UN POPOLO DI POETI, DI ARTISTI, DI EROI, DI SANTI, DI PENSATORI, DI SCIENZIATI, DI NAVIGATORI, DI TRASMIGRATORI.
To my fa mily.
EDITORIALS Alessandra Benassi, Giulia Interlandi, Elisa Zangari, Costanza Pacciarella, Giulia Tonelli
ARTICLES Jessica Loletti
A big thank you to my mother Paola Lombardi
All designs, creative and art direction were completed and produced by Jessica Loletti
ŠRadici Idenity & Belonging Publication Jessica Loletti 2017
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Features
Prologue
Me, Myself & I
R Is For Romana
Bringing together the origins and heritage of the
Expat or nomad, that is who I am. It’s these life
First element of my Roman roots. Roman is the
author by capturing different elements crucial in
experiences that changed my way of thinking and live
display of who I am, taken in the mesmerising Palazzo
internationally. p.
della Civiltà Italiana.
discovering yourself. p.
7
8-11
p. 12-27
R Is For Rancore
My Identity, My Belonging, My Roots
R Is For Radici
Second element of my Roman roots. Rancore is the
A foreigner, a stranger to a country, a misfit by choice.
Third element of my Roman roots. Radici is the
portrayal of myself taken in the beautiful San. Pietro
Where do I belong, what is my identity and what are
depiction of my origins and heritage captured in the
& Paolo Church. p.
my roots? p.
28-41
42-45
scenic Palazzo degli Uffici.
p. 46-61
R Is For Ribelle
Recollection Of A Fascist Past
R Is For Romantica
Fourth element of my Roman roots. Ribelle is the
My home. My origins, my heritage. The eternal city’s
Fifth element of my Roman roots. Romantica is the
interpretation of myself imprisoned in Palazzo dei
urban antithesis known as E.U.R where Fascist rule
emotion that prevails my character,s in San. Pietro &
Congressi. p.
was celebrated.
62-75
p. 76-79
5
Paolo Church. p.
80-95
¶ Joy.
6
“Radici: Identity & Belonging”
expat, living nearly a decade away
brings together the journey of a
from home. Revealing stimulating
young woman and her search for
fashion
identity and sense of belonging.
creative mind is influenced from
Exclusively
her
her family’s clothing heritage.
Roman roots, this publication
Here she was able to create an
celebrates
Rome’s
enthusing and diverse fashion
districts,
E.U.R.
wear that commemorates Italian
unmistakable
white
fashion through Loletti’s eyes.
travertine marble constructions
“Radici: Identity & Belonging” is
and
an extraordinary representation
focusing
one
most
famous
With
its
exceptional
on
of
architecture
editorials,
this residential neighborhood is
of
where Loletti’s roots proliferate.
identity, and sense of belonging.
Highlighting
Through
Loletti’s
heritage,
family
roots,
Loletti’s
this
search
for
publication
origins and traditions, “Radici:
Loletti spurs young millennials
Identity & Belonging”, gives an
to
insight depth to the life of a young
and hold on to their origins.
7
discover
their
true
self
8
Me, Myself, & I By Jessica Loletti
9
E
xpat or nomad, that is who I am. Nearly a
country and a new culture whilst still trying to keep hold of your
decade living from one country to another,
past identity can be a challenge for many expats, in terms of self-
has definitely defined who I am today. It’s
perception but also when it comes to repatriation. I remember
these life experiences that changed my
when I first moved to Stockholm in 2009, I was this scared thirteen
way of thinking and enabled me to live
years old girl that didn’t know a word of English and was feeling
internationally. And I owe all of this to my parents; it is thanks
incredibly lost. However, the idea of learning a new language (a
to them that all of this is possible. Without them I wouldn’t have
dream of mine since I was a little girl) gave me the strength to
achieved what I have achieved today.
push myself, and it’s that strength that allowed me today to speak a fluent English and enabled me to live an international life.
For a lot of expatriates, the possibility of ‘going native’ is the
It’s also when I started to dream in English is when I identified
ultimate objective. It’s the chance to immerse yourself in the
myself as a way of feeling completely settled in. It was then not
local culture and community and have the opportunity to live a
long after, that I made a habit of thinking in my second language
different reality.
and it’s here that I realised that my identity was altering.
However, a question I ask myself is “when you reach a native status, is there a possibility of losing your true self within your
One might say that - to live life as a nomad is to deny yourself roots
new identity?”
