CULTURE, HISTORY, TOURISM, POLITICS, FASHION, FOOD, MUSIC, ART & LEISURE
The All-New Alfa Romeo Giulia
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING GIULIA The world of bespoke tailoring
THE ITALIAN GRAMMAR OF SEWING
Icons: Olivetti
THE STORY OF AN ITALIAN REVOLUTION Hidden Venice
THE CITY WITHIN THE CITY
YEAR XIX - ISSUE # 67 - 2017 - USA $ 12.50 WWW.ALLABOUTITALY.NET
The changing city
AND ONE DAY, MILAN Dante Ferretti
“WE WHO TAUGHT THE WORLD HOW TO CREATE CINEMA”
The Caravaggesque photographer
A TASTE FOR THE SHOT Nureyev’s islands
THE MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS OF A NATURAL PARADISE
EDITORIAL WALKING HAND IN HAND TOWARD THE CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE Today, Italian style is unmistakable. It is not by accident that one speaks by now of Made in Italy as a brand with a strong emotional impact, highly recognizable, universally appreciated and signifying quality. But it hasn’t always been this way. It required the tenacity of many entrepreneurs, who were sometimes held up as crazy visionaries, but who, with full faith in their own ideas and ingenuity, knew how to sell Italian know-how beyond the national borders. It is a case of real social phenomena that have characterized entire eras—in cinema, literature and the world of advertising—appearing an infinite number of times among the most significant symbols of a society in rapid change. Names that have opened up new roads to follow, laid down not only by audacious entrepreneurship but also with culture and beauty, the same foundation on which rests the contemporary success of Italy as a guarantee of quality and on which we need to build in order to react and not simply resist. A tradition composed of love and passion, elegance and sensitivity, artisanal craftsmanship and innovation, for whose survival it is necessary to build a viable collaborative and virtuous platform dedicated to the promotion and evolution of the Made in Italy brand abroad. Creating a system is the key to success: cohesion between the players can render the Italian team truly competitive and winning. The mission of All About Italy has always been that of putting itself at the service of the best that our country can offer in order to promote it and make it known to an evergreater degree on the international stage. Editor in Chief Franco Del Panta
Co-Editor & Vice President Paolo Del Panta
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54 The changing world
Hidden Venice
The actor and the man
30. IUZZOLINO:THE KING
54. THE CITY WITHIN
80. A MASTROIANNI LIFE
OF THE TV SERIES
THE CITY Beyond the stage
84. THE ODYSSEY OF
The changing city
32. AND ONE DAY,
The Caravaggesque photographer
60. A TASTE FOR THE SHOT
MILAN
EMMA DANTE Times and rhythms
Art and daily life
Nureyev’s islands
40. DESIGN TO LIVE WITH
68. THE MAGICAL SUGGESTIONS
Icons
44. THE STORY OF AN ITALIAN REVOLUTION
OF A NATURAL PARADISE
90. CECILIA BARTOLI, OPERA ON THE MOVE The world of bespoke tailoring
94. THE ITALIAN Behind the scenes
GRAMMAR OF SEWING
74. “WE WHO TAUGHT
The All-New Alfa Romeo Giulia
48. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING GIULIA
THE WORLD HOW
Italian essences
TO CREATE CINEMA”
100. A PERFUME, A MEMORY, A PASSION
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Life, history, food
108. A TALE, A MEAL G5HOMES YOUR PERSONAL HOST
112. FEELING AT HOME, FAR FROM HOME Italy on the road
116. ITALIAN MOTORCYCLE ENGINEERING COME ALIVE AGAIN Passion on the seas
122. RIVA AND LAMBORGHINI, A DREAM REBORN
and more... 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28
PHOTOREPORTAGE PHOTOREPORTAGE PEOPLE ART FASHION WINE TASTES & FLAVOR EXCLUSIVE EXPERIENCE ITALIAN AVANT-GARDES AUTOMOBILES MOTORBIKES & FOOD CRUISE PEOPLE
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Editor in Chief Franco Del Panta f.delpanta@allaboutitaly.net Co-Editor & Vice President Paolo Del Panta p.delpanta@allaboutitaly.net Art Director Francesco Sciarrone Picture Editor M. Fernandez Duna Translator Gregory Bailey Administration Jenny Cheung Photo Editor M. Beduschi Pr North America Francesca Pierini Musto Staff writers & Photos Jenny Scott, Paul Virgo, L.C. Beduschi, Robert Leggio, Sascha Von Mallinkrodt, T. Jones, K. Carlisle, F. Pierini Musto, Helen Yeh, L. Martano, Y. Leone, M. Morelli, L. Mancini, E. Pasca, E. Rodi.
PHOTOREPORTAGE
REDISCOVERING ONE’S INNER CHILD IN THE LANGHE
There are objects that become iconic not because they are imposed on the public view by marketing, but because they embody an idea so seductive and easily achievable that they are able on their own to create the natural conditions for their own duplication and diffusion. This is the case with the “Giant Benches” created by Chris Bangle, a U.S. designer well known for his work in the automobile industry and a long-time Italian by adoption. These oversize benches, installed for the first time in the context of the Langhe—the smooth green hills in Piedmont that give birth to such prized products as Barolo wine, Robiola cheese and the rare white truffle of Alba—have in short time become an irresistible attraction for the visitors to the area. Their power? They offer a new perspective thanks to their dimensions, causing the sitter to feel like a small child capable of marveling at the beauty of the landscape with a new eye. The benches are made for relaxing, but in comparison to a chair or armchair they are large enough to welcome one or more friends and therefore represent a pleasant social gesture that in and of itself carries a charge of positive energy. In addition, according to Chris Bangle himself, “It’s a great lesson in the use of a contextual innovation. We are so obsessed with discovering new things that we often deny ourselves the interesting experience of experimenting with well-known things in a different context.” Martina Morelli
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PHOTOREPORTAGE
THE CONSTANT SPECTACLE OF NATURE The only movie theater where the film is not projected in a closed room, but in an open-air spectacle offered by nature on a boundless screen, is in Verano, in the Trentino Alto-Adige; the moving images sweep over the Tessa Mountains, part of the UNESCO World Patrimony of the Dolomites, in the framework of the breathtaking panorama of the Adige Valley in northeast Italy. This original movie house in nature is called the Knottnkino, and the “projection room” is a terrace with 30 seats in chestnut and steel created by the artist Franz Messner in 2000, situated on the rocky spur at the top of Mount Zoccolo, 4800 feet in altitude above Merano: “Knottn” in local dialect means rock, and “Kino” is German for cinema. The film shown to the spectators follows the spectacular script provided by nature in a succession of scenes that constantly vary according to the time of day, the season, the atmospheric conditions, and the intensity and tonality of the light: conditions which offer constantly new and suggestive panoramas. Sveva Riva
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PEOPLE PAOLO NESPOLI, THE ENGINEER WITH HIS HEAD IN THE STARS
He is a space veteran, but his enthusiasm is the same as his very first time; Paolo Nespoli is preparing for his third mission, which will take place soon after his 60th birthday. “I am happy to go back up: in space age weighs less,” Nespoli affirms; he will celebrate his 60th birthday on April 6, 2017, and will become the oldest European astronaut to go into space. For the moment, the European record belongs to the Frenchman Jean Loup Chrétien, who flew on the Mir with the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 1997 at the age of 59 after three missions with Soyuz. The oldest astronaut in the world to go into space remains John Glenn, who was also the first American to go into earthly orbit on February 20, 1962, and returned at the age of 77 with the STS-95 mission in 1998. The Milanese astronaut will be employed on the International Space Station (ISS) for a mission that will leave from the secret Russian space-launch site of Bajkonur in Kazakhstan on May 30, 2017, for six months in space. It will be his third experience in orbit and the fourth long-term mission for the Italian Space Agency. In the last weeks, Roberto Battiston, the President of the ISA, explained that the ISA is working toward the goal of having an Italian astronaut take on the role of commander of the ISS. Italy currently has four astronauts “in service:” Paolo Nespoli himself, Roberto Vittori, Lica Parmitano and Samantha Cristoforetti. Nespoli has proudly declared that “I am an engineer, but I have never stopped dreaming,” and it is difficult to determine the boundary between dream and reality for someone like him, who has witnessed a number of important moments in space history, from the resumption of the construction of the space station to the inauguration of the Shuttle and the celebration in space of the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s first orbital flight. The story of Paolo Nespoli is one of numerous successes, one after the other, after a long waiting period. His life as an astronaut began 26 years ago, when he was selected in 1989 as one of the eight astronaut candidates in the Italian Space Agency and therefore part of the body of astronauts
