South Africa - Insider Magazine

Sout
h Africa
Year 2
•
Number 1
•
Free copy
•
November 2014
publishing Editor
Insider Srl
Via Martignano, 6 - 00199 Rome - Italy
ph +39 3358023548 • +39 3356873761
Chief Operating Officer
Raimondo Cappa
[email protected]
CONTENTS
NOVEMBER
Managing Director
Francesca d’Aloja
[email protected]
Editorial Director
Mariela A. Gizzi
[email protected]
Managing Editor italy
Donatella Codonesu
[email protected]
Managing Editor south africa
Alessandro Costa
Cover
SA Dream Shapes
EDITOR SOUTH AFRICA
Michael Titlestad
Art Director
[email protected]
[email protected]
Covers Graphic and Project
Carolina Schioppa
contributing writers
Alessandro Costa
Anna Barbato
Berthine van Schoor
Claudio D’Agostini
Edoardo Maria Vitali
Flaviana Zaccaria
Gerardo De Maio
Jacopo Moggi Cecchi
Luigi Donà dalle Rose
Mattia Vaccari
Paolo Bonissone
Ray Matthews
sailing
event
event
6
14
20
sailing
interview
interview
32
36
40
art
art
research
52
64
80
Italian ambassador
trophy II
the cavour
in cape town
children’s smiles
PRINTING
Creda Communications
Eliot Avenue Epping II 7475
Cape Town - South Africa
YEAR 2 - NUMBER 1
November 2014
Company Register: Court of Rome,
n° 58/2009 of 25/2/2009
The brand is protected by the Italian Brand
and Patent Office
Copy right Insider ©. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be
reproduced without prior permission
from the publisher.
from cape to rio
giovanni soldini
giulio bertrand’s
morgenster
ADVERTISING
[email protected]
This magazine
is part of the Italian Periodical
Press Union
bronze casting
at vignali’s
artist
proof studio
SKA
research project
Under the patronage of the Italian
National Olympic Committee
www.insidermagazine.it
4
5
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
A Foreword
from Lapo Pistelli
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs
and International Cooperation
W
hen Ambassador Schioppa proposed me
to write the foreword to the new Insider/
South Africa issue I had no hesitation. We
were in Cape Town for the first edition of the AmbrosettiThe European House “2014 South Africa-Italy Summit”.
Authorities, businessmen and various personalities from the
two countries were gathering to pave the way for a big boost
to the bilateral economic partnership, considering the great
potential still unexploited of our relations. I immediately
accepted.
South Africa is a country I love. I had the chance to gain a
deep knowledge of the Rainbow Nation, thanks to several
visits I had paid during my previous capacities, especially as
chairman of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations
with South Africa and while in charge of the relations with
the ANC on behalf of the Italian Democratic Party.
I have always promoted a stronger partnership between Italy
and South Africa, and this remains one of my goals as Vice
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
South Africa leads the upswing of the entire continent, and
is a model of inspiration for all the nations struggling for
their liberty. The beloved former President Nelson Mandela
showed how precious is the dignity of every human being,
and his great lesson we will never forget.
Certainly there are plenty of reasons to promote an economic
partnership between our two countries. What really matters
are not just analysis and calculations, but also - and above all
- the “human factor”. And on this regard Italians and South
Africans have so much to share and to build upon. Not only
looking at the past, with the bright examples of the cities of
Reggio Emilia and Firenze, but also considering the present
and heading to the future.
This issue of Insider/South Africa perfectly matches my
approach. You will read articles on business and excellent
enterprises, but its main focus is on the promotion of social
cohesion and development for all, especially for the most
disadvantaged. Italy has implemented many initiatives for the
kids of South Africa, and this magazine highlights some of
them. This is its main merit and the reason why I am really
glad to wish you a pleasant reading! ◆
A note from
Vincenzo Schioppa
Ambassador of Italy to South Africa
O
ne year after the launch of the Issue-Zero and
the fun and glamour of the first charity regatta
for the Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy
in Cape Town, our magazine is there again, to tell a lot about
the warm and deep relations between Italy and South Africa.
Many relevant events took place in the last twelve months.
South Africa has celebrated its 20th anniversary as a
democracy, and went through the first political elections
without Nelson Mandela, the beloved Father of the Nation,
who left behind him a strong legacy for the younger
generations and for all of us as well. In Italy we have a
new, dynamic Government - headed by the youngest Prime
Minister ever - which has shown a strong and renewed
interest in strengthening our links with Africa. The presence
of the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation Lapo Pistelli at the Ambrosetti- The European
House “South Africa-Italy Summit” in October was a very
important step in this direction.
We have witnessed a number of reciprocal marks of friendship
between Italy and South Africa, the most spectacular being
the campaign of the 30th Naval Group with the flagship of our
Navy, the Cavour, which docked in Cape Town in February.
The superb aircraft-carrier transported Italian design and
technology, but above all human feelings. Thousands of
people queued patiently under the sun to pay a visit to the
ships, to mix-up and to interact with our crews. Enthusiasm
was everywhere, but above all on the faces of the hundreds
of children from disadvantaged communities of the Cape
Region wondering on the decks…
This is the feeling - the passion - that brought us to launch a
second and we hope even more attractive issue of Insider/
South Africa, whose ambition is to become a permanent
tool for fostering reciprocal knowledge and help cementing
human relations between Italians and South Africans. This
year as well the magazine will accompany the charity
regatta, an awaited occasion not only for the young sailors
of the Izivunguvungu and RCYC Schools, but also for all the
skippers, crews and guests for celebrating all together the
values of the sea, seamanship and sport.
I wish to sincerely thank all collaborators and friends, in Italy
and in South Africa. I could not mention all, but I cannot not
mention Edoardo Vitali, Toni Mainprize with Ray Matthews
and all the friends of the RCYC in Cape Town; the President of
the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia, Carlo Campobasso;
Alessandro Costa, Gerardo De Maio, Francesco Angeloni,
Paolo Bonissone, Gloria Ferrari in Pretoria; my daughter
Carolina in Paris, and my old friend Raimondo Cappa with
Mariela and their staff in Rome.
Buona lettura, e buon divertimento alla Regata! ◆
7
M AGA ZINE
Italian
Ambassador’s
Perennial
Trophy
by Edoardo Maria Vitali - ph Trevor Wilkins
I
t was intended to be a celebration of sport,
solidarity and friendship. And so it was. The
first edition of the “Italian Ambassador’s
Perennial Trophy”, a charity regatta held on 23 November
2013 in the beautiful setting of Table Bay, proved to be an
extraordinary treat for young and older united by love of sailing
and a passion for the sea and sport. The event was organized
with the support of the Royal Cape Town Yacht Club (RCYC)
and the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia of Naples, Italy,
which in that occasion celebrated their twinning.
The “Perennial Trophy” has been expressly instituted by
the Italian Ambassador to Pretoria, Vincenzo Schioppa, to
benefit “Izivunguvungu - MSC Foundation for the Youth”
hosted in the Navy Base in Simon’s Town and the RCYC
Sailing Academy. Both sailing schools teach the values ​​of
seamanship to dozens of young people from underprivileged
areas of Cape Town. The young sailors were thus given the
opportunity to get on board larger yachts and to share their
passion and ability with experienced skippers.
The regatta, recognized and officially supported by the Italian
National Olympic Committee (CONI), has a preeminently
social mission, which coupled with the glamour. On the eve
of the race, all the guests and the participants to the regatta
gathered at the Italian Residence in Bishopscourt, where the
party went on in a truly enjoyable and festive atmosphere.
8
9
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
At the celebration it really did not matter that the next day
the fearsome “Cape Doctor”, the summer south-easterly
wind typical to the Cape Peninsula, would blow with gusts
in excess of thirty knots. The wind also did not prevent many
crews - 28 boats in total, ranging from 35 to 82 feet long from setting sail and having some sporty tries.
Representatives of the diplomatic and consular corps
in South Africa, members of the business and social
communities of Cape Town, TV and media stars,
experienced skippers (including Raimondo Cappa, the
former Italian J24 world champion) and - of course enthusiastic young sailors between the ages of 10 and 18 all
sailed against the breath-taking backdrop of Table Mountain.
11
M AGA ZINE
For the supporters and all those who decided to wait the
return of the crews on shore, the RCYC and the cheerful
music played by the Izivunguvungu school band provided an
enjoyable distraction.
The first windswept regatta saw the symbolic passage of
the perennial trophy: a fine mosaic artwork made by the
celebrated Italian artist, Vera Giovitto, which will be retained
at the RCYC. It was awarded to the “Sea and the Youth of
the Cape”, a choice which was shared and commended by
all those present. A special floating trophy has also been
established in that occasion as a tribute to the Italian sailor
and Admiral Agostino Straulino (1914-2004). The “Straulino
award” is indeed one of the late Admiral’s trophies, donated
by his daughter. A unique and highly appreciated support to
the “Perennial Trophy”.
The sea is a formidable teacher of the values of competition,
cooperation and team spirit, but first and foremost of the
values of equality. Sailing is thus a very precious school
for young generations all around the world. The “Italian
Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy” should then become - as
it is hoped by the founder and by the RCYC and the Reale
Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia - a long-lasting project that
imbues the youth of the Cape with the “spirit of the sea” ◆
Moldova Noua, Romania - EGP wind Power Plant, 48 MW capacity
ENEL
ENEL
GREEN POWER
Renewable Solutions
E
nel is Italy’s largest power company and
Europe’s second listed utility by installed
capacity. It is a leading integrated player in
the power and gas markets of Europe and Latin America,
operating in 40 countries across 4 continents overseeing
power generation about 99 GW of net installed capacity and
distributing electricity and gas through a network spanning
around 1.9 million km to serve around 61 million customers.