This is a natural reaction that many expats
and if left alone, roots grow into the earth and proliferate madly.
often experience, a confused cultural identity that allows you to
However if your roots are strong, you are strong and if you allow
ultimately question yourself, myself included. Adjusting to a new
this process to transpire than your identity will remain intact. 10
Exploring different cultures is a glorious feeling, but it also
yourself food or sleep, as the body cannot survive without it. You
has a beginning and an end. It’s human nature to desire home,
want home and need home, and today we have the fortune that
community and comfort; therefore it is unnatural to deprive
we’re only a plane ride away from home. I believe technology is a
yourself these things. For me, home is and always will be Rome.
great discovery; it’s what helps us keep our roots together so we
However I believe both Stockholm and Edinburgh hold a piece
should take as much advantage as possible and try to keep hold
of heart, after all I have shared many memories that I will cherish
of our identity.
forever. The sooner you surround yourself with wonderful, permanent Living an hectic life can quickly become unsustainable because
people in your life, the better. After nearly a decade as a nomad,
one can’t live their whole life emotionally stacking on their next
it’s the familiar faces that I appreciate most. My sidewalk, my
move, thinking then, I will be “free.” Life on the run is considerably
neighborhood, my house.
lonely and exhausting.
When you leave for as long as I did, you see your home as though
The relationships one creates are transient and superficial, as
you’re seeing it for the first time. You start to appreciate the little
opposed to the kinds of relationships that is wanted and deserved,
things in life that most of us take for granted. It doesn’t take
which are real and meaningful.
traveling to new places to appreciate those little things; it’s about looking with new eyes. And for me it didn’t take moving around
If I miss home, I go home; it’s as simple as that. Wanting a home is
the globe to think this way. It took gratitude and appreciation, that
as natural an instinct as sleeping and eating. You wouldn’t deprive
I can proudly call my city, home. 11
12
is
Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. - Aristotle
for romana.
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DESIRE. My city. My Home. My Existence. This is Rome, where origins and roots meet.
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GLORIOUS. Exploring different cultures is a glorious feeling, but it’s a human nature to desire home.
IMPERIAL. With gratitude and appreciation I call Rome the imperial city.
Do you believe you can know yourselves if
ALK, MY
M Y H , D O O
E W
U
, MY SID E S
you don’t somehow construct yourselves? Or that I can know you if I don’t construct you in my way?
And can you know me if I don’t construct you in my way? We can know only what we succeed in giving form to.
N
Luigi Pirandello
EI
GHBO
RH
O
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ANCIENT. Home, community, comfort. A city of ancient monuments.
HOLY. A city of echoes, of illusions and of yearning.
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O “Who are we, who is each one of us, if not a combinatoria
of experiences, information, books we have read, things imagined?� Italo Calvino
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ETERNAL. Home of my Roman origins. Home of my Roman roots.
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A ROMAN I D E NTITY 27
R 28
for
There is in every one of us, even those who seem to be most moderate, a type of desire that is terrible, wild and lawless. - Plato
rancore is. 29
RANCORE, RANCORE, RANCORE. Do more than belong: be part of something. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget.
FEAR LESS
It’s better to repent what you enjoyed than to repent not having enjoyed anything. Giovanni Boccaccio
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INSECURITY. The struggle with insecurity is comparing ourselves.
FORGIVING &
FORGETTING.
FOOLISH. Be kind, be altruistic but don’t let people walk all over you.
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o RAN CO RE
“I have striven for perfection, it has always eluded me, but I surely had an obligation to make one more try.� Giuseppe Verdi
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ENVIOUS. Stop comparing yourself and instead empower eachother to be the greatest.
LOOK FORWARD.
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41
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my identity, my belonging, my roots. By Jessica Loletti
43
N
early a decade of feeling like a foreigner, a
I’m still close with. It has also steered me onto my next chapter in
stranger to a country, a misfit by choice you
life, Scotland. During the fours years that I’ve spent at university,
start realising where you belong, what is
I gradually matured and nurtured into a professional grown up,
your identity and what your roots are.
where along the way I was able to learn and experience ultimate
I have always been very eager to broaden
life lessons.