in the European Space Agency. Passionate about computer technology, underwater immersion and flight (he has a license as a tourist pilot), Nespoli has worked since 1991 to train European astronauts at the ESA center in Cologne and subsequently in the preparation of the on-board computers on the old Russian space station Mir. In 1998 he was finally admitted in the training program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston together with another Italian astronaut, Roberto Vittori. But the wait for a space flight was still long, due to the suspension of Shuttle flights after the tragedy of the Columbia. For this engineer with a past in the army, his first mission only arrived on October 23-November 7, 2007. “Esperia,” jointly managed by the ESA and the ASI, was an important mission that signaled the resumption of work for the enlargement of the International Space Station, with the installation of Node 2 (the Harmony module) built by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, to which were connected the European laboratory Columbus and the Japanese laboratory Kibo. His second mission, MagISStra, also provided a record in that it was the first six-month mission carried out by an Italian; it began on December 15, 2010, and concluded after 152 days in May 2011, and for the first time saw two Italians on the Space Station when Roberto Vittori arrived on board. Until a few months ago, Paolo Nespoli also was the Italian with the most days spent off our planet—174 and nine hours—a record which is now held by Samantha Cristoforetti, with 199 days. Among his records, the engineer also can boast of being the first European astronaut to twitter from space. His Twitter messages went viral, in part due to his spectacular photos of our planet as seen from the orbital laboratory. During the press conference to announce his third mission in space, which will launch in 2017, Paolo Nespoli spoke about the use of social networks on the part of many astronauts as a means of diffusing news and images to the public that document his own voyage: “Sharing photos from space will serve to prevent me from feeling alone.” Ylenia Leone
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A BATTLE FOR ART
THE TORLONIA COLLECTION, A CULTURAL PUBLIC PATRIMONY What has been called the most important private collection of ancient art in the world will finally be accessible to the public. The historic agreement, as Dario Franceschini, the Italian Minister for Cultural Activities and Treasures has defined it, establishes an important collaboration to fully valorize the splendid Torlonia collection, an immense private collection accumulated in the 19th century by the noble family that is comparable in its size and quality to those exhibited in the Capitoline or Vatican museums. The agreement is certainly historic, given the vicissitudes that have accompanied the history of this collection. The aristocratic Torlonia family was comprised of bankers who, thanks to their enormous influence, were able to put together the most impressive and significant collection of ancient statues still in private hands. In 1859, Alessandro, the “banker prince,” founded a private family museum in via della Lungara in the Trastevere neighborhood in Rome to house the splendid collections bought from other noble Roman families in decline or insolvent, as well as pieces from excavation campaigns carried out on the family’s various properties. That museum, however, was virtually inaccessible to the public at large, and in practice only open to other aristocrats or to approved scholars. Over the years, a long and bitter battle between the new country of Italy and the family festered in order to render this important patrimony public. The battle is over, and victory celebrations will begin with a temporary exhibition during this year, which will show of a selection of the most representative sculptures to give a taste of the importance of the collection and the scale of the project. Afterward, the exhibition will travel first to New York and then to a fortunate European capital still to be designated. The Torlonia Foundation will take care of the expenses of restoring the pieces, while the Ministry will cover the expenses of the exhibition. An adequate permanent home has yet to be found for the prestigious collection, with its 620 Greek and Roman sculptures. Among the most important pieces exhibited will be rare original Greek statues of the 4th and 5th centuries B.C., such as the Hestia Giustiniana, Myron’s Athlete, Polyclitus’ Diadumenos, Cephisodotus the Elder’s Eirene, the Hellenistic portrait of Eutidemos of Bactriana, plus Etruscan works including frescoes from the necropolis of Vulci, as well as a series of busts of Roman emperors of inestimable value. Oreste Sacco
STORIES OF FASHION
LUISA SPAGNOLI: THE HEREDITY OF A PIONEER “She taught me to create couture fashion at affordable prices:” This lesson was handed down to Nicoletta Spagnoli by Luisa Spagnoli, her great-grandmother and above all a pioneer of Italian entrepreneurship. Luisa Spagnoli’s story is one of female resourcefulness lived intensely on many fronts; along her journey she got swept away in various lives and still managed to innovate the industrial panorama. She first did this with Perugina and then with the fashion house that still bears her name. But she was also swept away by the love of two important men: Annibale, her husband, a never-competitive partner, who started the adventure in the chocolate business with her; and Francesco Buitoni, the industrial powerhouse who decided to go into business with her during a time of economic crisis, becoming the heir of the empire and the love of her life. The worldfamous Perugina “Kiss” was an invention of Luisa: she created the classic chocolate and
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hazelnut confection in order to make good use of by-products from other confections, producing a chocolate-covered masterpiece of gianduja (milk chocolate ganache mixed with hazelnut paste) and chopped hazelnuts around a solid whole-hazelnut core. Her invention was not only ingenious but also delicious. This same approach is also easily seen in the second phase of her life, the period dedicated to fashion. She started a farm to breed Angora rabbits, whose wool she used to makes shawls and sweaters, diffusing the idea of elegance affordable to all. When she died in 1935, the business passed to her son Mario, who transformed it from an artisanal activity into a business on an industrial scale. Today, the fashion house makes classic clothes that are primarily sold in 152 boutiques in Italy and 52 stores abroad, as well as in department stores. The President and CEO of the business is Nicolette Spagnoli, the daughter of Lino, who inherited from her great-grandmother her tenacity and willingness to make sacrifices for the work she loves, to the point where she can assure us that “the business is securely in the hands of the family and will remain so.” Luisa Spagnoli continues to grow, but never ages.
Elisa Rodi
THE COLORS OF WINE
THE THOUSAND FACES OF LAMBRUSCO Among the sparkling wines of Emilia, Lambrusco is certainly one of the most well known both nationally and internationally. It is definitely the wine best adapted to the summer season, as when served cold it pleasantly differs in taste from other red wines whose tannins notably augment the woodiness apparent on the palate at cold temperatures. But few know that among all of the grape varietals cultivated in the peninsula, almost all of which arrived hundreds or even thousands of years ago from Greece or France, Lambrusco, which derives from wild autochthonous grapes, is a true native of Italy and therefore a maximum expression of Italian identity. Inimitable, wholly original, and a perfect union of the land, the climate, and the character of the Emilian people: a strange mixture of cordiality, generosity, straightforwardness and candor. Lambrusco is unique, but with a wide variety of declinations: an entire group of sub-varietals with common family origins, similar to each other but not identical, cultivated from the vines that always produced the best grapes. It is a wine that never ceases to surprise, and that inspires the creativity of the vintners who passionately look after all the phases of production. This is the case with Bellei family at the Cantina della Volta, who have a long tradition behind them and a passion handed down from father to son, further informed by numerous visits to France, the home of noble sparkling wines. From this experience came the idea of vinifying their Lambrusco di Sorbara grapes “in white,” with an extraordinary effect of surprise: in a vermilion bottle wrapped in UV-resistant paper, one only notices the strawcolored effervescent identity of the contents upon pouring, a sparkling wine made with the classic méthode champénoise. This “white with a red heart” is the latest great Lambrusco. Sveva Riva
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TASTES & FLAVORS
THE BISTROT OF FLOWERS In the heart of Milan there exists a place in which flowers, music and food form a unique combination: it’s called Potafiori, and it is the fruit of the vision of Rosalba Piccinni, the singing flower-seller who has over the years developed a passion for welcoming clients by transforming the time required to prepare a bouquet into a moment for savoring good music and food. And food, together with flowers, is co-protagonist of Potafiori, thanks to the contribution of Giorgio Bresciani, a young chef with experience both in Italy and abroad, who interprets the taste and style of Rosalba Piccinni, proposing dishes that are simple but at the same time original and unusual.
