Adriano Romualdi (1940-1973) has long been a point of reference in the cultural and political circles of the Italian right. His work represented a trail for those who wanted to investigate the ideological and philosophical roots of that world and his name evoked readings, significant connections, little-trodden intellectual paths, theoretical reflections and literary interests of great depth.
Son of Pino Romualdi, historic director of the MSI, Adriano chose to follow a path of autonomous thought, dedicating himself first and foremost to a reinterpretation of traditionalist thought. His career, abruptly interrupted by a fatal car accident in August 1973, at just 32 years old, reflected an incessant search for alternatives to the spiritual and moral crisis of the West, with the aim of building an innovative theoretical vision capable of overcome the mere logic of political factions.
His work was not limited to outlining a new declination of the right, but aimed to offer an organic cultural response. Beyond the resolution of contingent conflicts, with the aim of addressing the root causes of the decline of the West.
To delve deeper into his thinking, a valuable contribution is represented by the volume Found writings (Arya Editions), edited by Alberto Lombardo. The book opens with a premise by Gianfranco De Turris and ends with an interview with Romualdi dating back to March 1973, published in Intervention.
This work is not just a tribute, but a key to rediscovering the complexity of the themes in a time span that ranges from 1957 to his death. The articles, collected by newspaper, show the exploration in different fields: from metapolitics to philosophy, from Konservative Revolution to Nietzsche, up to the crucial meeting with Evola; and then, the Middle Ages, Spengler, Prezzolini, Joyce, the Roman Empire, pre-Christian religions, Pasolini.
Although he was often restricted in Evolian exegesis, Romualdi always attempted to free himself from typification, also trying to overcome the static neo-fascism of those decades and, therefore, proposing a new declination of traditionalism capable of dialogue with the modern.
Through the study of Indo-European origins, he glimpsed a sense of eternity capable of overcoming the limits imposed by progressive and liberal modernity. His path was rooted in myth and an aristocratic spirituality, seeking a possible synthesis between past and future. Critical of the dominance of technology, which he considered a source of alienation and dehumanization, he proposed a vision of European tradition as a living synthesis of millennia of Western culture and spirituality, with Europe at the center of this path.
It was the fulcrum of his reflection, in which he intertwined memory and future, just like that Aeneas of the myth, who sets out carrying his old father Anchises on his shoulders and holding his little son Ascanius by the hand. In this spirit, Romualdi aimed to offer profound answers to contemporary decadence, and although some observations are dated, his thought retains a still stimulating analytical perspective.