"I know nothing about today's literature. For a long time now, my contemporary writers have been the Greeks." This is Jorge Luis Borges's thought on the eternal value of the classics. The Argentine writer's words come to mind when bidding farewell to Professor Giovanni Antonio Runchina, who died at the age of 88. As a teacher of Latin and Greek, he educated generations of students at the University of Cagliari . At the Dettori Classical High School, he taught the same subjects with love, passion, and great dedication.
Many students remembered him on social media with regret and nostalgia. He loved the classics and deeply enjoyed passing on his knowledge to young people.
For many years, his translation was published in the Unione Sarda, after the second Greek or Latin exam for the final exams. The professor offered his knowledge alongside a text by Cicero or Tacitus, Plato, or Plutarch. For final-year students, it was essential reading, providing valuable confirmation of their work.
Giovanni Antonio Runchina's knowledge was boundless, and conversations with him were often interwoven with quotations from his favorite authors. His daughter Cinzia remembered him by quoting Horace: "Non omnis moriar (one never dies completely)." Professor Runchina leaves behind indelible memories and an extraordinary legacy.