Potafiori: the inside
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The points of reference are seasonality and improvisation. The menu is changed every week, based upon market availability, the season, and the intuition of the kitchen, which follows the mood of the shop, with its flowers and always-surprising compositions. As with the flowers, in fact, particular attention is given to the composition, with daring combinations of different materials that transform a dish into a unique experience from an esthetic as well as culinary point of view. Completing this mix of taste, beauty and design is an improvised tableside serenade, an instrumental concert: the jazzy soul of this bistrot that is also a cultural container, somewhere between a creative laboratory, an art exhibition and a concept store. At the center of everything there are always the flowers, from the most costly to the most humble: field herbs, roses, spiny roots, rare orchids, cactus flowers and odiferous buds to awaken and delight all of the senses. www.potafiori.com Sascha Mallinckrodt
THE RHYTHM OF NATURE, THE WISDOM OF THE FARMER Today as in the past, the Marcarini Family, now six generations strong, manages its own vineyards with passion and produces wines according to the most rigorous Langhe traditions. At La Morra, where the grapevine dominates agriculture, avery day the most ancient rhythms of all are renewed, those of the viticulturist and wine steward. They are made with the noble goal of capturing the perfection of quality in each wine.
Azienda Agricola Poderi Marcarini Piazza Martiri, 2 - 12064 • La Morra (CN) ITALIA • +39 0173 50222 • marcarini@marcarini.it
www.marcarini.it
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ENCHANTMENT IN THE HEART OF TUSCANY
Masterpieces of art and architecture, unique and tasty products from the local cuisine, and the myth of extraordinary wines: Tuscany is all of this and so much more. It is a region that gives the thrill of living a different emotion every day, from the medieval atmosphere of San Gimignano or Monteriggioni to the mysterious fascination of Sovana, Pitigliano and Volterra, the cradle of Etruscan civilization, as well as the paths of the great interpreters of Italian painting such as Piero della Francesca, and the famous wine cellars where the great vintages of Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti patiently mature. Just a few minutes from Siena and the most stimulating itineraries, close to magnificent museums and the most exclusive palaces, a splendid Spa Relais with the suggestive name of Castel Monastero has opened whose origins are lost in the story of medieval Tuscany. Bought by a local noble family, the property became their
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country villa, a site dedicated to the celebration of the hunt and to the gathering of the grapes from the nearby vineyards. After a careful restoration aimed at re-establishing its ancient splendor, it is ready today to welcome guests with almost ten centuries of history. Once you have passed through the walls that protect the old town and find yourself in the piazza onto which the splendid buildings face, or enter one of the rooms or suites, or the marvelous independent villa, you can immediately feel the fascination, colors and style of the most authentic Tuscany. From its windows, vineyards, forests and fields roam beyond eyesight, and immediately before you is the splendid piazza, with its cafÊ, its restaurant, and delightful jewel of a church— the perfect way to experience Tuscany. www.castelmonastero.com Yuri Fronteddu
ITALIAN AVANT-GARDES
THE BREATH: THE UNIQUE MATERIAL CAPABLE OF PURIFYING THE AIR
Most of our cities have serious problems with air pollution, and purifying the air has become a priority for both public and private institutions. Casei Gerola’s start-up Anemothech Srl in the province of Pavia in northern Italy has, in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Ancona, developed “The Breath,” an innovative new material that introduces a technology capable of absorbing, blocking and, finally, breaking up the polluting molecules present in the atmosphere. It is a special multilayer material that can be used in various ways: to produce smogeating publicity posters, didactic panels for schoolrooms, informational supports for public locales, office dividers, and personalized panels for the home. And its anti-pollution activity comes with a carbon footprint of zero, because the material works without consuming any energy—simply taking advantage of natural air currents. “The Breath” attracts polluting molecules inside its carbon matrix activated with special nano-molecules, then separates the polluting agents and traps the particles to prevent them returning to the air. Offering a sustainable performance for around a year, such a technology is capable of guaranteeing a constant 20% reduction in pollution. A number of panels have already been installed for experimentation inside Expo 2015 and around the Meazza Stadium in Milan. www.thebreath.it Oreste Sacco
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MUSEO NAZIONALE DELLE ARTI DEL XXI SECOLO
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The producer of the eponymous brand-name luxury material of the principal limited-edition models of carmakers worldwide, has become an essential partner for international groups who, thanks to the infinite possibilities in working the material, such in addition to being in the technological avant-garde, also have as the new frontier of the 3-D textures or the possibility of ambitions for being reference points in the world of design. printing high-resolution photos of drawings or unique motifs. Alcantara connotes versatility, creativity, functionality, beauty Examples of this are seen in its partnership with Carrozzeria and sensuous qualities, giving added value to any product, and Castagna and the latest product born of the creative inspiration rendering it unique and inimitable. of the Milanese studio, the Renault Twizy RoBo Design, and the This success story began in the automobile industry, in which recent collaboration with Garage Italia Customs. The creative the presence of Alcantara is widely diffused and transversal hub of Lapo Elkann and Alcantara has given birth to the with regards to brands and innovative and special liveries AUTOMOBILES models. It embellishes super of the Stormtrooper dedicated cars, cladding them with to Star Wars, the Alfa Romeo 4C that elegance suited to their La Furiosa, and the Mazda MX-5 position at the top of the line Levanto, to name just a few in luxury that respects the examples. environment. It is a choice After its conquest of the completely in line with the automobile sector, other new standards of future mobility as seen in the stylish outfitting leading brands such as Panasonic, with its futuristic OLED of the futuristic cabin of the Audi h-tron four concept, and in TV, Microsoft, Master & Dynamic and Daikin have chosen its historic association with Lamborghini, with its one-off Alcantara, confirming their on positions in the top range of Centenary Ferruccio homage fully kitted out in AlcantaraÂŽ, as quality, inserting the group in a business that in the space of the well as Ferrari, Maserati and Tesla.As a demonstration of its next three years should surpass 20 millions euros. extreme versatility, Alcantara is used as a characteristic element Sveva Riva
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MOTORBIKES & FOOD
SCRAMBLER DUCATI, FROM MOTORCYCLES TO FOOD
Ducati, after the Ducati Caffè are already present in Rome and Seoul, keeps on the same road opening in via Stalingrado in Bologna the Scrambler Ducati Food Factory, a restaurant that combines the tradition of the Ducati brand with the one of the typical cuisine from Emilia Romagna. Inspired by the free, creative and youthful spirit of the Scrambler Ducati motorcycle, the establishment shares with it the same philosophy and the same atmosphere. It is a restaurant where to meet, socialize, do business all with the free spirit of those who feel Scrambler. Even in the kitchen “Scrambler Ducati Food Factory” aims to put bring creativity to taste . The classic pizzas are presented alongside with the most original ones, but all naturally leavened with sour dough and enriched by genuine Italian peeled tomatoes, cheeses and other excellent raw materials. The same ingredients are used also for the pizzas to share: for a minimum 2 people, rectangular pizzas served already cut on a wooden board - pala – and seasoned with up to two different flavors. The traditional piadina is prepared with homemade dough and is stuffed with excellent Italian cold cuts and cheeses. High quality ingredients from the best local suppliers are used to prepare and rediscover typical dishes from Bologna, including fresh handmade pasta. Scrambler Ducati Food Factory is located in a refurbished gas station, and there are rumors that a street art project will soon be launched for the exterior walls.