my personal horizons and expand my professional prospects, as it helped me build my identity. I do no expect to spend my career
In Italy, professionals working abroad are described as “runaway
in the same country I was born in, however it is a wish of mine to
brains.” Simply because we are unable to put at work our
settle in where my roots have been fortified. I enjoy mobility and
credentials, as it is exceedingly challenging finding a job position
view it as a necessary tool to gather experience, ability, connections
that satisfies our needs, or just finding a job position at all. So
and credibility that will turn me from a nomadic professional into
what do we do? We escape.
a global leader. This is an interesting concept that Italian Harvard
My brain, however, never ran away, my heart just took it elsewhere.
professor Gianpiero Petriglieri examines in one of his reviews. A nomad myself, I believe my life goal is to be a global leader,
Without roots or an identity, who would I be? A stranger to a
be known as someone that has accomplished something in life.
stranger’s eyes and no one wants to follow a stranger. Without
However, to achieve that point in life you need to be a nomadic
some sense of belonging, nomadic professionals don’t turn into
professional first and then be turned into a global leader.
global leaders. They only become professional nomads.
The trouble for us nomads is the constant moving around to
As Petriglieri writes “leaders need homes to keep their vision,
different places makes it falling in love very easy to do. You end up
passion and courage alive - and to remain connected both to the
leaving a piece of your heart in each of them and Sweden was one
people they are meant to serve, and to themselves”.
of them. Here, I’ve spent the most incredible life changing four
However, home doesn’t always need to be a place, it can be a
years of my life that led me to meet my best friend whom today
territory, a relationship, a craft and a way of expression. Home 44
is sense of belonging, a feeling of being whole and known, occasionally too close for comfort. It’s those connections that free us more than they restrain us. As the expression proposes, home is where we come from and the place where we begin to be.
Rather than trying to learn to live away from home or do without one, one must learn to live in and between two homes - a local and a global home. During my life abroad I become familiar with local and global communities, trying to connect with the new culture. However for me my local home has always been my escape plan, a place where I could relax and connect with my roots. A place where I could say “I’m home”. This way of living takes physical and emotional presence and involves staying put long enough. It also requires travelling a fair amount of times in order to be familiar with the chosen place. For me it’s always been very important to spend time with the people that are nearby and try to stay close to those who are far away. As I mentioned before, each place has it’s own memory and emotional attachment and what I’ve learned throughout the years is to leave a piece of your heart with the people and the places that are most dear to you. I will remember to keep them in my heart wherever I am, as each place I consider it a second home or global home.
Hard as it may be to reconcile with my local and global homes, it has been a privilege to have a chance to inhabit both, a privilege that we must extend to other people. As Petriglieri says “that is, ultimately, the work of global leaders, connecting those homes within and around them”. We must embrace the constant struggle that we encounter in making a home that feels our own and the unease that comes with it, is a continuous reminder of how significant that work is, and what is at stake. As professor Petriglieri writes “without a local home we lose our roots, without a global home we lose our reach”. Without my Roman roots I wouldn’t be who I am today, however, without my global home I wouldn’t be a so-called global leader. 45
46
for radici
I came, I saw, I conquered. - Julius Ceasar
is.
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MY ROOTS, MY ORIGINS Home doesn’t always need to be a place, it can be a territory, a relationship, a craft and a way of expression.
MY BRAIN, NEVER RAN AWAY, MY HEART JUST TOOK IT ELSEWHERE. The aged love what is practical while impetuous youth longs only for what is dazzling. Petrarch
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Q ETERNALLY MINE
I have always knocked at the door of that wonderful and terrible enigma which is life. Eugenio Montale
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DREAMER. Dream big. Never let anyone tell you that to dream is a waste of time. Believe in them.
LIVE FEARLESSLY. Be wild. Be free. Be daring. Be bold. Be yourself. Be you.
8 fa mi ly
ro O
ts
Consider your origins: you were not made to live as brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge. Dante Alighieri
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DREAMER. In dreams are our realities in waiting. In dreams we plant the seeds of our future.
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IDEALIST. In dreams are our realities in waiting. In dreams we plant the seeds of our future.
BE AUTHENTIC. 60
61
R 62
ribelle
What most counts is not merely to live, but to live right. - Socrates
for is.
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MY REBEL SELF. Rebellion is where you look society in the eyes and prove them that you are no ordinary. Life is a game with rules, learn to break them.
cc -
-
R-E B E-L
Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul. Niccolo Machiavelli
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BE RECKLESS. Rebel with a cause, Rebel with a purpose.
