
I would have loved to be there, but I could not. This, therefore, is my way of taking part and sharing his joy with him and with all those who loved and knew him.
Heartfelt thanks from me and from spazio + spadoni!
Farewell, Stefano Trane Protopapa!
Photo by Stefano Trane Protopapa