BUSINESS OVERVIEW
Istia, Italy - ESSE PV Power Plant, 1.4 MW capacity - 3Sun Thin film modules
BUSINESS OVERVIEW
In 2013, Enel posted revenues of around 80.5 billion euros,
EBITDA of, approximately, 17 billion euros and net ordinary
income of around 3.5 billion euros. As of December 31st,
2013, the Group has more than 71,000 employees and
operates a wide range of hydroelectric, thermoelectric,
nuclear, geothermal, wind, solar and other renewable power
plants. Over 42% of the power generated by Enel last year
was carbon free.
SOLAR JOINT VENTURES
3SUN AND ESSE
As far as the latest-generation of photovoltaics is concerned,
the 3Sun factory is operational in Sicily, producing innovative
PV panels. Currently, the factory employs 300 qualified staff
and has a PV panel production capacity totaling 220 MW
per year. It produces Amorphous Silicon Multi - Junction
Thin-Film PV panels suitable for high average temperatures,
meeting demand in solar-energy global market.
Enel Green Power and Sharp Solar Energy s.r.l. (ESSE) was
established as a Rome-based multi-national joint venture
in 2010, to implement the BOO (build, operate, and own)
business of Photovoltaic IPP (Independent Power Producer)
plants in the regions of Europe, Middle East and Africa
utilising the photovoltaic modules produced by 3Sun.
The 10 MW project of Upington in the Northern Cape Province
has been awarded in May 2012 (Round 2 of the Renewable
Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program
- REIPPPP - tender) and has been connected to the grid in
May 2014.
GLOBAL PRESENCE
Listed on the Milan stock exchange since 1999, Enel has the
largest number of shareholders of any Italian company, with 1.2
million retail and institutional investors. The most important
of Enel’s shareholders is the Italian Ministry of Economy and
Finance which holds 31.24% of the Company’s shares. 14
other Group companies are listed on the stock exchanges of
Italy, Spain, Russia, Argentina, Brasil, Chile and Peru. Enel’s
commitment to values embodied in its Code of Ethics, its
Sustainability Report and the adoption of international best
practices promoting environmental protection, transparency
and corporate governance has attracted international
investment funds, insurance companies, pension funds and
ethical funds to its rank of shareholders.
The Enel Group is present in 40 countries over 4 continents.
Enel is strongly committed to the development of renewable
sources and to the research and development of new,
environmentally friendly technologies.
Enel Green Power (EGP) is the Group’s listed Company
dedicated to the development and management of power
generation from renewable sources, operating of 8.900 MW
of installed capacity. The Company’s generation mix includes
the main renewable sources: wind, solar, hydro, geothermal
and biomass. Enel Green Power also devotes special attention
to technological innovation and research.
Founded in December 2008, EGP is a global leader in
renewable energy generation, with an annual production
of 29,5 TW/h, meeting the energy consumption of over
10 million families and avoiding 16 million tonnes of CO2
emissions per year. EGP has around 752 operational plants in
16 countries in Europe and America.
Upington, South Africa - ESSE PV Power Plant,
10 MW capacity - 3Sun Thin film modules
All data in this presentation are updated at 31th December 2013,
unless otherwise stated.
EGP in South Africa
Enel Green Power RSA is the Enel Group company
dedicated to the development and management of electricity
generation from renewable sources in South Africa. Based
in Johannesburg, Enel Green Power RSA benefits from
the Enel Group’s synergies and expertise in many areas,
especially in wind and solar power. Enel Green Power RSA
is implementing the wind and solar photovoltaic projects
awarded in Round 3 of the REIPPPP for respectively 199 MW
and 314 MW, totaling overall 513 MW.
The photovoltaic power plants are: Adams (82.5 MW) located
in Northern Cape Province; Paleisheuwel (82.5 MW) located
in Western Cape Province ; Pulida (82.5 MW) located in
Free State Province; Tom Burke (66 MW) located in Limpopo
Province. The wind power plants are Nojoli (88 MW) located
in Eastern Cape Province and Gibson Bay (111 MW) located
in Eastern Cape Province.
The plants are located in different areas of the country
depending on the solar and wind resource availability. Power
plants construction is going to start. Plants operation is
expected in 2015/2016.
EGP has always been committed to the diffusion of
sustainability culture and is currently providing free courses
for PV installers and sellers. EGP is also exploring the
possibility to enter the retail market ◆
14
15
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
The Cavour in Cape Town:
something truly exceptional
by Paolo Bonissone - ph Italian Navy
S
ince February this year, Shendy and Eric
have been playing in the shade of trees. They
remember a handful of white men, dressed in
even whiter uniforms, who visited Holy Cross School to spend
an afternoon planting the trees. The men were seamen - Padre
Giovanni explained to the children - from the Italian Navy.
When they were docked in Cape Town on manoeuvres, the
sailors ventured to District Six on a different sort of mission.
At first, Shendy and Eric were slightly bewildered, but they
soon sensed that the men were there with good intentions.
There was no doubt that the sailors’ smiles were sincere.
A few days later, Shendy and Eric saw the sailors in white
uniforms again. There were dozens, even hundreds, lined up
on the deck of the immense ship - by far the biggest vessel the
children had ever seen - to welcome on board the students of
many different schools, that caravans of coaches organized
by the Consulate has brought to the harbour. The smiling
Italian sailors accompanied the children through the labyrinth
The arrival of the Cavour in Cape Town
Inauguration on board of the Cavour by Admiral Paolo Treu and the Ambassador of Italy
of passages, halls and rooms inside the ship, and introduced
them to the practices and protocols of seamanship.
Those were unforgettable lessons, so different from the
classes at school. Shendy and Eric will always remember the
courtesy of the seamen, their elegant uniforms and especially
their disposition towards the children.
A thousand children from the most disadvantaged
communities of the Western Cape had the chance to
experience a visit to the magnificent vessel Cavour, the
flagship of the Italian Navy. It led into Cape Town an Italian
naval convoy, also comprising the frigate Bergamini and the
support ship Etna, and remained from the 5th to the 11th of
February 2014. To highlight the relevance of the initiative, the
Chief of Staff of the Italian Armed Forces Admiral Luigi Binelli
Mantelli paid a visit to the vessels as part of his simultaneous
mission to South Africa, where he led a high level delegation
for various meetings with South African counterparts. A
reception in his honour was held at the Italian Residence in
Bishopscourt, where Admiral Binelli Mantelli met amongst
other personalities the Mayor of Cape Town Ms Patricia De
Lille. A crest given by him will be one the prizes awarded to
the “Ambassador’s Trophy” winner.
The Cape Town visit was half-way on a long African campaign
by the 30th Group of the Italian Navy (“A Country on the
Move”), a mission characterized by a strong humanitarian
accent and by activities directed to communities and
partnerships. The Cavour was supplied with state-of-theart medical equipment and staffed by specialized medical
personnel. They provided medical care for children in a
number of ports. The Italian NGO, “Operation Smile Italy”,
in partnership with “Operation Smile South Africa”, offered
on-board facial reconstructive surgery for disadvantaged
children born with facial deformities, while “Fondazione
Francesca Rava” organized phthalmologic and optometric
screening for children affected by avoidable blindness.
Volunteers of the Italian Red Cross assisted the operations.
16
17
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Reception at the Italian Residence in Bishopscourt
Reception at the Italian Residence in Bishopscourt
Sailors on “Cavour”
Chief of Staff Admiral Luigi Binelli Mantelli with the Mayor of Cape Town, Ms. Patricia De Lille
Gathering of Ferraris
The tour also had promotional aims. The Cavour carried
fine examples of “Made in Italy” production: a number of
companies working in the field of engineering, aerospace,
defence and industrial design presented some of their newest
creations. An exhibition of Italian design by FederLegnoArredo
was also on display for visitors.
The convoy’s visit to Cape Town was officially inaugurated
at a press conference attended by the Italian Ambassador
and the Commander of the Naval Group, Admiral Paolo
Treu, who also jointly opened the exhibitions onboard. The
unprecedented number of participants, including Italian
authorities, officials, entrepreneurs, celebrities, journalists
and various guests, witnessed with delight the Capetonians’
curiosity for all things Italian.
It is possible to mention only some of the events that took
place during the convoy’s stay.
While queues of tourists and Capetonians alike filled the
pier at the Waterfront to get onboard the frigate Bergamini,
dozens of Ferrari cars gathered on the commercial harbour,
alongside the Cavour. That was the Southern Equatorial Ferrari
Automobili Club’s way of honouring the Navy. Interestingly,
this is the oldest Ferrari Club outside Italy. The display of cars,
with Table Mountain in the background, was breath-taking.
The scene was also set for a spectacular Pirelli event, which
took place on the upper deck in the evening: a professional
motorbike rider performed a magnificent routine of stunts,
which amazed the gathered audience.
Even more glamorous was the closing event: a gala dinner
to raise funds for charity. The Mayor of Cape Town, Ms
Patricia de Lille, introduced a series of dance and musical
performances. The renowned composer and conductor,
Maestro Francesco Sartori, and the Italian Rhythmic
Pirelli event onboard
18
19
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Italian Navy crew with the Izivunguvungu young sailors
Ambassador’s Christmas Regatta in Simon’s Town with the Izivunguvungu sailing school
Children visiting the ship
Symphony Orchestra performed with the tenor Francesco
Grollo. Many of the guests danced late into the night.