Ilona Catani Scarlett
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BAROLO D.O.C.G. BAROLO D.O.C.G. “COSTE DI ROSE” “COSTE DI ROSE”
12060 BAROLO (Cn), Via Roma, 24 e Fax +39 0173 12060Tel. BAROLO (Cn), Via56317 Roma, 24 info@briccenciurio.com Tel. e Fax +39 0173 56317 www.briccenciurio.com info@briccenciurio.com www.briccenciurio.com
BOATS
FROM TURIN, THE GYM THAT WILL CRUISE THE SEINE RIVER Designed by Carlo Ratti Associati in Turin and developed in collaboration with the fitness equipment manufacturer Technogym, the non-profit architecture group Terreform ONE and the urban regeneration institute URBEM, the Paris Navigating Gym will move along the Seine River by harnessing energy from passengers’ workouts. The gym is on a 20-meter long vessel that can host up to 45 people and the fitness area features ARTIS machines that harness human energy and make it available to the electrical engines of the vessel. By exercising on bikes and cross trainers, guests will contribute to powering the boat, which in turn will sail along the Seine on its route through the city, providing access to anybody who wants it.Carlo Ratti, director of the MIT Senseable City Lab and a founding partner of Carlo Ratti Associati, points out that the Paris Navigating Gym will provide users with a tangible experience of what lies behind the often abstract notion of “electric power”. In fact, the augmented-reality screens installed on the boat will show guests both the quantity of energy they produced with their workout, and data about the Seine’s environmental conditions, tracked in real time by sensors incorporated on the vessel. Encased within a transparent glass covering, open in the summer, the gym will allow an extraordinary view of the urban panorama. Moreover, at night, the boat can also be used for parties and celebrations. The Paris Navigating Gym investigates the potential of harnessing human power, at the same time of producing a new urban experience and envisioning ways to further integrate the river in the city’s mobility infrastructure. Ilona Catani Scarlett
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IL GRANDE EVENTO DEDICATO AGLI APPASSIONATI DI AUTO
FIERA VERONA IL POSTO IDEALE NON SOLO PER ACQUISTARE LE CLASSICHE ITALIANE E TEDESCHE, MA ANCHE PER VENDERE, GAREGGIARE, SOGNARE.
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PEOPLE 30 YEARS WITH STANLEY KUBRICK
Emilio D’Alessandro was Kubrick’s driver, assistant and right-hand man. Originally from Cassino, he spent a good part of his life at the director’s side, through movie masterpieces and private life.
W
hen you arrive in England, only 20 years old and without too many pretenses, to try and find work, you don’t even think for a minute that shortly your path will cross that of one of the greatest movie directors—one of those who fill up numerous pages in cinematographic manuals and who is considered one of the inimitable giants. But sometimes it happens that even without knowing it, you become the trusted driver of Stanley Kubrick. And this is more or less how it happened for Emilio D’Alessandro, an Italian who moved to England in 1960 in search of work. Among various efforts, he found first a wife, then a job as a mechanic in the Hatch Brands car racing circuit, where he ended up as a pilot for the “Formula Ford” team. There was a lot of adrenaline, but not so much money, and basic necessity pushed Emilio to work as a driver for a private taxi company. One night, when the ice had covered all the roads in town, they called— for an urgent, or at least very peculiar—transport. D’Alessandro found himself transporting a huge ceramic phallus, which he might not have found so bizarre if he had known that it was being used in the film Clockwork Orange. From that point on, Emilio d’Alessandro was called several times to carry out other similar types of transports, but without having any clear idea who this certain Stanley Kubrick really was. “I didn’t go to the movies,” Emilio told us, “I didn’t even know who he was. After a few months, they called me to his villa in Abbots Mead: he wanted to meet me. When I got there, he was dressed very casually, and I thought he might be a gardener. He gave me a big smile and introduced himself. From that point on, I began to work for him. We became friends; he asked me what I thought about cars, about the garden, even about actors. Once he even used me as a translator on the phone with Fellini. And he wanted me in a scene of Eyes Wide Shut. I’m the newspaper seller: two weeks of shooting and some hundred takes for five seconds of film. . .” It wasn’t just a simple working relationship between Stanley and Emilio: there was friendship, affection and trust, both on set and in private life. Because of the simplicity with which it began and the caliber of the personality involved, this human-interest story beguiled the general and movie press. The connection between the two was first recounted in the book that Emilio D’Alessandro wrote with Filippo
Ulivieri, and then in the documentary film S is for Stanley directed by Alex Infascelli, which won the 2016 David of Donatello for best documentary. D’Alessandro was at once friend, driver and assistant, the only one who could enter his studio—without ever forgetting what was needed—and the one who took care of everything in the house as well as his animals. Their adventure is full of anecdotes, as when Kubrick spoke on the phone with Federico Fellini and Emilio dabbled as an interpreter while the two directors exchanged ideas about their films; it’s a story of important memories and mutual recognition, that inspired Kubrick to name D’Alessandro as production assistant on the credits of his last three films: Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut. It was only in 1990, after having passed almost thirty years together, that D’Alessandro informed Kubrick of his intention to leave London and return definitively to Cassino in Italy. This was a difficult decision for the director—not well accepted and postponed several times—until in a moment of emotional agitation D’Alessandro expressed his desire to return home. And so it happened: Emilio returned to his old habits and to working on his tractor. But good stories always have a sequel and aren’t destined to end definitively. “In 1996, Janette and I went to London to see our children who had stayed behind to live there. Kubrick invited us to dinner and told me that he needed my help for six weeks. He told me about Eyes Wide Shut: about the actors, the plot. Just six weeks! I accepted. . . and I stayed there another two years.” In fact he stayed there until March, 1999; one morning Stanley phoned him to see if the next day—Sunday—he could come to his house. So that next day, he passed as agreed and left his usual message under the door, but in the afternoon the phone rang again: on the other end of the line was Jan Harlan, Kubrick’s producer and brother in law. He said little, murmuring only that Stanley was dead. Perhaps it was in that moment that the story between the two of them ended, but the again, perhaps not, because—it bears repeating—good stories never end definitively, and perhaps it’s for that reason that, when the phone rings, Emilio still believes he can hear the voice of Stanley Kubrick on the other end of the line. Elisa Rodi
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | The changing world
Walter Iuzzolino, born in Genoa, has invented a career choosing world fiction for the English
Walter Iuzzolino: the king of the TV series T
elevision series have become one of the most interesting phenomena of recent years. Today, even more than films (but not yet as much as sports), it is the variety of dramatic or comedic series that provide the economic basis for pay TV and the strong point for the many on-demand services that are appearing online. “House of Cards”, “Game of Thrones”, and “Breaking Bad” have achieved cult status in a short matter of time, earning millions of fans throughout the world. While these are all rigorously American productions, a careful observer will notice that the rest of the world has also achieved extremely high qualitative standards. And the work of Walter Iuzzolino is based on precisely this observation.
