Extrait de 'Corinne ou l'Italie' (1807) de Madame de Staël, roman qui explore la culture italienne à travers le regard de l'héroïne Corinne, poétesse anglo-italienne.
"Who can ever be alone for a moment in Italy? Every stone has a voice, every grain of dust seems to be the instinct of a spirit from the Past, every step recalls some line, some legend of a long-abandoned tradition."