Our Navy also wanted to pay a tribute to the Italian community
in South Africa. Hundreds of Italians from the Cape, but also
from Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, assembled to salute the
Cavour. Holy Mass was jointly celebrated onboard by the
Military Chaplain and the Archbishop of Cape Town, who
blessed wreaths that were laid in memory of both the Italian
prisoners of World War II who died in the concentration
camps in South Africa and the fallen soldiers of all wars.
The main focus of the visit remained the social and
community-based activities, including the “Christmas
Regatta”, a sailing event at the Izivunguvungu Sailing Centre
in Simon’s Town, promoted by the Embassy to benefit
disadvantaged youth of the Cape Region. Watched by their
commander, Admiral Treu, several Italian Navy seamen took
part in the regatta, and they were overcome by the young
sailors of the Izivunguvungu School. A party for the winners
concluded the event, with the Ambassador and the Admiral
accompanying the joyful school band on drums.
So many lovely tales could be told about the Navy’s visit
to Cape Town! Everyone who had the chance to be there
remembers the occasion fondly. But seeing Shendy and
Eric playing under the trees in the garden of the Holy Cross
School in District Six is the best reward for those who were
involved in the organization of the events. That scene attests
that something truly exceptional occurred, which links
forever South Africa and Italy ◆
20
21
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Bringing a Smile
to the children of the Cape
by Operation Smile
D
r. Francesco Bellia was a member of the
international team of volunteers from
the NGO “Operation Smile” who, on
board of the aircraft carrier Cavour from the 5th to the 10th
of February, offered free facial reconstructive surgery to
disadvantaged children born with facial deformities. During
the stay in Cape Town of the 30th Naval Group, 29 children
had a medical examination, while 25 were operated by the
medical staff.
These are his memories of those days:
“The afternoon I took the plane back to Italy, I couldn’t stop
thinking about the mission in Cape Town, one of the most
successful I have ever been involved in as a volunteer for
“Operation Smile”. In my mind I see the faces of those many
beautiful South African children that we examined, suffering
from facial deformities, cleft palates and hare lips.
I vividly recall the intense yet calm look of my first little
patient, looking at me up and down as I examined him;
carefully watching even my slightest move and looking for
comfort from his mother, standing beside him.
The mission in South Africa was different to the others, perhaps
because it took place inside the aircraft carrier Cavour, whose
sailors greatly supported our Team. A new hospital was fully
equipped with two operating theatres, an intensive therapy
room, several hospital beds, radiography units capable of
carrying out x-rays, CAT scans, lab examinations. All this for
humanitarian purposes.
The first operations were experienced with trepidation
by both parents and the Navy sailors and everything went
according to plan: the surgery started perfectly on time
and forty-five minutes later the first child left the operating
theatre. Conrad, the plastic surgeon, brought him to me in
the recovery room. He was fine. His lips perfectly aligned;
his vital statistics perfect and he was experiencing no pain.
A few minutes later he was given back to his mother: an
encounter that can’t be described. It was a magical moment
that touched even the most hardened Navy men.
Those days passed so quickly and all went well, as foreseen.
25 children have a new smile today: this is the most important
thing of all. Finally the parents knew the faces of each of us,
some even called us by our first names. Certainly I may never
see these children again, but I will never forget the joy that I
felt in seeing them smiling for the first time” ◆
22
M AGA ZINE
Transforming children’s lives
through sight
by Fondazione Francesca Rava - NPH Italia
M
ore than 2 500 children received a
medical examination from the 27
Italian volunteer ophthalmologists
and optometrists involved in the campaign against avoidable
blindness “Transforming Children’s through Sight”, which
brought the Italian NGO “Fondazione Francesca Rava” to
eight African countries between January and April 2014.
Supported by Federottica and the Italian Association of
Ophthalmologist Doctors (AIMO), as well as by many Italian
and international companies which supplied instruments,
lenses, frames and medicines, the volunteers of “Fondazione
Francesca Rava” equipped the supply ship Etna of the
30th Naval Group with two surgeries and with a complete
laboratory in which to make new glasses.
In Cape Town, from the 5th to the 10th of February, the
medical team - one ophthalmologist and four optometrists
- was able to assist 267 children, delivering more than 120
pairs of glasses to the young patients.
According to Mariavittoria Rava, President of the NGO, the
mission was successful. “It was an important campaign,
which allowed us to provide ophthalmological and
ophthalmic screening to children who otherwise would
have never had the opportunity to access these medical
examinations.”
Dr. Giovanni Mana, one of the volunteers, recalls one of
his most touching experiences during the visit of the Naval
Group to South Africa.
“I examined an eleven-year-old girl, so timid and lost, I had
been told that she may suffer from myopia. I carried out
the medical test, which confirmed a serious visual defect. I
asked her if she had ever worn glasses and she said “No”. So
I balanced a pair of test-glasses with her prescription on her
little nose and asked her to try to walk and look around. I
wanted to see her reaction as she walked with the glasses…
She did so and suddenly, once she had seen the world around
her for a few seconds, she turned toward me and burst into
tears, hugging me for such a long time that it made me so
emotional. In a moment, both of us were weeping in silence” ◆
24
M AGA ZINE
South Africa-Italy Summit:
exploring complementarities
“W
e want to further deepen our
relations with South Africa at
high political level possibly
through a bilateral agreement setting up regular consultation
meetings. We have an old history of friendship with the
South African people, and Italy has been a staunch supporter
during the struggle against apartheid. There is lot to build
upon, including our dynamic community here”. This is what
the Italian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation, Hon. Lapo Pistelli, said at the first South Africa
- Italy Summit.
Upon initiative of Italy’s leading consulting firm and think
tank The European House-Ambrosetti (TEH-A), over 100
top executives of Italian and South African companies,
economists and high level officials gathered in Cape Town
on October 2-3, to build a selected community of business
leaders to grow their companies in the two countries and
continents and, in particular, in the Sub-Saharan Africa where
in the next decades there will be an astonishing growth.
Sub-Saharan Africa is indeed one of the fastest-growing
regions in the world (GDP is expected to grow by 6% in
2015). The development of the area is opening up enormous
business opportunities for Italy and South Africa together.
In particular, governments in the region are launching specific
programs and investment incentives in the manufacturing,
energy and agribusiness sector:
◆◆
food demand in Sub-Saharan Africa will grow at an
average annual rate of 3% and agribusiness sector will
be worth 1,000 billion Dollars by 2030;
◆◆
energy demand in the region will increase by 107%
by 2040, with investments for more than 50 billion
Dollars per year; members of the Southern African
Power Pool1 will invest 200 billion Dollars by 2030;
◆◆
the overall figures of middle class population in SubSaharan Africa will exceed the one of India, and
aggregate spending will surpass 2,000 billion Dollars
by 2030.
business
1. Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe
26
M AGA ZINE
There exists a long-standing tradition of cooperation of
Italian companies who have operated for years in South
Africa, including in positions of excellence in some key
sectors such as energy, infrastructure and automotive.
Nevertheless, the levels of trade and investments between
the two countries are less than desired, while the potential
to boost the relations is very high.
Intervening as a main speaker during the Summit ad at its
conclusion, Vice Minister Pistelli confirmed the commitment
of the Italian Government to support Italian business to
flourish abroad, and that South Africa is a prime objective.
“Our aim”, he said, “is to help in the next three years 20.000
Italian companies to become competitive at a global level.
It is now time to stop talking and start acting.” The recent
reform of the Italian Development Cooperation will also
provide some tools for financial support, also thanks to new
missions for “Cassa Depositi e Prestiti”.
Valerio De Molli, Managing Partner of The European HouseAmbrosetti, highlighted that “South Africa boasts the tenthlargest rail system in the world and Johannesburg has one of
busiest airports that attracts flights from around the globe;
telecommunications and financial services are also highly-
developed, and Italian companies should take advantage of
this infrastructural system to invest in the country”.
“With this Summit”, Valerio De Molli added, “The European
House-Ambrosetti has confirmed its ability - as a think tank to create content and ideas to take full advantage of the major
opportunities offered by this market, developing platforms for
relations between world leaders to be used to shape business
partnerships”.
The Summit has given entrepreneurs from the two countries a
good platform to network, a success that has been witnessed
by the Ambassador of Italy to South Africa, Vincenzo Schioppa.
“It is a bit too early to discuss fruits”, said the Ambassador, “but
what I see is that business people have already started discussing
real business opportunities, so I am quite optimistic about that.
This is the right place to produce together”, he added.
The South Africa-Italy Summit is the annual event that gathers
the most important Italian and South African political and
business leaders with the objective of strengthening strategic
relationship in both countries and their related continents.
Mission that seems to have been accomplished.
The next South Africa-Italy Summit will take place October
1-2, 2015 in Cape Town ◆
business
Under the patronage of the Italian National Olympic Committee
28
29
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Iveco
HERE TO STAY
I
veco’s growing presence on the African
continent is mounting to the release of its
latest generation Eurocargo to be assembled
in South Africa. This launch ushers in the forthcoming
inauguration of Iveco’s new plant in the country, a milestone
for the Italian manufacturer that identified Africa as an
important market for growth.
As proof of Iveco’s long-term commitment in Africa is the
appointment of Mario Gasparri as Vice President of CNH
Industrial, the holding company for Southern Africa. He
will assume responsibility of all CNH Industrial’s brands and
activities, of which Iveco is included.
30
31
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Vice President of CNH Industrial Southern Africa Mario Gasparri at the Rosslyn plant with the employees
Mario Gasparri’s history with Fiat Group, then later CNH
Industrial, started in 1988 in Italy, where he gained diverse
experience spanning across the construction, agricultural and
vehicle sectors of various markets around the globe.
