Meeting near the Obelisk of Catania

Sometimes my business trips have quite pleasant "side effects" as now and then I succeed in arranging a short personal get-together with a faraway chess friend.

This time a supplier audit led me to Sicily, so I was able to meet with Santo Daniele Spina, a grammar school teacher of classical languages and history at the nearby Acireale, in a bar at the Piazza Duomo.

The pictures show that there was November weather in Catania as well, the cathedral, the city hall and the elephant fountain "disappeared" in the showers and only the short coffee at the bar remained to meet each other.

The Wikipedia entry on the "Fontana dell'Elefante" offers further photos of the fountain.

Santo is one of our most productive historians, certainly he was also responsible for the reprint of Pietro Carrera’s Il Gioca de Gli Scacchi in 2003 by the "Comune di Militello in Val di Catania" where he contributed a 13-page introduction. This chess book from 1617 was the first book printed in Militello, it was translated into English by W. Lewis in 1822.

I have attached the long lists of the chess and the historical works of our Sicilian member, a few title pages may be regarded as an illustration of his enormous industriousness and expertise.

Chess Publications (jpg-file, 950 KB) and Historical Publications (jpg-file, 240 KB) by Santo Daniele Spina.

I would like to combine this survey with hearty birthday greetings.

(Michael Negele)