Words That Create Worlds: Giulio’s Story

Some stories begin quietly, with a classroom assignment, a blank page, and a student who doesn’t yet know what he’s capable of. That’s how it started for Giulio, whose essay “La peste a Venezia” earned him an award at the “In Viaggio” Literary Competition, organized by the Associazione Culturale Il Sogno di Giulietta in the Verbano area.

What began as a simple exercise in Italian class, under the guidance of Prof.ssa Boarato, soon revealed a rare talent for writing and imagination. “It was a writing exercise,” Giulio explains, “written in three hours, including the good copy. I didn’t think it would be such a success, but the idea excited me from the very beginning. I wanted to write something mostly descriptive to create an immersive atmosphere.”

The essay paints vivid images of Venice struck by the plague, bringing readers into the heart of a city suspended between fear and beauty. But beyond the historical setting, what stands out is Giulio’s voice attentive, mature, and full of sensitivity.

When asked where his passion for writing came from, Giulio admits that it wasn’t immediate:
“I liked writing, but not as much as I do now. That morning I started the essay silently, unaware of what it would become. The passion came later. I find descriptive writing the closest to poetry and poems are one of the highest forms of human intelligence. Poetry wasn’t easy for me, so I started expressing myself through prose.”

While his essay was written independently, Giulio also acknowledges the quiet encouragement of his family. “I wrote everything on my own,” he says proudly. “Then my father encouraged me to send it to competitions, actually, to two of them. My mother helped me too, but in her own way. She preferred to let me write freely and then read it later, she was more my emotional support.”

Through this experience, Giulio discovered not only new techniques but also the power of reading others’ words:
“I read other people’s essays and learned different writing styles. That was something I really appreciated because it allowed me to share ideas and emotions with others.”

Unlike many stories, “La peste a Venezia” doesn’t seek a moral lesson, it aims for something more subtle and enduring.
“My goal wasn’t to give the story a moral,” Giulio explains, “but to make readers see and feel the atmosphere, to create a vivid image in their minds.”

From this journey, Giulio takes away a lesson that goes far beyond writing:

“Every time you dedicate yourself to something, the hours you work, the care you put into it, it will pay off in the future. And even if it doesn’t, you’ll still know that you worked hard and improved. One of the best things I’ve learned is to be proud of yourself.”

Giulio’s success reminds us that sometimes the most powerful stories are born from a quiet classroom moment, when a student finds not just the right words, but their own way of seeing the world.