The recent investment of R500 million in the commercial
vehicles assembly plant in Rosslyn, outside of Pretoria, is
another signal of CNH Industrial’s existence that is not only
prevalent in South Africa, but on the continent as a whole.
Iveco South Africa Works is the joint-venture of Larimar
Group, a leading South African public transport operator
and bus bodybuilder. The manufacturing facility has already
started building Iveco’s new Eurocargo medium capacity
truck for the local and export markets which has seen the
establishment of an expanding commercial network over the
past 20 years.
“Our plant in Rosslyn will act as a gateway to Africa. We
see significant potential for growth in the economies of subSaharan Africa, particularly for large infrastructure projects,”
says Mario Gasparri.
The official inauguration of the plant will be hosted in
November 2014. Medium, heavy and extra-heavy duty
commercial vehicles as well as front engine and low floor
city buses will be assembled on the premises. The plant has
been designed to reach an annual build capacity of 6000
trucks, 1000 buses, and 1,000 South African employees are
expected to be recruited in this new location.
To accompany the opening of this new plant, Iveco launched
the “Born in South Africa” campaign in October, which
spotlights the local manufacturing of specific Iveco products
for the market.
The new “Born in South Africa” logo depicts a ‘stamp
of authenticity’ certifying the quality of the new Iveco
commercial vehicles assembled locally and tailored for the
varied terrain and challenging driving conditions of Africa
which carry a demand for specific requirements.
The new plant underpins Iveco’s strategy of manufacturing
globally, while tailoring products for local needs.
Mario Gasparri makes no secret of his high expectations
with the opening of this new plant: “We have high ambitions
which we are serious about achieving. We have already
noticed changes and improvements and we expect to grow
our volumes and market share.” He concludes ◆
32
33
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
From Cape to Rio: a race between
two world’s landmarks
The Cape to Rio Race 2014, which started on the 4th of January
and saw the amazing victory of the Italian skipper Giovanni Soldini,
was successfully organized by the Royal Cape Yacht Club
and its Commodore, Ray Matthews
by Ray Matthews, Commodore of the Royal Cape Yacht Club and Cape to Rio Race chairman - ph Trevor Wilkins
W
hat a surprise while enjoying my
September holiday in Ireland to get a call
from Commodore Dale Kushner to ask if I
would like to take over the chairmanship of the Cape to Rio
race starting on the 4th January 2014. We were only due back
In Cape Town by early October so it was onto the internet to
begin the planning from afar.
I soon learned that I was handling a race with an extraordinary
rich heritage. Right from the start in 1971 the race attracted
huge international interest. It is a fascinating and tactical
race, demanding both a high level of seamanship and expert
weather savvy. Best known as the Cape to Rio Race, the race
has indeed headed mainly for Rio, but at times we have had
to adapt the race to other South American venues, including
Punta del Este in Uruguay, and more recently Salvador, the
capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia.
The first race attracted an amazing international entry of 69
boats, whose skippers included Robin Knox-Johnston, Eric
Tabarly, Kees Bruynzeel, and Lt.Cdr. Maximo Reveiro Kelly.
The 1971 Line honours went to the British 21.6m ketch Ocean
Spirit, co-skippered by Knox-Johnston and Leslie Williams
after a crossing of 23 days and 42 minutes.
Finally back in Cape Town, race headquarters at Royal Cape
Yacht club was activated and we began preparing facilities
for the entrants. Having already received an Australian entry
from a very competitive RP52, Scarlet Runner, I was looking
forward to some good competition for them. We didn’t
have to wait long, for a great competitive entry from Italy,
the Italian Volvo Open 70 racing yacht, Maserati, who we
heard were out to break the Cape to Rio crossing record.
The team at Royal Cape were now very motivated to take
this International event to a new level. A major hassle for
competitors is the enormous amount of documentation
required to embark on an ocean crossing both for the crew
and the boat, and with the help of staff and members of
Royal Cape all efforts were made to simplify these processes
for competitors.
As race day drew near we had 35 boats with 250 competitors
from 9 countries. The weather that day was mild with a gentle
breeze to send the crews off to Rio de Janeiro. These Ideal
conditions were soon set to change and by 10am the next
morning reports of extreme heavy weather started to come
in, with some reports of a broken rudder and sail damages.
By early afternoon the situation had deteriorated with a tragic
report coming in from the Angolan yacht Bille, they had one
fatality and 3 seriously injured.
sailing
Within hours the South African Navy had started preparations
to depart for the search and rescue of yacht Bille. Later that
evening the SAS Isandlwana left Cape Town carrying the
RCYC general manager to search the rescue area. By early
Monday morning the navy had evacuated the crew from
Bille who all received immediate medical attention from the
trained crew. SAS Isandlwana then proceeded to locate and
check on the other yachts that had sent out distress signals.
Eventually 9 yachts retired from the race as a result of this
storm and one yacht, Bille, was lost with one fatality.
Having travelled half way round the world to take part in our
race, the Italian entry Maserati, (a proven boat with a great
record), had made good headway through the storm and out
the other side with a huge lead. As the daily progress reports
started coming in it was clear that Maserati and the crew, led
by Giovanni Soldini, may have a chance to break the record
for the crossing. The race was on and now the big question
remained as to who would be in Rio first, me to finish the
race, or Maserati to win it?
Well, as the record books now stand, Maserati completed
the race in 10 days followed by the Australians on Scarlett
Runner, and the last boat Hot Ice finishing 18 days later. We
could not have asked for greater hosts for the prize giving, Rio
Yacht Cub gave justice to the race and the achievements of the
competitors by putting on a magnificent prize giving in Rio by
the club pool facilities on Friday 1st February. Maserati quite
deservedly dominated the awards ceremony and we were
extremely pleased that some of the crew stayed on to receive
the trophies. Well done Soldini and the Maserati crew!
We look forward to another great race between these two
lovely cities starting on New Year’s Day 2017 ◆
sailing
36
37
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Giovanni Soldini & the Cape2Rio:
an interview
ph Trevor Wilkins
G
iovanni Soldini was born in Milan in 1966
and, since he was a child, spent most of his
life sailing around the world. With twenty
years’ experience of ocean regattas behind him and over 40
transoceanic races, including two single-handed around-theworld races, Mr. Soldini can be considered one of the best
seamen in the history of sailing.
Among his many stunning achievements: on the 15 January
2014 he crossed the finish line of the 14th Cape2Rio race
with Team Maserati, setting a new record after sailing 3 300
nautical miles from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro in 10 days,
11 hours, 29 minutes and 57 seconds.
Well, the race is beautiful! First of all because the departure
is in Cape Town, a wonderful landmark and even a more
fantastic city. And the arrival in Rio the Janeiro, the ideal
setting for any race!
From a technical point of view, then, the Cape2Rio in similar
to other regattas. However, when leaving from Cape Town,
we have to deal with the latitude of the city, which is placed
well in the south of the hemisphere. Thus you have always
to expect some strong weather fronts coming from the South
Seas, which can be accompanied by violent storms. That’s
what happened during the last race.
interview
In light of your experience as a seaman, what are the
distinctive traits of the Cape2Rio compared to other races?
A violent storm hit the boats shortly after the beginning of
the race and, as a result, a member of the Angolan Team,
Mr. Antonio Joao Bartolomeu, lost his life. What do you
remember of those tragic moments?
At those latitudes, when a weather front comes from the
South Seas, the wind is very strong and the sea is really heavy.
Nevertheless, the storm was not impossible to manage, even
if the boats were hit by violent blasts of wind.
According to the weather forecasts, it was clear that the front
would be strong. Furthermore, many yachts competed in
the regatta and with such a large number of participants the
likelihood of an accident is very high.
As you said, Cape Town is a beautiful place. What were
your impressions of the city? What can you tell us about
how you were welcomed by the South Africans?
My impression is excellent! I also had the chance to sail along
the coasts of the Western Cape for several kilometres, a trip
38
39
M AGA ZINE
interview
M AGA ZINE
that showed me the beauty of the region. Besides, it is not
the first time that I have been to Cape Town, a beautiful and
charming city, which I visited on the occasion of my two
single-handed races. Both times I remained in Cape Town for
one month, a period that gave me the opportunity to discover
the place and to meet good friends.
In the past, the Cape of Good Hope has been the scenario
of great sea endeavours. What did you feel when sailing its
waters?
The first time that I sailed the waters of Cape Town was in
1994, many years ago. Certainly it has been a great emotion,
both entering in its harbour and leaving it to continue my
journey around the world. Cape Town was the first stopover during my first single-handed race, the gate to the
Southern Seas.
The Maserati Team is ready to tackle the North Atlantic
crossing between New York and Lizard Point (UK) which
will take you through the icebergs of Newfoundland, one
of the toughest sailing routes in the world. How are you
preparing for this new record attempt?
After the great satisfaction of the Cape2Rio, we are trying to
set the new record of the North Atlantic crossing, from New
York to the southernmost tip of Great Britain. Currently the
record is held by Mari Cha IV, the 40 meters maxi-schooner,
which covered the distance in 2003, manned by twentythree crew, in 6 days, 17, hours, 52 minutes and 39 seconds.
