🌑A year of eclipse:🇮🇹 Story Time on Radio Canale Italia

A year of eclipse

🌗 The 25th of August is here and it's a new year, a year of eclipse. Why? Because This September is eclipse season. This September there will be 2 eclipses, a lunar and a solar one. There were two previous eclipses: a lunar one on 5/5/25 and one on the Summer solstice. However, September is particularly interesting due to to both eclipses happening in the same month: this is not too unusual, but still very interesting.

🌘 I also suggest you to check out the future eclipses calendar calendar by NASA, I love it.

In case you wonder also about the different types of eclipses you also have this, super cool too. Let's see what happening in September:

1) Lunar Eclipse, September 7th (previously on May 5th):

As indicated in the calendar, the lunar eclipse on September 7th is a partial lunar eclipse. This eclipse will be visible from the Southern Hemisphere, including regions like Australia, New Zealand, and parts of South America. The time of visibility will be from approximately 1:00 to 5:00 UTC, with the maximum eclipse occurring around 3:00 UTC.

The previous lunar eclipse, on May 5th, was a penumbral lunar eclipse, which was visible in the Northern Hemisphere. During a penumbral eclipse, the Moon only passes through the Earth's penumbral shadow, causing a subtle dimming, rather than a dramatic darkening as seen in a partial or total lunar eclipse.

2) Solar Eclipse, September 21st (previously on June 21st):

As indicated in the calendar, the solar eclipse on September 21st is a partial solar eclipse. This eclipse will be visible from the Southern Hemisphere, including parts of the South Pacific, Southern South America, and some parts of the Antarctic region. The eclipse will occur between approximately 1:00 and 5:00 UTC, with the maximum eclipse happening around 3:00 UTC.

The previous solar eclipse, on June 21st, was an annular solar eclipse, visible from regions including parts of Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. During an annular eclipse, the Moon covers the center of the Sun, leaving a bright ring of the Sun's surface visible, known as the "ring of fire."

🌑 It was a total solar eclipse that made Einstein famous on the 29th of May 1919, by proving his theories.

Innovation seems to be something connected with this date, given that the 29th of May was also the time when Elon Musk, who started the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), stated that his time had come to an end after 5 months.

The force of quiet power in a loud world

🌒 Overall, to me the eclipse means protecting what is important: cherishing privacy and being happy with having a darker side. In a world where oversharing is the rule, to me the fact that even the Sun goes dark at times is incredibly inspiring: nothing can shine all the time, or it wouldn't be as bright. Also, there is power in choosing not to shine, in staying silent and in not sharing. Actually, I believe that there is perhaps even more power in that: when we have something beautiful and powerful, like the light of the Sun, it's easy to think "I want to share this with others", but it's not right. I believe that everything needs to be shared in the right moment and time and that there is a lot of power in holding back until conditions are right.

🌓 Lastly, the eclipse dark and quiet power is also a lesson regarding conflict management in everyday life in in the world: I consider myself a peaceful person, but not an harmless one. Just like with an eclipse if I am keeping my words and thoughts for myself, is because I want to and not because I have nothing to say. Indeed, not saying or doing anything at times is even more powerful, if that's out of my free will. However, if external circumstances require action on my side, of any kind, I am going to take it because I am not harmless: I am a woman who knows what is right and is going to stand for it. Period.

The eclipse of Hadrian, the emperor with a heart of gold

✨ The eclipse theme also traces back to the general idea of linking The Future Blog with my previous project, Res Publica. In the past 3 years, each year was dedicated to an exponent of the Julio-Claudian dynasty that ruled after the end of the republic in Rome: Julius Caesar (1st year), Augustus and Ovid's metamorphosis (2nd year) and Nero (3rd year). With Nero this dynasty, which was said to descend directly from Venus, ends. Nevertheless, the nod to roman emperors continues and this year the chosen one is Hadrian. The eclipse of the 27th of June 133 AD occurred during what is often referred to as a "golden age" of the Roman Empire under Emperor Hadrian, a ruler from the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. He was the 10th emperor after Nero.

💖 This period is characterized by a relative peace, stability, and cultural flourishing, which are hallmarks of Hadrian's reign. Such rule differs from Nero's who wanted to build a golden house, but then failed recognizing that what people needed was compassion. This is how he became the cruelest emperor to be remembered. To me Hadrian is a symbol of good governance and quiet power: a golden age that is not as flashy, but is certainly a more profound impact on people. A time where what mattered was ruling with a heart of gold, not a house of gold.

Story Time on Radio Canale Italia

✈️ Hadrian takes me back to the second part of this masterpost: my interview at Radio Canale Italia. In this interview, I spoke about my upcoming projects after my Charlemagne Prize Fellowship. In particular, I spoke about a book I am working on also with the support of EPI Hub: a foundation led by Andrea Piol that focuses on preserving the memory of Elserino Piol, but also on youth empowerment as the support for my ideas suggests. Elserino Piol was the pioneer of venture capital and internet in Italy and, most importantly for me, came from the province of Belluno, where my beloved maternal grandmother (who came from a family of aviators) was from. As she was the most important figure in my life, it was very important for me to have someone in the book that came from the same place as her.

🇮🇹Of course, it was also incredibly inspiring to learn about the story of Elserino, someone who left Belluno for America and got to meet even Steve Jobs for work at some point, but also of his son who is now looking to empower future generations. It was also a moment of reflection for me as, when speaking about young people living Italy to find fortune abroad, this thought crossed my mind: What is the Italian dream, anyways?

🎙️It was wonderful to sit down and discuss not just my past, but also my future projects with the incredible team of Story Time. You can find the full video interview recorded at end of July 2025 below (in Italian). Buon ascolto!

📹 Copyright: Story Time - Radio Canale Italia

PS: In August I thought more in depth about it and came to such conclusion; to me, the Italian dream is like a beautiful performance of ice-skating: difficult, yet powerful. The opportunity to reach for the stars.

Love,

Elena