“I propose foreign serials with subtitles because tastes have changed” Genoese, born in 1968, and based for over twenty years in England, his wager has not been the easiest: in fact, he aims to bring to the British public the best of global production in the original language with subtitles. Checking out as much material as possible, he has unearthed the best of series programming that the non-English-speaking world has to offer. His highly personal playlist is continuously available on Channel 4’s All4.com platform in the format “Walter Presents,” and he personally presents every single program. Launched in January, the service has quickly gathered millions of users. The first series, the German production “Deutschland 83,” has reached three million viewers in its first month online, making it the
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The changing world | ALL ABOUT ITALY
most-seen series in the history of fiction in England. And his revolution is not only in finding dramas in the least expected countries, but in conquering the British public, who is by no means used to foreign fiction or subtitles, naturally. This wager at the base of Walter’s work— which he seems to have won—draws upon a formation he began as a young child. After having spent much of his childhood at the movies, nourishing himself on Fellini and Bergman, he decided to attend the London International Film School, where he was astonished at the quality of the BBC and especially Channel 4, the most alternative of the English channels. Quite soon, putting aside the idea of cinema, he began to work as a producer of reality shows for the most important companies in the sector, such as Endemol and Zodiac. He then got a job at Channel 4 with the responsibility of commissioning new formats between the documentary and reality show, creating programs of which some have even arrived in
Chechkov and Dickens with the return of serialized fiction on new platforms, he posed himself a question: is it possible that there might be similar series in the rest of the world? Thus began a long period of research, viewing over 4000 hours of television, from Anatolia to New Zealand, to unearth series that were already a success in their home countries, with critical acclaim and prizes to their name. At the beginning of 2015, he came up with a list of titles from the most disparate countries, ranging from Scandinavia, Germany, and Poland to Mexico. His choices ranged from the international intrigues of “Deutschland 83,” set during the height of the Cold War, to the French detective thriller “Match Day,” to the mysterious atmosphere of the Swedish “Thicker than Water” and the political thriller “Blue Eyes:” in this list, contradicting the common opinion of a Latin America that only produces soap operas, there are also interesting titles from South America such as “Pure Evil,” an Argentine psychological thriller, or “Magnifica 70,” a sort of Brazilian Mad Men. All of this is available for online streaming—and this is the other wager, dealing with a public whose viewing times and places are ever more differentiated, satisfying all of those users who ask to be freed from the slavery of scheduled programming to which traditional television has habituated them, and then above all understanding how to earn their loyalty by finding an alternative to the already road-tested Netflix, which requires a subscription.
Italy: “Embarrassing Illnesses,” “The F Word” with Gordon Ramsey, “Sex Education Show,” and others. Illumination followed soon afterward. Yielding to the fascination for American fiction, which seems to give new life to the spirit of
His web channel, entirely free, makes money the old-fashioned way, by selling ads. Thanks to these simple but effective intuitions, the work of Walter Iuzzolino has succeeded in thrilling millions of television viewers. Oreste Sacco
Deutschland83
Kabul Kitchen
Deutschland83
Kabul Kitchen
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | The changing city
Discreetly grown up under the shadow of the Madonnina, Milan today is the city you didn’t expect, but were always waiting for. Requalification and innovation for a new and sustainable beauty.
And one day, Milan
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T
he Milan of 50 years ago was gray, cold and industrial. Gray for the buildings, cold for the welcome, and industrial in the mentality. Covered with that blanket of fog, it was the metropolis of rigidity in formal clothes. The fog has not disappeared, and its soul has maintained its distinctive signs, but what is certain is that something has happened inside Milan: nothing has been taken away from the city, but if anything added, sometimes upsetting its forms and causing its contrasts to become reasons for pride and greater fascination. If on one side the futuristic skyscrapers have continued to rise toward the sky, on the other hand, the locals have rediscovered the neighborhoods, repopulating the streets and requalifying the unused spaces. It is a Milan that races toward the future and slows down to recover the past, creating the harmony of a city that today finds itself the second most-loved in Europe, for the vivacity and the positivity that have characterized its latest evolution. If the starting point of a voyage in its
The changing city | ALL ABOUT ITALY
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | The changing city
interior is still Piazza del Duomo, flanked by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the Royal Palace and the Museum of the 20th Century, its continuation is along its branches, where one encounters the elegance of the Teatro della Scala, the history of the Castello Sforzesco, the creative vivacity of the Brera and its painting gallery, and the Roman vestiges of the columns of San Lorenzo. There is beauty, culture and movement in new architecture of Milan, in which ancient and modern art, graphic novels and photography, cinema and sport all converge. But the beauty of Milan is that in its new expression it no longer has a “center,” or, at least not a single one. Each neighborhood has become a heart of the city around which unravel buildings and streets with an independent personality. Marking out the geometry of glamour is the “rectangle of fashion,” with its boutiques and designer showrooms inside the confines of via Montenapoleone, via Manzoni, via della Spiga and corso Venezia: the frontiers of an area in which shopping tourism finds its natural expression.
It is a Milan that races toward the future and slows down to recover the past, creating the harmony of a city that today finds itself the second most-loved in Europe. More discreet, and far from the world of fashion, there is a more reserved Milan that deserves greater attention for its unwillingness to reveal itself at the view. It is the city of intimate views, fascinating details and discreet courtyards hidden inside the buildings that Milan has seen erected. Milan’s maturity is nourished by ideas, continuous innovation and, obviously, investment. The inhabitants have chosen to believe, to wager even more, to invest in changing its serious profile and dressing it with that lightness that is not superficial but bewitching. Designing the architectural “new collection” of Milan have been, not by accident, the most important architects, the so-called “archistars,” who with their projects have contributed in making the Lombard capital not a simple metropolis but a multifaceted soul never taken for granted, because it is too used to stupefying. CITYLIFE: THE FUTURISM OF A SECOND MILAN The Straight, the Bent and the Curved: they might be from a film by Sergio Leone, but instead are the fruits of the studios of Daniel Libeskind, Zaha Hadid and Arata Isozaki. These three architects have designed the skyscrapers of Citylife, the new
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The changing city | ALL ABOUT ITALY
building complex that features the three soaring futuristic towers that have already attracted the investment of large insurance groups, with Allianz who will transfer their employees to the Isosaki Tower, and Generali who is waiting for the keys to the skyscraper designed by Zaha Hadid to transfer, probably in 2018, another 3000 workers. We still don’t know who will occupy the third tower, but in the meantime the Citylife Shopping District project goes ahead, designed by Sonae Sierra, an international specialist in shopping centers, and which will change the face of an entire zone of the city, constituting a second pole of shopping, duplicating the luxury streets of the center. And obviously the construction will not be simply vertical, but also horizontal, because on the street level a second city will be born, made up of pedestrian areas, gardens and urban requalification. Citylife prepares to be another center of Milan, probably the most commercial one, but certainly among the most vibrant in defining the skyline.
Designing the architectural “new collection” of Milan have been the so-called “archi-stars,” who with their projects have contributed in making the Lombard capital a multifaceted soul never taken for granted THE MICROSOFT-FELTRINELLI PYRAMID: THE DISTRICT OF INNOVATION Transparence and innovation flow in the new Milan between Porta Volta and Piazza Gae Aulenti. The Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli and Microsoft have found new headquarters there in a building signed by the famous Swiss studio Herzog&De Meuron, or to be exact, two buildings, one after the other between viale Pasubio and viale Crispi, five stories tall (with two basement floors) in the shape of a hut recalling Gothic cathedrals with their facades entirely covered with glass and also a public pedestrian zone with a double file of trees and a bike path. The exterior design of the complex is immediately recognizable in the urban Milanese landscape: visibility, flexibility, energy, dynamism and innovation delineate the profile of the Milan that attract business investments and that thanks to this grows and offers itself as a candidate as the working capital of Italy. It is a corner of Milan that returns to the inhabitants after 70 years of abandon and that today, with the glass pyramid accentuates its concept of openness and its decided upsurge on the international level.
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | The changing city
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THE VERTICAL FOREST: GREENERY ASPIRES UPWARDS It’s working to become the neighborhood of a new design pole: we are talking about the Isola district, which like so many areas of Milan, has not pulled back from putting itself into discussion. There, behind Piazza Gae Aulenti and the Unicredit Tower, a new expression of architecture has taken form and you only have to glance around for a moment to understand the symbol of the rebirth of this neighborhood. Some three years ago, Stefano Boeri gave the city the Vertical Forest, the building that would soon win without too much difficulty the title of the world’s most beautiful skyscraper. A forest of around 1000 trees in the middle of Milan developed vertically rather than on the surface, and that takes the form of two skyscrapers of 111 and 78 meters (364 and 256 feet). In this burst of height there is a new idea of the skyscraper and the response to the necessity of making the city greener while at the same time sustaining an everdenser urban population. The Vertical Forest is the first example in the world of a tower that enriches its host city with plant and animal biodiversity, and
DARSENA: MILAN REFLECTED History teaches us that all great cities rise where there is water. So Milan has decided to reappropriate a mirror of water to reflect its beauty. The new Darsena project responds to both of these necessities and thereby makes pretty much everyone happy. In far-away times the Darsena was the junction of the two principal canals, and for that reason represented the port of one of the most important transportation routes for river commerce. Today, that dirty and forgotten basin that crowned the two canals with infamy seems like a distant memory. It needed some 20 million euros and an elite squadron of architects (Edoardo Guazzoni, Paolo Rizzatto, Sandro Rossi and Studio Bodin&Associés) to give back the Darsena to a splendor that it perhaps never even knew before. The return of the water, after years of forced drainage, was the essential condition on which the project was founded: making it so that the Darsena once again evoked the connection with the element of water, in order to continue to suggest the theme of a possible reorganization, of a general redesign
a way to confirm that Milan is no longer a simple pouring of cement.
extended to the entire city and its territory.