Maserati is a much smaller boat and this record will be very
difficult to beat. Nevertheless, we are waiting for the perfect
weather window and we are sure that we can make it! ◆
40
M AGA ZINE
An Italian masterpiece
at the tip of Africa
Morgenster wine and olive estate
ph Alain Proust
interview
Owner Giulio Bertrand with the Flos Olei 2014 trophy for his Morgenster extra virgin olive oil which achieved the top score of 98/100
“When I first saw Morgenster it was love
at first sight. I have never felt so attracted
to a place like I was with Morgenster”
Morgenster olive groves
G
iulio Bertrand, the Italian owner of the wine
and olive estate in Somerset West outside
Cape Town in South Africa leans forward.
“Then some years after I came here, I found out that the
ancestors of the Huguenot settler who first bought and
established Morgenster in 1711 originated in the valleys of
Piedmont where I also come from!” He smiles. Morgenster
did well to attract this particular Italian settler to its unique
location. Since 1992 it has been flourishing under Bertrand’s
vision, energy and commitment to excellence which have
attracted world attention to its extra virgin olive oil and wellaged Bordeaux style wines.
41
M AGA ZINE
42
43
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
interview
We are sitting in Bertrand’s comfortable study in the manor
house on the Estate. One of the first things he did when
moving to Morgenster was to preserve and decorate the
beautiful historic buildings with the help of interior designer
Graham Viney and architect Revel Fox. Then he turned his
attention to the farm: “When I first considered farming I
thought I would make some good Italian styled olive oil for
my salad and some nice wine to enjoy with my dinner…”
After doing a systematic mapping of the farm’s terroir and
all its aspects he realised that his farm had the potential to
produce red wine of extraordinary quality. So, having had a
lifelong philosophy of producing only the best, he focused
his desire on producing world class Bordeaux-styled wine
and the highest quality olive oil.
Morgenster vineyards
For the past nine years Morgenster extra virgin olive oil has
gained top international awards. Then, at the end of 2013 it
received the top score of 98 points out of a possible 100 in
the Flos Olei 2014 competition which assesses the world’s
best olive oils. The estate also received the “Made with
Love” award in the listing of the world’s 20 best farms (www.
flosolei.com). Bertrand went to Rome to accept the award.
“Being one of only 11 oil producers in the world and the only
one in South Africa to achieve 98/100, the highest score ever
given to an oil by such a top international panel of judges, made
me very proud to bring the award home to South Africa”, he
says. The blue glass trophy is displayed in Morgenster’s tasting
room where the visitors can enjoy tastings of olive oils and
olives and vertical tastings of early vintages of its red wines.
44
45
M AGA ZINE
interview
M AGA ZINE
Giulio Bertrand’s home, the Morgenster manor house
Morgenster tasting room
Bertrand follows European practice by releasing his
Morgenster flagship and Lourens River Valley red blends only
when they have had the benefits of ageing perfectly. A small
portion is released after four years to highlight the vintage’s
quality and potential but the balance is saved to age under
pristine conditions in the Morgenster cellar for later release
in batches.
Each year the Estate’s winemaking team tastes through
all the vintages to monitor their progression with Pierre
Lurton, Morgenster’s consultant winemaker who is the CEO
of Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau d’Yquem. Bertrand
says that the matured wines, going back to 1998, are now
showing their personalities and the complexities which
ageing allows to develop.
“They are still youthful and can age for years to come. We
have large quantities of early vintages, which is unique in
South Africa”, he says.
46
47
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Bertrand is currently occupied with developing more visitor
facilities to complement the tasting room adjoining the
winery and maturation cellar. “We were in the final design
stage when the Lourens River, which flows through the
farm, flooded Somerset West in September 2013. We had to
scrap our plans as they fell within the 100 year flood plain”.
Bertrand, being a lifelong sailor, changed tack and started
planning from scratch. He smiles as he paraphrases Pliny:
“There is always something new out of Morgenster” ◆
interview
48
49
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
The Cradle of Humankind:
the Italian Archeological
and Paleo-anthropological mission
Prof. Jacopo Moggi Cecchi
The excavations have brought to light a deposit rich in faunal remains, including two extinct species of hominids, the ancestors of the human lineage
S
peaking of South Africa to those unfamiliar
with this country usually invokes images
(maybe seen on television) of elephants and
lions in the Kruger National Park, the emblem of South
Africa or Cape Town with the Table Mountains, or Kimberley
diamond chimney, symbolizing the wealth of raw materials of
South Africa. However there is another aspect, perhaps less
known, but for which South Africa, from a scientific point
of view, is one of the most important countries in the world:
its wealth of fossil sites in which, over the last 80 years,
the remains of several species of hominids - the ancestors
of our species - were discovered, allowing us to document
the earliest phases of human evolution, starting at about 3
million years ago. It is the country where the research of
paleoanthropology - the science that studies the origin and
evolution of humans - have unearthed thousands of fossils
not only of hominids, but also of many other types of animals,
thus contributing to draw a relatively accurate picture of the
anatomy of our ancestors, their way of life, the environment
in which they moved, and even, in some cases, the earliest
forms of tools they used.
The wealth and importance of the South African heritage is
such that in 1999 the area near Johannesburg in which the
main archaeological and paleontological sites are located
All the bone fragments are retrieved with care
(also known as “The Cradle of Humankind”) was named by
UNESCO as a World heritage site - “the Fossil Hominid sites
of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai, and Environs”, and
thus recognized as part of the cultural heritage not only of
South Africa but of all humanity. Among these sites one of
the most interesting is the Drimolen site, discovered in 1992,
and very rich in terms of fossil remains.
At the site of Drimolen since 2006 is active the “Italian
Archaeological and Paleo-anthropological Mission in South
Africa”, co-financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and International Cooperation and with the support of the
Italian Embassy in South Africa and the Italian Cultural Institute.
The Director of the Italian mission is prof. Jacopo Moggi Cecchi, from the Department of Biology, at the University of
Florence. The project takes place in collaboration between
Italian institutions (University of Florence, University of Pisa),
South Africa (Dr. Colin Menter, head of the South African
project, University of Johannesburg) and other countries
(USA, England, Australia). The excavations have been
running continuously and on an annual basis, for a period of
2-3 weeks. These campaigns involve researchers (Italian and
South African) and South African university students together
with students from all over Italy. The ultimate goal of the
Mission is the knowledge, preservation and especially the
50
51
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Some remains of rodents and insectivores have a very small size
The most important fossil discovered at Drimolen: the complete skull
of a female individual of the species Paranthropus robustus - ph Colin Menter
Examples of bone tools found at the site - ph Backwell and d’Errico, 2008
An exceptional find: the arm bone of an infant of a hominid
promotion of the paleo-anthropological and archaeological
sites in this area. In addition, among the priorities of the
project are also the conservation of the site, its promotion
at a national and international level for a use to a wider
audience, and the training of South African students. To this
end, every year there are lectures for South African university
students held by the Italian members of the mission and visits
to other paleontological sites in the area and at the museum’s
collections in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
The fossils come from paleontological and archaeological
sediments accumulated in caves over millions of years.
The set of faunal remains (Carnivors, Antelopes of various
size, insectivores, rodents and even hominids) has allowed
us to estimate the age of the deposits to a period between
1.5 and 2 million years ago. Two species of fossil hominids
have been recognized at Drimolen: Paranthropus robustus,
(a side branch of the human evolutionary line), and a species
yet to be named, but attributable to the our genus Homo.
The archaeological remains are represented by bone tools.
They are among the first evidences of a very primitive form
of culture, used for purposes that have yet to be exactly
understood.
The fieldwork is accompanied by research in the laboratory,
which often makes use of very advanced technologies.
Among these it is worth mentioning the collaboration with
the Synchrotron in Trieste for non-destructive research on the
internal structure of fossil specimens, a project held as part of the
Executive Program of Scientific and Technological Co-operation
between Italy and South Africa. It is a fascinating research, that
every each year reserves exciting new discoveries and opens up
new research perspectives. This research represents not only
the study of human origins in South Africa, but also the study of
its cultural heritage, of its own people, and of all the humanity ◆
52
53
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
BRONZE CASTING IN PRETORIA,
an ANCIENT ITALIAN CRAFTMANSHIP
by Claudio D’Agostini - ph Pietro Petrini
Edoardo Villa, Reclining Figure, Vignali Artistic Foundry
S
ome of the most famous public monuments
in South Africa, as well as works of many
contemporary South African artists, were cast
by the oldest artistic foundry in the country, started by Renzo
Vignali, who came from Italy in the 1930s. The
foundry in Pretoria is still run by his descendants
and now specializes in casting the works of the
most renowned artists of South Africa.
Not many people know that Pretoria is the
home of the oldest artistic foundry in South
Africa.
It all started in Italy in the late 1920s when
Italian sculptor Raffaello Romanelli was
selected among some hundred artists to
Rhona Stern, Birds, Vignali Artistic Foundry
create the equestrian monument to South Africa’s first Prime
Minister, Louis Botha. The monument was cast in bronze by
the “Artistic Foundry Gusmano Vignali” in Florence and in
1930 was shipped to Cape Town, where it stands in front of
the Houses of Parliament.
At the time, Gusmano Vignali was the head
of the family and the firm. Times were tough
during the Great Depression of the 1930s so
the family decided to try their luck abroad.
In 1930, Gusmano’s son Rolando left for
Montevideo (Uruguay), where he started the
first artistic foundry on the Latin American
subcontinent. Then it was Renzo’s turn, the
other son. In 1927 he had met in Italy Anton
van Wouw, the Dutch-born sculptor regarded as the father of
South African sculpture, who encouraged Renzo Vignali to
come to South Africa.