AN AUDACIOUS MIND. Live a careless life, without worrying what people may think about you. Believe in your persona.
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REBEL CHIC. A misfit by choice. A trouble maker by heart.
I
0 D E N
T I
T
Y
Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation’s childhood is its mythical age. Giacomo Leopardi
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FIERCE. Fo l l o w y o u r i n s t i n c t s .
RE BEL LIOUS.
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recollection
of a fascist
past. 77
By Jessica Loletti
R
oots, identity, belonging, they all come together into one place, that place is Rome. My home. My origins, my heritage, and my traditions they all derive from a neighborhood in Rome.
The eternal city’s urban antithesis lies about twenty minutes by car or metro to the south: it is known as Esposizione Universale Roma, but more familiarly as E.U.R, a 99-acre area of immense, modern-classical constructions arranged along broad, axial roads. Rome’s visitors relentlessly arrive to a city of ancient ruins and monuments and its thick urban mass of Renaissance and Baroque architecture, where squares and narrow alleys are engraved.
However, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini intended E.U.R, a suburban area, to open in 1942 as a world’s fair celebrating his totalitarian reign, but World War II got in the way for the opening of the neighborhood. Benito’s idea involved the celebration of 20 years of Fascist rule in Italy. The district, situated on the edge of Rome’s historical center, was envisioned to showcase the new Italy and its leadership, and was built according to a master plan by architect Marcello Piacentini. 78
Mussolini imagined the EUR as a symbol of Fascist power.
It’s no surprise that many Roman professionals and families make
The neighborhood came into existence as a monument to the
their home in the EUR. It’s an accessible neighborhood full of
regime’s might. He commissioned the EUR’s buildings to be
modern amenities.
constructed from the same Travertine marble used by the Roman Republic and Empire. The use of white marble is in antithetical to
Fascism may not have prospered in the area, but its heritage
Rome’s renowned ancient appearance.
lives on EUR’s rigorous design. Today, EUR’s network of stark
Over the years, EUR’s Fascistic architecture, was captured
structures operates as a veritable museum honoring a unique era
evocatively on film by the renowned postwar directors as Fellini
in Italy’s architectural heritage.
and Antonioni, has made it a cult tourist destination, with the
The history that this neighborhood encloses it’s remarkable;
haunting Palazzo della Cività Italiana as the dominant landmark.
with outstanding architecture and structures that empowers the
This former political emblem has now become a fashion statement,
modern Italian state. A residential and business district that is
since Fendi, the Italian luxury goods company, acquired and
today showcased in many fashion editorials and films, it is believed
refurbished it as the head quarters in 2015.
to be striking and exceptional. It’s large avenues and imposing white buildings represents a fascinating and noteworthy district
As Diane Ghirardo, author of “Italy: Modern Architectures in
worthy to be honored.
History” (2003), writes, creating a new identity for Italy during Fascism was about “exquisite images of desired realities.”
It is here, that my roots, identity and sense of belonging lie within,
And the plan for EUR drew heavily on Rome’s extraordinary
a place where I have shared my first steps, my first birthdays and
heritage, borrowing themes and materials from its Imperial past.
my first memories. A place where, even though I have lived almost
Today the buildings hold up wonderfully, with dominant murals
a decade away from it, it still pulls me back.
and fine materials and sight lines along wide avenues that heighten
After all one can’t escape its roots, its identity nor sense of
the drama and grandeur of its signature structures.
belonging. 79
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romantica is
Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart. - Marcus Aurelius
for.
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HOPELESS ROMANTIC. An eclectic love, where Fascist architecture meets classic Renaissance, wherethe ancient meets the contemporary. This is Rome.
%
%
e l e c t r i c
L O V E
“ But here's what I've learned in this war, in this country, in this city: to love the miracle of having been born.� Oriana Fallaci
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% DEAR. An infatuating, charming, intriguing love.
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LOVER. Unconditionally wild.
ROMAN CE. 88
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A
M
O
R
E
§ “Falling in love with a story is like falling in love with a person. It tends to occupy your life, your thoughts. You can’t do anything else for a long time.” Dacia Maraini
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ROMEO. Foolishly in love.
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BELOVED. Cherished, precious, sweet darling.
PASSIONATE. Groundbreaking, exceptional, adventurous. A romance capable of reaching anything.
L a V i t a E ’ Tr o p p o B r e v e P e r N o n E s s e r e I t a l i a n i .