Culture Will Save Italy

Paolo Virzi, one of Italy’s most acclaimed contemporary film directors, refuses to believe that Italy is finished. Even the troubled images of ex-premier Berlusconi, on the front page of London’s Financial Times, isn’t enough to shake his confidence in the Italian people.

Virzi, who is in London to present a retrospective of his film career, says that the same British journalists who criticize Italy are also the same ones who find a “saving grace” in the culture and strength of Italy’s “gente per bene” (good-hearted people).

He cites several characters from his films to get this point across, characters including Piero di Ovosodo who read Dickens to his workers, and Caterina in ‘Caterina va in citta’ who bombards us with her classical music. And then there is Marta from ‘Tutta la vita davanti’ who gets by in a precarious world by holding on to her passion for philosophy, and what about Guido, the main character of ‘Tutti I santi giorni’ a just released film in Italy.

The FAI… Italy’s National Trust

Journalist and author, Corrado Augias recently interviewed Vice President of the FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano) Marco Magnifico on his weekly Raitre television program, Le Storie Diario Italiano. Once again Italy’s ability to adequately protect and restore its artistic and cultural patrimony has come under fire.

The FAI founded in 1975 and modeled on England’s famous National Trust, was an idea conceived by Elena Croce, daughter of the great philosopher Benedetto Croce with the purpose of promoting a culture of respect for nature, art and the story of Italian traditions, which are patrimony of Italy’s identity. The National Trust of England which was founded well over one hundred years ago was created not only to save places of historic interest and natural beauty, but also to open them up to the public. The FAI follows the same example as a charitable foundation depending on volunteers as well as monetary donations from ordinary citizens, private industry and institutions in order to make their mission possible.

To Rome With Love.. Makes us Cry Rather Than Laugh !!

Beloved actor, director and screen writer, Carlo Verdone, does not mince words when discussing Woody Allen’s latest film, To Rome with Love. According to an enraged Verdone, Allen used this film making occasion to enjoy a vacation in the eternal city, since the city that he reveals to us has never existed. The New York director portrays Rome according to all of those American stereotypes so well known to us .… a city created for tourists, where the natives  are genuinely good-hearted but rough around the edges. Verdone feels that Allen presents the city that Americans expect, or hope to find, rather than the one that really exists.

Rome, A Great City in Size, But What About Quality?

A heated debate has erupted between actor, director and screenwriter Carlo Verdone and Rome’s current mayor Gianni Alemanno, after Verdone harshly criticized Woody Allen’s latest work “To Rome With Love” calling it an absurd totally unreal interpretation.  What triggered the mayor’s reaction was a recent article published by Daniel Psenny, French journalist for Le Monde newspaper hailing the Colosseum as Rome’s eternal symbol, and declaring the motor scooter, a la Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, as the best means of transportation for discovering its famed monuments. According to Le Monde, yes bicycles are more ecological, but a ride through the city on a Vespa is something magical. The Le Monde article goes on to mention what it considers to be the must-sees of the city including the Protestant Cemetery and of course the legendary Cinecitta’.

Italians Read More...Digital Media

A recent study published by the Fieg (Italian Federation of Newspaper Editors), shows that the sale of printed media is in steady decline, generally due to the recession. Yet, strangely enough, the digital counterparts of these printed media have registered a whopping 50% increase! In general, the number of people using the internet between 2009 and 2011 has increased by 26% from 10.4 to 13.1 million users on an average day.

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