Renzo left Italy in 1931 and settled in Johannesburg,
where after two years he started his own foundry. The city,
however, was not the right place to cast bronze sculptures,
and in particular the big statues in which Vignali excelled:
after the cooling of the metal, statues had to stay absolutely
still for weeks and due to explosions in the gold mines,
Johannesburg was shaken by daily tremors. Renzo decided
to move to Pretoria.
The success of the casting brought fame to the Vignali foundry,
which soon became very busy and needed to expand. In
1942, Renzo began the construction of a new building in
Pretoria North and, since the foundry needed manpower for
the expanding business, in the same year Renzo employed
six Italian prisoners of war from Zonderwater Camp near
Pretoria, the biggest detention camp built by the Allies during
World War II. From April 1941 to January 1947, the camp
held more than 100 000 Italian soldiers captured by the
British on the Northern and East African Fronts. Among them
was Luigi Gamberini, who remained in South Africa after the
war and married Renzo’s daughter, Gabriella, taking the reins
of the firm after the passing of his father-in-law.
A new era of the company’s activity began when the
Italian artist, Edoardo Villa, himself a former prisoner of
war at Zonderwater, came to the foundry asking to cast his
modernist sculptures.
54
M AGA ZINE
Edoardo Villa, Self Portrait, 1943. Vignali Artistic Foundry
Edoardo Villa, The Violin Player, 1943. Vignali Artistic Foundry
Born in Italy in 1915, Edoardo Villa had studied sculpture
in Milan and Rome, before being taken prisoner during the
war and brought to South Africa. After his release in 1947 he
remained in the country where he practiced as a sculptor,
becoming one of the most important artists in South Africa.
During his long and successful career, Villa experimented
with different styles and materials: from traditional methods
of sculpting with clay and marble to the bronze and steel
that later became his signature materials. During the sixties,
Villa increasingly used heavy steel elements to fashion solid
anthropomorphic shapes, while his modeled figures began
to incorporate the symbolism of African carving. In his later
years, his work evolved further with his exploration of other
materials such as the more resistant polystyrene.
Thanks to the celebrity of Villa, from the late fifties onwards,
famous artists like Sol Disner and Sidney Harpley had their
work cast by Luigi Gamberini, as did a number of young
black artists: Dumile Feni, Sidney Kumalo, Ezrom Legae, Ben
Arnold, and Percy Konqobe, all of whom became renowned
South African sculptors. The foundry, therefore, played a
central role in the development of a black art in the country,
representing an ideal space for young and talented artists,
while continuing to work for Edoardo Villa and other masters
such as William Kentridge and Deborah Bell.
Carlo and Lorenzo Gamberini, Luigi’s sons, now run the
foundry, which only casts for a limited number of the most
prominent artists, using the same century-old, Italian tradition
of the lost-wax technique ◆
art
56
57
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
“A CERA PERSA”:
casting metal
by loosing WAX
3.
The entire piece is covered with a thick coat to create a shell
5.
4.
The shell is broken off to separate it from bronze
1.
2.
From the original model a mould is made
To the wax model is added a treelike network of wax rods
he casting of metal objects goes back to
prehistoric times; first copper was used, then
bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, which
was stronger and more durable. While ancient Greeks and
Etruscans brought the art of casting close to perfection and
the Romans continued the tradition, the art was almost lost
during the Middle Ages, until it was revived by the Italian
Renaissance.
This is the century-old technique of casting that is still
practiced at the foundry established by Renzo Vignali. A visit
to the workshop is a journey back to the Renaissance.
How is a bronze sculpture made?
The sculpture is first made by the artist in clay or another
material, and then is delivered to the foundry. A mould is
made from the original model (picture 1), which is then used
to create a perfect copy of the sculpture in wax. The wax is
only a thin layer, no more than a few millimeters thick.
A treelike network of wax rods, called sprues, is added to the
wax model (picture 2). Later these will be melted, leaving a
channel system through which the molten metal will flow to
all parts of the sculpture, while gases and air can, in turn, be
expelled. A pouring cup is attached to the sprues.
T
Then the entire piece is covered with a thick coat of clay,
which, once dry, becomes a hard, robust shell around the
entire sculpture (picture 3).
The shell is then turned upside down and placed in a kiln at
high temperature in order to melt the wax, that flows out thus
becoming “lost” (“a cera persa” in Italian). This is where the
name “lost-wax process” derives. The lost-wax leaves a thin
space between the outer shell and the inner material, which
is then filled with molten bronze.
It’s now that the key moment of the entire process starts. The
bronze melted in a pot is poured into the shell and through
the sprues, filling the thin space left by the lost wax (picture 4).
Once bronze and shell have cooled, the shell is broken off.
The sprues, which have been recreated in metal, are also cut
off (picture 5).
The final stage of the work is the polishing of the statue until
all signs of the casting process are removed and the statue
looks like the original model (picture 6).
The result is the astonishing perfection that characterizes all
the works cast by the sons of Luigi Gamberini at the foundry.
An ancient art, lost-wax casting, still lives in Pretoria in the
same way it has been practiced for centuries in Italy, producing
some of the finest works of art in present-day South Africa ◆
The bronze melted in a pot is poured into the shell
6.
The final stage of the work is the polishing of the statue
58
59
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
THE STORY OF A NEW-OLD FRIEND
OF THE ITALIAN EMBASSY
by Gerardo De Maio
Mr. Mahlangu with Mr. Samson Baloyi - ph by Pietro Petrini
The Ambassador of Italy Mr. Vincenzo Schioppa with Mr. Tshepo Mashlangu - ph by Pietro Petrini
Tshepo Mahlangu is a black South African who, during the apartheid regime,
had the opportunity to study at the University of Zululand thanks to the financial support
of the Italian Embassy in Pretoria. 25 years later he came back to his old friends to express
his warmest gratitude to the Italian people
1. Why, in 1989, did you decide to come to the Italian
Embassy?
As a young man at that time, growing up in an apartheid
South Africa like many young black people, I found myself in
the war torn dusty streets of Mamelodi, a township situated
about 20km east of Pretoria, destitute to create a future for
myself. I had just completed my Matric with good results
having studied through an apartheid education system
called the Bantu Education, which was a very strong pillar
of the apartheid regime. The then legislation was intended
to separate black South Africans through a sub-standard
education system from the main comparatively very well
resourced education system for white South Africans.
Not knowing what to do post Matric, someone told me about
the Italian Embassy, which was regarded as very sympathetic
to our course of supporting a liberated South Africa wherein
everyone cold be treated equal. I then decided to catch a
collective taxi to reach the Embassy.
2. What are your memories of that day at the Embassy and
in particular about the people you met?
Well, at a time where Pretoria was a strictly white area, I
expected to be arrested by the then South African Police
since I did not have a permit to be in the city and did not
even know anyone at the Italian Embassy.
To my surprise, right from the reception area, I still remember
being warmly greeted by Mr Samson Baloyi, who politely
listened to my story and without hesitation took me to the
interview
60
M AGA ZINE
Professor Pietro D’Onofrio
late Professor D’Onofrio (May his Soul rest in peace) who
also gave me a very warm reception. In my brief meeting
with him, I asked if the Embassy was in a position to assist
me to further my studies and he requested me to give him
my statement of symbols, that I graciously handed to him.
Professor D’Onofrio then looked me in the eyes and said to
me in a heavy Italian accent “What do you want to study,
Mr Mahlangu?”. In a state of shock, I responded by saying:
“I want to study BA Communications at the University of
Zululand”. He picked up a phone and made a call to enquire
if they would accept me at the University of Zululand. A few
seconds later he came behind his desk to shake my hand and
said to me: “Our Government will gladly assist you and pay
for your studies up to the completion of your studies at the
University of Zululand”.
I left the Embassy, escorted by Mr Baloyi who sincerely
congratulated me, in a joyful mood as my hope and pride
had been restored and my dream fulfilled.
3. What did you do after your studies?
On the strength of my good results and my good conduct at
the University, I was recommended, before completing my
third year, by the Head of Department and the Dean of Faculty
of the University for a position of Media Liaison Officer at
the then South African Communication Service, now known
as the Government Communication and Information Service
(GCIS). I duly accepted the offer. My proudest moment was
being part of a team that contributed to the organization of
special events like the first democratic elections in South
Africa as well as the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as
first black Head of State in the democratic South Africa. I
subsequently enrolled for a Certificate in Industrial Product
and Export Marketing with the University of South Africa
(UNISA) in preparation to enter the private sector market.
4. How did your life change with the end of Apartheid?
Looking back then, I may have been one of many South
Africans who felt the full might of apartheid. I look back
Mr. Mahlangu as young student
at the University of Zululand
with pride and joy and will forever be indebted to the Italian
people and its government for their support. I am now a
successful entrepreneur doing business mainly in South
Africa. I am proud to have contributed towards upholding the
legacy of Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu (of whom I’m nephew),
one of the struggle heroes who gave his life for a liberated
South Africa.
5. Why did you decide to come back recently to the Embassy
of Italy, and what can you tell us about the meeting?
After many years of not being in touch with the Italian
Embassy, in mid-August 2014 I decided to pay the Embassy a
surprise visit. To my utter amazement, I was greeted again by
Mr Samson Baloyi, who is still working at the reception area.
Even if I had no appointment at all, within a few minutes
I was received by the Ambassador Vincenzo Schioppa and
I enjoyed a coffee with him and the Head of Protocol, Dr
Francesco Angeloni, who also kindly embraced my presence.
The warm and kind reception I received took me 25 years
back, when I sat there my foot for the first time. During the
meeting, the Ambassador shared with me the Embassy’s
continued commitment to foster political, economic and
cultural relations, cooperation and friendship between
Italians and South Africans. I’m undoubtedly a living proof
of such a friendship.
