Donated by the Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation in 2022, the sculpture reflects the role of culture as a means of dialogue, diplomacy and peace.
On 28 April 2022, a sculpture dedicated to Cesare Beccaria was unveiled at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Entitled “Cesare Beccaria – The Tree Whose Good Fruits Give Life to Life”, the monumental artwork was created by sculptor Dino De Ranieri and donated by the Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation – Life Beyond Tourism, through the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).
The sculpture was unveiled in the presence of Italy’s then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, as part of the initiatives marking Italy’s six-month Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The donation pays tribute to Italian thought and its contribution to the protection of human rights, conveying through art a message that remains relevant to present and future generations.
Cesare Beccaria: A Legacy of Justice and Human Dignity
Author of the influential treatise On Crimes and Punishments (1764), Cesare Beccaria was one of the leading figures of the Italian Enlightenment. His ideas on justice, proportionality in punishment and opposition to torture and the death penalty helped reshape European legal thought.
His legacy is closely linked to Tuscany, where, in 1786, Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo of Habsburg-Lorraine introduced a landmark penal reform abolishing the death penalty, marking a turning point in the history of human rights.
These values are reflected in the sculpture by Dino De Ranieri, an artist from Pietrasanta and a fifth-generation member of a family of sculptors. In the artwork, Beccaria’s bust merges symbolically with the Tree of Life: its roots represent the strength of enduring principles, while its fruits evoke the legacy of ideas that have contributed to social progress.
The sculpture also features a QR code plaque linked to Luoghi Parlanti (Talking Places), a project that allows visitors to explore Beccaria’s life and the meaning of the artwork through digital content.
Art as a Tool for Cultural Diplomacy
The donation forms part of the Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation’s cultural diplomacy programme, launched in 2008 to promote Italian cultural heritage internationally through artworks dedicated to figures such as Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei and Michelangelo.
As the Foundation’s President, Carlotta Del Bianco, recalled during the ceremony, the monument marked the culmination of a programme that, by 2022, had already involved 24 institutions across 15 countries, helping to raise international awareness of Italy’s contribution to culture, art, science and civil law.
This commitment continues today through the Life Beyond Tourism vision, which places the Culture of Dialogue at its heart and recognises cultural heritage as an opportunity for encounter and mutual understanding.
This same approach underpins the international Heritage for Building Peace Appeal, launched by the Foundation to engage institutions, professionals and communities in building peace through culture.
From Florence to Strasbourg, the sculpture dedicated to Cesare Beccaria demonstrates how art can preserve and communicate universal values, transforming the memory of the past into a shared responsibility for the future.
