Aphrodite. The truth of the goddess

Presentation of Mariangela Galatea Vaglio's latest book ‘Aphrodite. La verità della dea' (Giunti 2024).

On Thursday 6 March 2025, at 5.15 p.m., the National Archaeological Museum will host the writer Mariangela Galatea Vaglio for the presentation of her latest book: ‘Afrodite. La verità della dea' (Giunti 2024). Epigraphist Francesca Benvegnù will dialogue with the author.   We think we know Aphrodite well, or Venus for the ancient Romans.

What can she have to tell us that we do not know about a vain and frivolous divinity, goddess of beauty and love, faithless wife of Hephaestus, lover of Ares and Hermes? However, this is but a fraction of the truth, and Aphrodite is not very happy about always being underestimated and misreported. For this reason, she has decided to take the floor and tell her side of the story. 

Mariangela Galatea Vaglio reworks the myths about Aphrodite with creativity and originality, finally giving voice to a goddess who until now has been looked upon superficially, and with an engaging and ironic style she recounts all the eras in which she has been worshipped, her passionate human and divine loves, and her clashes with other divinities.

Aphrodite's story is as long as the history of the world, and her many lives are all united by one thing: the desire to be free, as her power as an ancient goddess and primordial force of nature demands, and to fight for love.

THE AUTHOR
Originally from Trieste, Mariangela Galatea Vaglio has a degree in Classical Literature and a PhD in Ancient History. A teacher and publicist journalist, she has collaborations with Il Gazzettino, Il Sole 24 ore and l'Espresso to her credit. She collaborates with the public archaeology magazine Archeostorie, where she edits the ‘Archeotales’ section. 

In the past, she collaborated with Spinoza, Giornalettismo and the Tech Economy portal. She is well known on the web for her blog: ‘Il Nuovo Mondo di Galatea’ (Galatea's New World), born in 2006 and now followed by more than 3,700,000 contacts, with a monthly average of about 30,000 visits. In 2018, she published ‘Theodora.

La figlia del Circo’ for Sonzogno and in 2020 ’Cesare. The man who made Rome great’ for Giunti; in 2021 ’Teodora. I demoni del potere’ for Piemme editions and, again for Giunti, in 2022, “I lupi di Roma” and, in 2024, ’Afrodite. The truth of the goddess’.   Free participation.
 
Booking recommended at museoaquileiaeventi@cultura.gov.it /0431 91016.