6. What have you inherited from this experience?
The whole experience has taught me that sometimes the
smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest
step of your life, but the key is that you must take that first step.
I will forever remain a friend of the people of Italy for giving
me a rare opportunity to pursue my studies at the University.
I am planning to take my two kids to Italy soon and perhaps
identify a project wherein we could plough back in return.
Finally let me express once again my sincere gratitude to the
Italian Government not only for the financial support during
a time when all doors where closed, but for showing me
kindness that has made me a man I am today. Thank you! ◆
62
M AGA ZINE
From cooperation
to partnership:
Oxfam Italia in South Africa
Founded in Oxford, Great Britain, in 1942, Oxfam is now an international confederation of 17
organizations working in more than 90 countries worldwide in the field of development
cooperation. Oxfam Italia is one of those 17 organizations
by Oxfam Italia
S
andisile is a young craftsman from the
township of Mdantsane, in the Eastern Cape
Province near East London. As part of a
project supported by Oxfam Italia, he attended five months
vocational training at the ‘Mdantsane Art Centre’ and is
now ready to became a teacher, sharing with other students
his skills and passion. His story is about determination and
talent, but it is also the story of the cooperation between the
Italian and South African people.
The birth in 1994 of the new democratic Republic of
South Africa represented a crucial moment, not only for
Madiba’s beloved country, but also for the entire world.
The new government soon acknowledged the massive
disparities within the population’s living conditions and the
necessity to guide a transformational process to uplift the
underdeveloped areas and districts in the country. This led
to a renewed interest on the part of various international
non-governmental organisations and donors involved in
international cooperation to alleviate poverty and suffering.
Oxfam suported the liberation struggle from outside the
country from the late 1960s, but was only able to establish a
stable presence in the new South Africa after 1994. Oxfam
Italia decided to make a contribution in 2008, by forging
a synergy with the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and
International Cooperation and other development agencies
through a programme, led by the Region of Tuscany,
aimed at linking the South African and Italian authorities.
The four-year programme, called NETSAFRICA, supported
the decentralization process in South Africa by promoting
sustainable socio-economic development in some of the
most remote and marginalized areas of the country and by
enhancing public participation in shaping local development
plans. Several public and private South African institutions
joined the programme, both at national and local level.
In the wake of the success of the programme, Oxfam Italia
decided to strengthen and extend the partnership between
Italian and South African local institutions by planning
further interventions in different developmental areas.
Among them is a project financed by the Italian Ministry
for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, which
focuses on early childhood development in partnership with
the Buffalo City Municipality. Another programme, funded
by the European Union and run in coordination with the
the Buffalo City and City of Tshwane Municipalities, focus
on the promotion of the creative industry and it has been
successfully concluded*.
More recent initiatives focus on the waste and energy recovery
sector and green economy. The project GET ANSWERS,
co-funded by the European Union, has been implemented
together with the Ekurhuleni Municipality in order to scaleup one of the pilot initiatives of NETSAFRICA concerned with
waste management in the informal settlements of Tembisa.
Finally, a multi-country project, ‘Maternal and Child
Health: Local Authorities and Decentralization in the
SADC Area’, supported by the European Union, has
also been implemented in partnership with the O. R.
Tambo District Municipality, with the aim to support the
national program on the prevention of HIV in the district.
All these initiatives have successfully improved individual
lives, such as Sandisili and many others like him, but have
also improved the service delivery and local government’s
accountability. The key of their sustainability has been a
strategy based on involving and engaging the relevant actors
and institutions at a local level.
But the most important result of these years of sharing hard
work, experience and ideas goes beyond the mere success
of the projects. In 2016, with the support of the other Oxfam
organizations, Oxfam South Africa will join the Confederation
as the local section, thus continuing the effort to improve
the conditions of the most disadvantaged communities in the
country. International cooperation has paved the way to a
true partnership ◆
*These initiatives are respectively “Integrated Action for a sustainable community development in Buffalo City” and “Youth Empowerment through skills
development and strengthened cultural identity
64
65
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Artist Proof Studio
Sustainability through Creativity
by Flaviana Zaccaria - ph Artist Proof Studio
Drawings from the journal of Nathi
From the Journal of Nathi
(pictures 1-4)
M
pumi, Themba, Minekulu and
Nathi are four graduate students
from Artist Proof Studio in
Johannesburg who last year travelled to Italy for the first
time. After visiting the “Biennale” in Venice, they exhibited
Printing of a member of Artist Proof Studio
their artworks on the occasion of South Africa’s Youth Day
at the Galleria Luigi de Sarro (one of the most renowned
contemporary art galleries in Rome), and painted a
mural on the Isola Tiberina, during the “Isola del Cinema
Festival.”
15 June, Rome. The flight was long flight but we are finally in
Rome. After settling in a bed-and-breakfast, we get ready to go
to Venice: a day to relax before starting what we came here for.
19 June, Rome (at Gallery Luigi de Sarro). The exhibition was
a success! There were a lot of people that came to see our
artworks. Our job is not yet finished, and it is not yet time to
relax and enjoy Rome: there is still the mural to paint and so
little time!
(at the Isola Tiberina) The place looks amazing, the river is
right behind us! We started drawing the image on the canvas
[…]. We were quite happy with how people responded to
us painting there. They were stopping to ask questions and
added their own stroke to the mural. […] People of all ages,
painted with us as the night progressed. Finally, the mural is
finished, absolutely beautiful!
66
67
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Some printings of the members of Artist Proof Studio
The painting of the mural in the Isola Tiberina, Rome
Nhlanhla Xaba at a workshop in 1997
A printing of the well-known artist William Kentridge
One of the biggest questions that Mpumi, Themba, Nathi
and Minenkulu asked themselves before flying abroad was
how they were going to reach out to the community. What
common ground could be found? So, as Nathi told us, they
started wondering which one of their works they should
bring, not sure that the people in Italy would understand it.
They wondered: “Maybe this is too African”, or “It’s too much
of a cliché”. ‘But then, Mpumi explains, “the night when we
were painting the mural, [the Italian passers-by] started to
relate to what we were doing. We welcomed them to paint
with us, and that’s when the dialogue began”. Stories were
exchanged, and the borders they initially thought would be
there, gradually fell away.
It is this cohesion, this intercultural dialogue and the concept
of crossing borders that formed the core idea that grew in
Kim Berman and Nhlanhla Xaba’s minds when they opened
Artist Proof Studio - a school that teaches students the art of
printmaking, drawing and other techniques. At the moment
they have about 80 students. The requirements for admission
are simple: a good portfolio that exhibits skills and talent,
and proof of an economically disadvantaged condition.
Artist Proof Studio offers a three-year course of professional
development training, where the students learn to be selfsufficient artists, ready and able to sustain themselves using
their skills. But how did Artist Proof Studio start? And is it just
another art school?
Not quite….
68
69
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
The laboratory
Social activities with children and students
Social activities with children and students
Some of the artworks after the fire
Just before the birth of democracy in South Africa, in 1991,
Kim and Nhlanhla asked themselves: “What would a nonracial democratic artistic space look like? How would one
create such a space?” It would have to be a space where
artists could start imagining a new future. “So”, Kim tells us,
“it was really a project built to bring artists to start thinking
about where we were going as a country.” Kim, having
returned to South Africa after apprenticing and studying for
seven years in Boston, joined forces with Nhlanhla, who
brought in a group of artists looking for a place to work. “For
a while”, Kim continues, “it was really gathering of people
thinking about the future […] we became a kind of hub of
printmaking.”
Artist Proof attracted artist from the surrounding townships,
also offering workshops in many of the community art
centres teaching students to be printmakers. The Studio has
in fact always been actively engaged in the social sector,
as witnessed by many campaigns on HIV/AIDS, gender
advocacy and xenophobia. As Kim said, “We want our
students to be active citizens; they do not just learn how
to be good printmakers. It is also about understanding their
environment and impacting on their world.”
The first big project came in 1995, on the occasion of the first
Africa’s Biennale held in Newtown: an exchange programme
involving forty artists from nine countries. The space that
was given to Artist Proof to exhibit its artworks later became
its own atelier until 2003, when a fire broke out, due to an
electric fault. This not only destroyed printings and material,
but also claimed the life of Nhlanhla Xaba, who was sleeping
overnight in the studio. The city took responsibility, and
provided them with a new space: the old bus terminal called
the Bus Factory, in Newtown.
This is where Artist Proof is still located: a place with a gallery,
a professional printing studio, a large education unit and a
special projects area, with numerous outreach activities,
and an administration office. Through all of that, the Studio
manages to generate enough income to be proudly selfsustainable. It has been a long journey to get to this point.
In 2010, after the collapse of the Sector Education and
Training Authority (the national institution that subsidised the
skills training of many students), Artist Proof - like many other
community arts organizations - was left without funding.
The Studio Board of Directors then decided to change the
strategy: with the help of all the partners, they held a big
auction of works from the collection, thus realising that the
sales could assist the studio to provide for themselves.
In the following years, the Board of Directors led the Studio
towards financial empowerment and growth. Its different
strategies for fundraising include corporate partnerships,
patronages, university and international partners, such as
Artist Proof Studio and Arte Vita
the Boston Art Academy, with which they have an exchange
program for students and lecturers. “And, of course”, as Kim
explains, “the Board consistently guides us and provides
mentorship to each of the five managers in the studio,
assisting us to promote marketing and visibility. Gianni plays
a huge role in helping us to be visible out there and facing the
world”. Gianni Mariano, to whom Kim refers, is a member of
the board of directors and has been involved in the activities
of the studio for the last ten years. A successful businessman,
marketing expert and founder of the brands “Mastrantonio”
and “ArteVita”, he provides Artist Proof Studio with strategic
input, including its marketing development, and identifying
new opportunities, like the exhibition in Italy and the mural
for the Festival “Isola del Cinema” in Rome.