The changing city | ALL ABOUT ITALY
FONDAZIONE PRADA: ARCHITECTURE FROM YESTERDAY, STORIES OF TODAY It was originally a distillery, but today is a cultural space of 19,000 square meters (204,500 square feet) designed by the Dutch architectural studio of Oma under the guide of Rem Koolhas. Seven preexisting buildings were reconverted and three new ones added to create a unique exhibition space that goes beyond didactic art to welcome inspiration, non-egocentric emotion and, if needed, sober irony. The renaissance of the southern periphery of Milan finds its foundation in the Fondazione: from the glorious citizen workspace composed of factories, tracks and water towers, a culture of sharing is born with art as a collective starting point for a future that takes its structure from the solid architecture of the past. The Fondazione Prada is in some ways the extension of a new concept of Milan: not imposing itself on the preexistent but giving it new value with the instruments of contemporary language. The industrial structures and materials get a facelift, while the only concession to luxury appears in the covering of the house-tower called the “Haunted House” and whose exterior walls are covered with 24 carat gold leaf. Till, this flicker of eccentricity, as stressed by Koolhas, “wants only to be a signal of the importance of this intervention with regards to the city, of how much art and culture can give added value to what was preciously degraded, transforming what was poor into wealth.” And everything makes one think that this has indeed happened. Elisa Rodi
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | The changing city
THE EVENT
“Design is a state unto itself. And Milan is its capital” Milan changes clothes for a week, with the most important appointment for design in the world. In April, Milan Design Week opens and invades the city with events distributed in various areas of Milan in correspondence with the International Furniture Salon taking place in the pavilions of Rho Fiera. It’s the Fuorisalone, born spontaneously at the beginning of the 80s out of the desire of active businesses in the sector of interior and industrial design that currently sees an expansion in many related sectors, including automobiles, technology, telecommunications, art, fashion and food. The city provides the stage for installations, parties and events, all under the aegis of design, with more than a thousand appointments in seven days disseminated throughout the city. In this 360° panorama of creativity, design is interwoven with the urban fabric of Milan, creating an event without precedent. This is without forgetting the five manifestations that happen contemporaneously from Tuesday, April 4 to Sunday, April 9 in the Fiera Milano neighborhood in Rho: the International Furniture Salon, the International Salon of Furnishing Accessories, Euroluce, Workplace 3.0 and SaloneSatellite. After the successful launch of the latest edition of xLux, the sector dedicated to timeless luxury in contemporary style, the International Furniture Salon continues its path of renovation with a new format for furniture and classic accessories, starting with an extension with the title “Classic: Tradition in the Future.” A central “promenade” accompanies the visitor in an environment that highlights the almost patriotic values of knowledge, artisanal workmanship, mastery in the art of creating furniture and objects in classical style. Accompanying the new Classic section will be the theater and a room of “Before Design: Classic,” a project presented with success during the last edition of the Furniture Salon, together with a short film from the multiple prize-winning director Matteo Garrone. www.salonemilano.it - www.fuorisalone.it
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THE PLACE
“The address of marvels” In the center, but far from the chaos, there is a large chunk of a hidden city in which reigns a suggestive and familiar atmosphere with a vintage flavor. This corner of Milan certainly offers its best profile during the summer, with a ideal open space for the cocktail hour or afterdinner, even if this area of corso San Gottardo doesn’t lack for fine, fashionable restaurants that have given a new face to the courtyards of the old artisanal Milan. Welcoming the customer after having followed a luminous path and some signs, there is a sign with “Welcome to Little Italy,” almost an assertion of the authenticity of these “new and ancient” gathering places. Among these, recently inaugurated, is “L’Officina,” a cocktail bar outside the Officine Riunite Milanese where they customize motorcycles. As Raffaello Polchi, one of the owners, explains: “The bar also follows the same principle: the cocktails are tailor made for the clients according to their tastes. We might advise them to try something original or a revisited classic.” The drinks, prepared by the barman Gianluca Amoni, aren’t the cheapest—they cost between 12 and 40 euros—are enjoyed at the tables in front of the retro bar, or in those set up in the “garage” in front, among motorcycles and vintage cars. Via Giovenale, 7 - 20136 Milan
The changing city | ALL ABOUT ITALY
LIVING HISTORY
“To whomever enters the shop I say ciao, Hello. I smile” Milan is not only buildings, fashion and star architect masterpieces. It’s also history and, above all, memory, that survives and resists that which often is a superficial modernity. Recounting this daily struggle for the safeguarding of an artisanal knowledge of other times is Signora Ada, born in 1927, who with her electronics shop opened in 1943 is a reference point for the entire city. In what has become a trendy zone, corso Como, featuring clubs, skyscrapers and galleries, the survival of a shop that sells plugs, sockets and electrical wires seems inexplicable. And yet the yellow sign of «Tecnoelettrica Comoretto» has never stopped shining its light on passersby and tourists, through periods of crisis and the temptation of lucrative offers from the world of fashion that saw it as an ideal space for a boutique or atelier. But Signora Ada most certainly does not lack for tenacity, together with a constant research for quality products: it’s no accident that in Milan one says “if it’s not at Comoretto you won’t find it anywhere.” Her secret? A sales method from another era, linked to a deep knowledge of the experiences and habits of her clients, which is to say in short the basis of the creation of a community. Corso Como, 11 - 20154 Milano
TASTE
“All of the senses come into play” Time and patience are the two absolutely necessary ingredients for any recipe. But often there is also a lot of mathematics and chemistry involved, because one needs to study, to know and to understand how to work with an ingredient, respecting and exalting its characteristics, especially when one is dealing with a centuries-old cuisine. Davide Longoni is a Lombard baker, born into the profession and owner of the Panificio Davide Longoni, a place charged with history. Here one can taste the best panettone every day of the year, fully delecting the fragrant history of the “lievito madre” which gives the product its value and makes it durable, an element born 500 years ago in Mesopotamia. One starts with the choice of flour, the queen of the laboratory, issued from two mills: one in Sicily and one in Piedmont, then moves on to the importance of touch, at once delicate and decisive, and hearing in order to listen to the sound of the dough, smell for the notes of acid, or odors of cooking or burning, and sight in order to understand when to add another ingredient. Taste is of course also necessary in order to appreciate the flavor of tradition and the curiosity of innovation. Via Gerolamo Tiraboschi, 19 - 20135 Milano
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | Art and daily life
Luciano Galimberti, the internationally famous design manager, is also the President of ADI, the Italian Association for Industrial Design. He talks with us about his vision of design and new prospects for the future.
