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How art reunites lost planets.

Art is eternal and can reanimate journeys veiled by time. “Eroica – La Gloria di Napoleone” (Heroic – The glory of Napoleon) is the historical manga by Ryoko Ikeda created by the Japanese soprano to narrate the Napoleonic empire from the Thermidorian reaction to the campaigns in Egypt and Italy, from the battle of Abukir to the coup d’état of 18 Brumaire and the French invasion of Russia. The appeal attributed to comics, the ninth art, today brings together two cities already united by the fascinating epic of illustrious protagonists. The marriage intertwined the genealogy of Baciocchi, a Corsican family originally from Genoa who moved to the city of Ajaccio in the 16th century, with Bonaparte. The lustre produced by the marriage (1685) between Flaminia Cuneo d’Ornano and Giuseppe Antonio Baciocchi preceded the birth of three children who were the creators of three major branches of the family and who emigrated all over Europe (from Alexandria to Bonn, from Avignon to Florence). Giulio Dionigi Baciocchi (21 May 1760 – 18 February 1818) was Maire (mayor) of Alessandria from 1805 to 1814. By tradition of ancestors dedicated to a career in arms, military officers received their appointment from Emperor Napoleon. Bonaparte’s stop in Alexandria dates back to 1805 and preceded his coronation as King of Italy in Milan: on Sunday 5 May 1805, Napoleon stopped on the green plain of the Fraschéta to watch the re-enactment of the battle, explore the modernised fortifications of the city and the civil and military organisational structure of the new department of Marengo acquired by France and descended from the victory of 1800. The elimination of Mayno Della Spinetta that emerged from the fight against brigandage promoted by Mayor Baciocchi was rewarded with the honours of Legion of Honour and Knight of the Empire. The lineage linked the maire to the captain Felice Pasquale Baciocchi (Aiaccio, 18 May 1762 – Bologna, 27 April 1841) prince of Lucca and Piombino from 1805 and husband of Elisa (Aiaccio, 3 January 1777 – Villa Vicentina, 7 August 1820), Napoleon’s younger sister. Today, the narrative promoted by the comic strip (the image adorned with text guarded by the classic cloud) unites art with history and reduces the distance (two centuries and 250 kilometres) between Lucca and Alessandria. “Lucca Changes”, the 2020 edition of Lucca Comics & Games adapted to the anti-Covid regulations, distributed one hundred and fifteen Campfires (specialised activities that have become the outpost of the meeting) throughout Italy: the Akiba Stop comics shop in via Parma offered the possibility of participating remotely to Alessandria’s amateurs, who had already been delighted by the Alecomics festival held at the Cittadella, now in its seventh edition. The Campfire project enhances the supply chain and the role of specialised shops: the ecosystem unites Lucca Comics & Games with publishers, the public and the territory. This experimental phase is also aimed at including different realities (from associations to museums) in order to build a widespread festival.