Perhaps we should say, “Grazie mille!”

Cesare Beccaria, a towering figure in the Italian Enlightenment and an inspiration for the founders of the American legal system, is the subject of a Forum on the Law series lecture at the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Ohio State University Professor Emeritus Charles Klopp will illuminate the life and times of Beccaria at 5:30 p.m. Monday Oct. 21 in the Courtroom of the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center.

Admission is free and the program is open to the public. One hour of CLE credit for attorneys is pending approval.

Beccaria’s new thinking in the 18th century on thorny justice issues such as torture, cruelty, capital punishment and equality under the law contributed mightily to the advancement of legal thought as the United States was becoming independent.

Professor Klopp is professor emeritus of Italian at Ohio State. A noted author and lecturer, he will provide depth and perspective to the life, intellectual development, writings and legal staying power of Beccaria. Professor Klopp is the author of many books and articles on the Italian language, literature, and culture, including Sentences: The Letters and Memoirs of Italian Political Prisoners from Benvenuto Cellini to Aldo Moro.

Most Americans are unfamiliar with Beccaria, whose writings inspired Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams and other founders when they were debating the groundwork for the unique American judicial system we know today.

If you would like to attend please RSVP to forum@sc.ohio.gov by Oct. 18. Guests must present a photo ID. Driving directions and parking information are available at sc.ohio.gov.