Design to live with T
he founder, together with Rolando Borsato, of the Milanese studio BG + progettazione, ever and always in the avant-garde in the sectors of architecture, interior design, exhibition design and communications, Luciano Galimberti from the beginning set himself the goal of going beyond the traditional artisanal role of professional studios, and instead operating with the concept of “design thinking” in various housing and work environments. “Design thinking” means that the group helmed by Galimberti has always supported the idea of working on the design of a project by bringing together all of the interested parties from the very first phases of conception in a structure based on strenuous quality research using avant-garde instruments and a design method that never ceases to amaze. His is a true vocation that, together with his innate passion for the world of design and art, earned him the nomination as President of the ADI, the association that since 1956 has been a leading protagonist in the development of Italian industrial design as a cultural and economic phenomenon. The ADI brings together designers, manufacturers, researchers, professors, critics and journalists on a non-profit basis to discuss the themes of design and to promote and help implement the most appropriate conditions for the design of goods and services
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through cultural debate, intervention with institutions and the provision of services. In addition, the ADI, since 1962, owns and manages the Golden Compass Prize, the oldest European recognition in the design sector, takes care of a collection of the winning objects from the various editions, and promotes historical research and indepth didactic exhibitions. Each year, the ADI selects a series of creations for the ADI Design Index in order to highlight the best Italian design products, which also compete for the ADI Design Index Prize for Innovation. Apropos this initiative, Galimberti has said: “Design is a system that puts production into relationship with researchers, innovators and engineers in order to ensure functionality, social value and cultural significance to the goods and services distributed on the market.” Galimberti offers us a personal and fascinating vision of design, speaking to us also of the future of the association.
Art and daily life | ALL ABOUT ITALY
Luciano Galimberti
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | Art and daily life
You have an innate passion for the world of design and art that, together with your numerous recognitions gathered over the years, has earned you the post of President of the ADI. Where does this propensity come from? Ever since I can remember, I have created at least one drawing every day. I have always found it easier to express emotions and reasoning by means of a drawing: I have the luck to be able to make thoughts concrete in images. I don’t draw particularly well, but I succeed in easily expressing the key concepts. Certainly I think this is a natural propensity, but art, design and architecture are more than that for me: they are a strong passion that I constantly cultivate. They represent my world and my work to make the world a better place.
There remains the fact that the promotion of Italian excellence in the sector passes through the Golden Compass Prize, for which you are receiving nominations. What is happening in the current design panorama? It’s less monolithic than in the past. I don’t see any homogeneous tendency, but certainly an ever-greater consciousness of the strategic value that design assumes with respect to responsible development. The complex network of the entire design sector gathers together under the aegis of the ADI. How do you succeed in getting so many different realities to cohabit?
Your mission entails, on one hand, work that is rooted in the territory, and on the other hand, a larger presence abroad. The starting point for both of these vectors is Milan. Why? If I dealt with Renaissance art, I would
“Italian design has always distinguished itself for having know how to put man at the center of its projects.” Luciano Galimberti, President of the ADI, the Italian Association for Industrial Design certainly base myself in Florence. Inevitably, starting from Milan highlights the heart of a phenomenon which had its origin there, but which has spread Italian ideas and talent throughout the world. I would coin the word “Glocal” to describe it: it values the local as well as global comparisons. A process of internationalization that has begun with the institution of the international ADI Golden Compass Prize: what will this opening bring? The difference between style and design is that style gives form to products and design gives form to life, and because this really happens, technical and scientific activity needs to be combined with a system of shared values. I await a confrontation on these values and a greater consciousness that man is the true center of any design project.
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The ADI has never been a simple trade association; it was consciously created as a place and context for confrontation and synergy between the various components of the project, with the simple but extremely effective consideration that to create good design one needs to have a designer, a business, a distribution channel, a communications system, and, further on, an educational system. Knowing each other and talking with each other is quite useful and after 60 years of history I would say that the idea is really good. Martina Morelli
ALL ABOUT ITALY | Icons
Adriano Olivetti
he
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Icons | ALL ABOUT ITALY
T
The Olivetti name is a synonym of Italian genius, of that disciplined creative madness that gave life to the first personal computer and to objects that are not only easy to use but also beautiful to look at and touch: designer objects that illustrate a uniquely Italian story.
he “first national manufacturer of typewriters” was established long ago in 1908 and from its beginnings in the world of Italian enterprise distinguished itself for its attention to technology and innovation, inspired design, an international presence and its sensitivity to the social aspects of work. This is all due to founder Camillo Olivetti and his son Adriano, who succeeded within a brief period in giving the family business the characteristics of a modern industrial group, and placing themselves among the leaders in the market for office appliances. Nevertheless, in the 1950s Olivetti invested in electronic technology with important results: thus was born the mythical Lettera 22 typewriter, the representation of a perfect storm of engineering designed to be at once light, efficient, and durable. This symbol of typewriting and writing in general was born in 1950 in the intuitive mind of Marcello Nizzoli, an Italian designer who had collaborated with Olivetti since 1938. More than just an object, the Lettera 22 is a symbol of elegance and functionality, thanks to its clean and compact lines, the keyboard flush within the frame, the embedded roller with only the knob sticking out, and the extremely ergonomic form of the line space lever. It was an object that fully responded to the demands of transportability and space saving for its users, thanks also to the handled (and handy) carrying case that came with it; in 1959 this convenience and beauty earned it recognition by a commission of 100 designers from the Illinois Technological Institute as the best design product of the last 100 years. Today this Italian style icon is part of the permanent design collection of New York’s MOMA and the indefatigable traveling companion of numerous illustrious writers and journalists, something which they have not renounced even with the advent of electronic writing. This is the case, for example, with Günter Grass, who named his blue Lettera 22 “Grandfather’s lover” in a poem dedicated to the famous Olivetti typewriter, while Francis Ford Coppola and Cormac McCarthy prefer the subsequent Lettera 32: the model used by McCarthy was sold at auction in 2009 for 254,500 dollars. There is unconditional love for that unmistakable clickety-click that has in fact been reproduced in an iPad app launched a short while ago by Tom Hanks. In 1969, another myth was ready to add to the Olivetti story: the Valentine model, which, thanks to Ettore Sottsass’ transgressive design has also entered into MOMA’ permanent collections. Its
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | Icons
distinctive characteristic is its vivid red color (indeed known as “Valentine red”), and if the product’s quality is by now agreed upon, its success was also assured by high-level publicity campaigns with the participation of famous graphic artists, photographers, poets and writers. Once again Olivetti demonstrated far-reaching vision, setting the bases for modern branding and entrepreneurship by creating cult products, to the point where in 1988 they resumed production on a limited-series basis in Mexico aimed at collectors as well as effective users. BEYOND IMAGINATION The disappearance of Adriano Olivetti in 1960 and the heavy weight of investments slowed down the transition to electronics, but despite this, Olivetti gave birth to the era of the digital revolution almost 15 years before Steve Jobs and Bill Gates with Program 101.
Throughout its history Olivetti has professionally involved writers, architects and artists such as Gae Aulenti, Le Corbusier and Carlo Scarpa The term “personal computer” had yet to be pronounced and the idea of keeping a computer on the desktop was still a mirage, but a genial group of engineers achieved a veritable miracle, and P101 was officially launched in the market on October 14, 1965 in New York, with clamorous success. The first clients in line were the scientists at NASA, who bought 45 models in order to compile lunar maps and elaborate the trajectory of the Apollo 11 mission that would land a man on the moon in 1969, while the New York Journal-American wrote: “We might see a computer in every office before we see two cars in every garage. With Program 101, a manager can now have a secretary that calculates the expenses of all the divisions of a company with instant speed and on his desk.” NBC began using five Program 101s that November to calculate the results of the elections they transmitted to millions of television viewers in New York and New Jersey. The mechanical age was over and the future belonged to electronics Paolo Del Panta
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DIVERSITY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
AT THE BEGINNING, 50 YEARS AGO, WE WERE DIFFERENT. WE ARE STILL DIFFERENT AND WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF CHANGING AS WE BELIEVE THAT ONLY THOSE WHO ARE IN LOVE WITH DIVERSITY CAN MAKE OF ORIGINALITY THEIR PROFESSION. THIS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE.
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | The All-New Alfa Romeo Giulia
Distinctly Italian design that expresses itself through simplicity, a sense for proportion and the quality of its surfaces, and that is capable of embracing the drivers and putting them in the center of the scene: the All-New Alfa Romeo Giulia has arrived. And history repeats itself.
