Year 2026

BOOK PRESENTATION: “A QUEEN FOR HEAVEN: THE STORY OF HER SOUL”

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Naples  ||  | 16 June 2026
Tutte le Attività (EN) - Anno 2026

The presentation of Roberto Bonaventura’s book “A Queen for Heaven: The Story of Her Soul” took place at the Museum of Peace.
The event was organised by the Guards of Honour at the Royal Tombs of the Pantheon, led by Eduardo Pilone Poli, and by Luisa Faraone Mennella, president of the “Maria Cristina of Savoy” Cultural Conferences, and was very well received by the public in the Museum’s prestigious conference hall, made available by President Michele Capasso and Pia Molinari.
The proceedings were opened by delegate Eduardo Pilone Poli, who welcomed friends and guests, expressing his honour at being able to raise awareness, through cultural events, of the figure of the Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy, who is known to few.
Among those present were: Alessandro del Balzo di Presenzano with Valentina Varano, Donatella Dentice d’Accadia, Arvedo Arvedi, Marina de Rosa, Daniela Oliviero, Marina Albamonte della Motta d’Affermo, Rosemary Iadicicco, Tommaso Tartaglione and numerous other attendees.
The author, Roberto Bonaventura, is a great admirer of Naples and its cultural identity; he coined the phrase ‘Napoletani Sostanziali’, which became the title of the literary work of the same name dedicated to those who, despite being born elsewhere, have found a second spiritual home in the Neapolitan city. For years, he has been leading a comprehensive multidisciplinary project dedicated to Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy, aimed at raising awareness of her through books, music, film and cultural initiatives. In 2024, he presented a film dedicated to her at the Basilica of Santa Chiara, accompanied by the distribution of a special rosary containing, within the cross, a tiny sculpture housing a relic of the queen.
In 2025, he published the book A Queen for Heaven and, subsequently, conceived and produced the film.
Thanks to the heartfelt performance by Father Antonio Vellutino, the short film screened to those present serves as an effective tool for evangelisation and spiritual reflection. The presentation provided a moment of profound cultural and spiritual reflection, highlighting the importance of the figure of Blessed Maria Cristina for the city of Naples and beyond.