Pantheon

One of my least favourite places in Rome is the Pantheon. I am always uncomfortable when the statues of Caesar are placed in a church, and sure enough here in the Pantheon we find the tomb of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a united Italy, the 'Father of the Nation'.
Much better are the nations who value not conquerers but poets. In the Lisbon version of the Pantheon the Portuguese honour Almeida Garrett, Teofilo Braga and the fado singer Amalia Rodriguez as well as three presidents of the republic. Most impressive is the inclusion of the political dissident Humberto Delgado, who was murdered by the State.
In Galicia, in Spain, pride of place goes to the poet Rosalia de Castro.
In Westminster Abbey, the poets only have a corner.
The Irish are at their best when they forget to blame the English and celebrate the many great writers who have enriched the language that conquered their own.
Who are the great Italians I ask myself? Certainly not kings and politicians. Perhaps Giovanni Agnelli, Enrico Caruso, Mastroianni, Pavese and Pasolini, men who have enriched  modern Italy, and the whole world.