Temporary exhibition
“The pen is mightier than the sword” – RESCRIPTA MANENT

The appendix to the RESCRIPTA MANENT exhibition will be presented on Sunday, November 9, 2025, starting at 10:00 a.m., with a guided tour accompanied by the director of the 1914-1945 Museum.

Location: 1914-1945 Museum, Via del Lavoro 66, Montecchio Maggiore (Vicenza)

Duration of the exhibition: From Sunday, July 13, 2025, to Sunday, March 29, 2026

Opening hours
The exhibition will be open during the Museum’s regular opening hours:
Monday-Wednesday-Friday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Other days and times by appointment.

Sponsors and Collaborators

With the patronage of:

  • Veneto Region
  • Municipality of Montecchio Maggiore
  • MeVe di Montebelluna

And with memorabilia from the private collections of: Daniela Patella, Paola Bertollo, Leonardo Pianezzola, and Marieni Saredo.
With the curation and scientific consultation of Dr. Glauco Angeletti (Ministry of Culture)

Context

Almost everyone remembers that even in elementary school we were taught that history, at least conventionally, began with the invention of writing more than 5,500 years ago.
The reason is quite simple: the emergence of written forms of communication (called “sources” by historians) made it possible to trace events and facts and to transmit knowledge and culture in increasingly sophisticated ways.
In short, writing represented a definitive turning point for humanity.

Based on the above, we know how writing still represents a fundamental aspect of everyone’s life today, even if, in a certain sense, due to the ease and immediacy of communication (think of the various messages we send each other on our cell phones), it seems to have lost some of the magic of the past.

The exhibition “Più la penna che la spada” (The pen is mightier than the sword) does not aim to tell the history of writing, but rather to lead visitors on a journey of discovery of the ways of writing, the methods of communication, and the tools used in the period between the Risorgimento and the post-World War II era.

The title of the exhibition refers to a well-known proverb (the pen is mightier than the sword, or the pen is more powerful than the sword) and emphasizes how the written word is more effective than violence. The saying originates from a work by the author Edward Bulwer-Lytton and dates back to the mid-19th century, but we know that, in reality, its origins are probably older.

The exhibition

The exhibition consists of hundreds of memorabilia, some of which are of extraordinary importance.
It ranges from writing instruments (from quill pens to nibs, from inkwells to fountain pens and typewriters) to letters sent by soldiers to their families during the Great War, to letters received from parents or girlfriends communicating terrible news such as the death of a relative at the front.

Also on display will be objects and documents that belonged to national figures, letters from Silvio Pellico and Gabriele D’Annunzio, poems written by Garibaldi’s soldiers from Vicenza, love letters, letters expressing ideals, diaries, and albums. There will also be a discussion of calligraphy and the importance of this particular art in schools.

Purpose of the exhibition

Aimed at everyone, the exhibition aims to remind us of the importance of handwritten communication and letter writing, how this was a fundamental part of society until a couple of generations ago, and how writing was able to convey with impressive power the life we lived and the deepest emotions of our soul, such as love, fear, hatred, and hope.