Christmas at the threshold, and the “Asen and Iliya Peikov” Bulgarian school in Rome has received a precious gift - part of the archives of Prof. Riccardo Picchio. The Bulgarian literature volumes of the late linguist were donated by his heirs. Bulgarian prof. Krassimir Stanchev brought the donation to the school, we learn from a Facebook post by Veneta Nenkova - founder of the Bulgarian School in Rome and president of the Cultural Association "Parallel 43" in the city. 

Prof. Krasimir Stanchev receives a letter of gratitude on behalf of the school for the donated books.

Considered one of his generation's most influential scholars in the field of Slavic studies, Riccardo Picchio was born in Alessandria, Italy on September 7, 1923.

His scientific contribution includes his scholarly generalizations that put the study of medieval literary texts on a new footing. A key point in it is his concept of the European Slavonic culture - "Slavia", which, according to him, had split in the Middle Ages into "Eastern Slavia" and "Western Slavia" - two cultures existing in parallel but developing along different paths depending on the different geographical, linguistic and denominational areas to which they belonged.Another contribution of prof. Picchio is the introduction of the terms "Slavia Orthodoxa" and "Slavia Latina".

Prof. Riccardo Picchio and his wife Maria. New Haven, Connecticut, USA.