The Importance of being
Giulia
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The All-New Alfa Romeo Giulia
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ometimes they return. And sometimes, when they do, they are better than before, because they combine history and the experience of the past with the avant-garde of the future. This is also the story of the Alfa Romeo of the 1960s, which returns today on the car market with an entirely new elegance that still manages to preserve the values that made it inimitable and promoted it as an incontestable symbol of that roaring decade. AN ICON IS BORN The story of the Alfa Romeo Giulia spans 15 of the most significant years for Italian industry and customs, as it became one of the biggest sellers of the historic Milanese brand in the 1960s and 70s. Famous for its sportiness and for the impressive speed that its 1600-cc engine could attain, the Giulia also became renowned in the collective imagination for having been the protagonist in many celebrated films. Created to inherit
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and enhance the class and story of the Giulietta, the Alfa Romeo Giulia adapted the basic mechanical structure of the former and added a new body that thanks to its truncated rear and hollow lateral profiles provided for a more fluid aerodynamic profile, so satisfying that it allowed the company to baptize it “the car designed by the wind.� Met with the mixture of curiosity and hesitation that typically greets any new object promising innovation, the Giulia countered every perplexity as soon as it hit the market: its sales figures and enthusiastic appreciation gave reason to the brand. The immediately intense sales showed that the new jewel in the Alfa Romeo crown was almost certainly going to become an important model in automobile history. And certain impressions, in fact, proved to be real. The excellence of the sedan naturally attracted orders. The newborn Alfa Romeo Giulia was much appreciated for its exterior design, with its double front headlights and its air of modern sportiness, as well as for the finishes in its roomy and luminous interior, the disposition of its controls, and the easy readability of its instrumentation panel.
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | The All-New Alfa Romeo Giulia
For Alfa Romeo the Giulia is the testimony of the passage of the carmaker from an almost artisanal factory to an industrial scale of manufacture, in the fortunate context of the economic boom still on the upswing at the beginning of the 60s. It was the beginning of an illustrious career, well beyond the sales expectations foreseen at the beginning: if at the start the company hoped to double the numbers obtained by the Giulietta during the 50s, by the end the number was in fact tripled. With its impeccable characteristics, the Giulia became the mistress of European racing circuits for almost a decade. In 1962, the Giulia GT Super was introduced especially for competition. It was a lighter car, with its hood and doors in aluminum, and its rear windows in plexiglass; on the inside, everything that added unnecessary weight was removed. Light and with a lot of power, this Giulia can be recognized by the presence of the four-leaf clover, the racing symbol of the brand, on its sides. The slogan of impact, once again, sums up the
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story: “Giulia, the sedan that wins races.” It’s the story of a legend that had a major impact on the automobile panorama of the 60s and on which the sun has not yet set. Great stories, as a matter of fact, don’t necessarily have an end, but return with a new chapter. Alfa Romeo Giulia has returned, and in grand style. RETURNING WITHOUT CONTRADICTION We were speaking of returning. But Alfa Romeo has two good reasons for celebrating the idea of returning: the first is precisely because of the reborn Giulia, of course, and the second is the re-launch of the brand in the United States after twenty years of absence. And there is probably not a better way to re-enter the market than with a quintessentially Italian object of pride that America has gotten to love and has not forgotten. There are many new things, but the 106 years of the brand and the Italian production of the car remain intact. The first model to return to the American stage was the Modena, Italy hand-crafted 4C Coupe and 4C Spider, but now it’s the time for the rest of the Alfa Romeo range. The initial
The All-New Alfa Romeo Giulia
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Giulia lineup for the US is comprised of two gas-powered engines, the all-aluminum 2.0L Direct Inject I4 Turbo 280 hp engine, on Giulia and Giulia Ti, and the Quadrifoglio’s allaluminum 2.9L Twin-Turbo V6 505 hp engine, Alfa Romeo’s most powerful production engine ever. Q4 all-wheel drive (AWD) is available on either the Giulia or Giulia Ti. The entry-level Giulia for the United States provides a decisively rich outfitting that includes, among other things, DNA drive mode selector, genuine leather interiors, Bi-Xenon projector headlamps with signature LED Daytime Running Lights, a raceinspired steering wheel with push button start and a 6.5” widescreen display. The Giulia Ti adds accessories including 18” or 19” aluminum wheels, genuine wood accents, heated seats and steering wheel, and an 8.8” widescreen display. The optional Sport package on Giulia Ti also provides a different, more aggressive front and rear fascia inspired
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | The All-New Alfa Romeo Giulia
by the Quadrifoglio, 19” signature Alfa Romeo 5-hole wheels, sport leather seats with twelve-way electronic regulation, aluminum steering column-mounted paddle shifters, interior trim accents in aluminum and glossy painted colored brake calipers. American connoisseurs and critics have much appreciated the inimitable Made in Italy style that this model fully represents, the way it handles on the road, and the power of its engine. The Alfa Romeo Giulia is a sports car in the truest sense of the phrase, destined for those who love to drive without having to compromise. LINES AND LEAPS: A PANTHER READY TO POUNCE It’s born of a perfect balance between heritage, speed and beauty: the new Giulia takes its place among the highest expressions of Italian style in the automobile field, with perfect proportions for a dynamic form, and rounded angles and enveloping struts that give the car dash, creating an elegant and unmistakable profile.
Built to put the driver at its center, the Alfa Romeo Giulia offers thrilling emotions
In particular, the proportions are based on the technical architecture of the entire car. For Alfa Romeo, the reference points are the weight distribution and the rear-wheel drive: to better balance the mass, the engine and mechanics are placed between the two axes. This gives rise to the choice to design the Giulia with significantly reduced protuberances, a long hood and long front fenders, a cabin set slightly back, “leaning” on the traction wheels, and muscular rear fenders that clearly signal where the power is discharged to the ground. All of this is translated in an extremely generous length—the longest of the category—contained in a carriage that is among the most compact. The second aspect of Italian style is the “simplicity” that hides one of the most complex creative processes in the industry: designing a car. Design takes upon itself to hide the complex workings of the car underneath simple and natural lines that showcase the elegance of the form and the refined Made in Italy taste.
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The All-New Alfa Romeo Giulia
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The new Giulia boasts a strong identity composed of a few strokes: a carved line on the sides that marks the doors and embraces the handles, and, naturally, the legendary frontal grille, one of the most famous and well-recognized signatures in the automobile world. Finally, its Italian style is characterized by the quality of the surfaces that create rich and harmonious reflections with the play of its volumes. The final result on the new Giulia is a finely sculpted form that evokes a large feline captured in the act of springing on its prey. The same inspiration is found in the interior, which is clean and essential and centered around the driver, as demonstrated by the grouping of all of the controls on the steering wheel, designed small and direct in order to adapt itself to all driving styles. Not only. The driver’s seat is “cut” like a haute-couture fabric, with the tunnel on a diagonal, the bridge slightly undulating, and the instruments oriented toward the driver; and is “sewn” like a fine suit, with artisanal care and precious materials chosen for their tactile and visual pleasure and assembled in
The super-sporty sedan is about to become one of the stars of the automobile world
such a way as to make you feel the hand of the artisan. Finally, the new Giulia boasts optimal weight distribution, refined suspension and the most direct steering in the category. In addition, in order to achieve the best weight/power rapport, the Alfa Romeo Giulia combines the extraordinary performance of its engines with the wide use of ultra-light materials such as carbon fiber and aluminum. Faithful to the Alfa Romeo tradition, the new Giulia offers unique technical solutions that make it the reference point for its sector. Among the most sophisticated contents can be noted the Integrated Brake System (IBS), which significantly reduces the braking distance, and the active suspension for exceptional comfort. It is a quintessentially Italian and spirited Giulia, but conceived also for Americans, who have justly applauded the return of the car. So, welcome back, Giulia! Elisa Rodi
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