Although Artist Proof Studio has accomplished much, it’s
always a work in progress. As Kim explains, “We are still
developing in parallel with our country; it is something that
you never complete, but it is something you keep striving
for. I think that moving forward, is the most important thing.”
About the future, in the words of Gianni “the vision is
that Artist Proof Studio will be recognised as the African
equivalent of the great International Art Academies,
because what happens here is the ground-breaker: we
haven’t imitated anyone. What happens here is innovative,
it is new, it is real, and it talks to a society that is also new.
The interaction and the social cohesion in this place make
it possible to go overseas and cross borders, and make
social cohesion a reality. Because Artist Proof Studio is the
projection of South Africa at its very best, and it is what
South Africa is going to be” ◆
70
M AGA ZINE
Mosaic Arts:
a story of passion and devotion
ph Mosaic Art
O
ut of war-torn Italy, two young people would
travel over eight thousand kilometres to start
a new life and bring their passion and skill for
art and mosaic to create original, classic mosaics in South
Africa. Born less than five kilometres apart in the province
of Pordenone, in the foothills of the Italian Alps, Renato and
Vera would only meet more than twenty years later.
Renato Giovitto was born in Castelnovo Del Friuli on 17
September 1934, and as a young man attended the Scuola
Mosaicisti del Friuli in the town of Spilimbergo. Here he
learned his trade as a mosaic artisan and terrazzo specialist.
As work in post-war Europe was scarce, he migrated to South
Africa in 1958 in search of better prospects. After three years,
mosaic arts
Leopard, 1500 x 800 mm, Pretoria (2001)
he went home to Italy on a six-week holiday. On the occasion
he met and fell soon in love with Vera, the girl of his dreams,
at the time 19 years old. During the following two years, Vera
and Renato were only able to communicate by letter, both
saving enough money for Vera to make the journey to South
Africa. For an entire year, after dreaming about the numbers
on a billboard, Vera had played the same numbers in the
Totocalcio football pools, predicting the scores of the teams
playing that week. At the end of 1963, Vera resolved to place
her final bet in order to save every last lira for her impending
trip. She was absolutely astounded when a telegram arrived
advising her that she had won the pools! At last she was
able to depart for South Africa on 7 July 1964 and to marry
his beloved boyfriend on 9 August in Durban, where they
started living together.
All Vera’s artistic knowledge was self-taught. Vera saved for
correspondence courses in drawing and art encyclopaedias.
Newly married, she continued with her artistic expression
and earned a small income from her oil paintings. Renato
introduced her to mosaic, allowing her to find another
medium through which to express her passion for art.
In 1966 Vera fell pregnant with Lina, that was born on 17
November 1966. In January 1967 the young family moved
to Pretoria where Renato had taken on a few small mosaic
commissions and Vera stepped in to help. Their second
daughter Marina was born on 29 June 1971. Six months later
Vera received her first solo commission. In South Africa
there was no availability of smalti (handmade traditional
Venetian glass mosaic tesserae or tiles used since 500AD),
so Renato and Vera used local vitreous glass mosaic.
A salesman from a glass company, Glamosa Glass in Escort,
heard of Vera and asked if she would consider making
patterns of dolphins for swimming pools. Vera’s first designs
were of friendly dolphins in different sizes and poses. To this
she added octopuses, a Bridget Bardot-inspired mermaid,
moonfish and starfish.
Renato and Vera decided to buy a piece of land in the
newly-established industrial area of Silvertondale on the
eastern outskirts of Pretoria where they built a very large
71
M AGA ZINE
72
mosaic arts
M AGA ZINE
Emperors Domain, Octavia’s pool 2000 x 7000, Johannesburg (2001)
Elephant, 1900 x 2700 mm, Phalaborwa (2000)
building. The family brain-stormed a name for the expanding
business, and Lina’s suggestion of Mosaic Arts was chosen.
The success of the dolphin, mermaid and other sea creature
designs endures due to their quality and unaffected simplicity.
Since those early days, Mosaic Arts dolphins have been
shipped all over South Africa, and further afield to Greece,
Australia, Mozambique and Mauritius, to name but a few.
As the team received requests for custom-made designs, a
new unexpected market began to emerge for school badges.
The business then expanded to produce murals and floors for
churches, private homes, hotels, casinos and banks.
In 1989 Vera was diagnosed with cancer. In spite of this
terrible news she continued to work consistently. She always
says that part of her own therapy was to never miss a day’s
work. The cancer remains in remission to this day.
Golden Sisters, 1150 x 800 mm, Johannesburg (2006)
The Palace of the Lost City pool, Sun City (1993)
73
M AGA ZINE
74
75
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
ZONDERWATER left and right: 900 x 1200 mm, Pretoria (1987)
The Zonderwater Prisoner of War camp, situated outside Cullinan near Pretoria, housed some 90.000 Italian prisoners of war captured in Libya, Abyssinia
and Somaliland during the Second World War. Far from their native Italy, the prisoners were well-treated in South Africa and played a role in improving living
conditions by building roads and working on forms. By the time of their departure after the war, many had fond memories of their stay, and later returned to
South Africa setting up permanent residence. Vera has many friends who were prisoners of war from the Zonderwater camp.
The Italian Prisoner of War Cemetery of Zonderwater is still today a subject of great interest to local Italians who commemorate their lost loved ones annually
in November, very similar to the Remembrance of Armistice Day ceremonies observed in Europe. A museum on the property houses artefacts made by the
prisoners of war, with two dramatic mosaic murals translated by Vera from a prisoner of war publication. The mosaics reflect the suffering both of soldiers and
civilians during the Second World War - the war that was not only the most widespread in history, but also by far the deadliest conflict in all of human history.
After obtaining a Bachelor Degree in Architecture from
the University of Pretoria in 1993 and fourty years after
her father graduated from the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli
in Spilimbergo, the daughter Marina had the opportunity
to attend the same school for a three-month learnership
and made then the decision to work alongside her parents.
In August 1995, Renato and Marina were involved in a
car accident less than 20km from their home. Renato
was killed instantly, but Marina emerged unharmed.
Devastating by this loss, the family grappled with how
they would continue without Renato. Vera and Marina
resolved to roll up their sleeves and together make the
business work. Marina married Gavin Ehlers in 1996 who
shortly thereafter implemented their computer system and
website. The team synergy that has developed over the
past 15 years is responsible for the continued success of
the business. The main prize of the Italian Ambassador’s
Perennial Trophy charity regatta is also a finest mosaic
artwork made by Mosaic Arts.
On the occasion of the 2013 Business Excellence Awards,
an annual ceremony promoted by the Italian-South African
Chamber of Trade and Industry, the Italian Ambassador
Vincenzo Schioppa presented the Honorary Chairperson
Award to Vera Giovitto, in recognition of the sophisticated
mastery of mosaic brought by the artist to South Africa.
Vera’s nephews spend many afternoons after school at
Mosaic Arts: the seeds have been laid from which the desire
to bear the family business may some day sprout... ◆
76
77
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Cape Classic,
a FEAST for all senses!
The unique chamber music festival, with its intimate nature
and international artists, takes place every year in front of wonderful
landscapes and in prestigious venues like the Italian Residence
ph Trevor Wilkins
cape classic
T
he love of classical music and enthusiasm for
South Africa were Gabi Zahn’s motivation
to found, ten years ago, an annual chamber
music festival in the winelands of the Western Cape.
The bases of these festivals are compositions of the baroque,
classical and romantic eras, often including rarities by
unknown and forgotten composers of the same periods.
Cape Classic, you will not offer mundane programmes!
Famous instrumentalists who have performed for Cape Classic
are Daniel Müller-Schott (violoncello) and Igor Levit (piano),
to name just two of the approximately ninety musicians who
have come to South Africa. Jochen Kupfer (baritone), Tobias
Bernd (baritone), Franziska Gottwald (alto) and Katja Stuber
(soprano), amongst others, also performed at the festival. All
artists declined a performance fee and volunteered to work
for Cape Classic without remuneration.
Only in this way were we able to generate a surplus of the
ticket sales in order to assist selected social projects which
support township children.
Since 2005 the Non-Profit Organisation Cape Classic e.V.
has donated more than €70000 to various projects for
underprivileged children. Cape Classic has paid school fees
for orphans, English lessons for Afrikaans speaking children
and study fees for highly talented students. Cape Classic also
bought school uniforms for the poorest.
In addition Cape Classic, consciously and with enjoyment,
practises an active cultural exchange by building human and
cultural bridges through our master classes with students
from South Africa and through our school concerts with the
pupils of Khayamandi, a township in Stellenbosch.
The season 2015 starts on 11 February and ends on 21
February with a matinée in Casa Labia, where Italian charm
encounters the turquoise seaside.
In such picturesque surroundings, our audiences get
together with our excellent and internationally renowned
artists against a backdrop of beautiful vineyards with their
welcoming Cape Dutch homesteads, historical wine estates
and impressive manor houses,- forgetting the usual hype of
an international festival!
Without a doubt, our concerts at Morgenster, Babylonstoren
and in the residences of both the Italian and the German and
Ambassadors are THE highlights of every festival season!
Following a personal invitation from the Ambassador of Italy,
who is hosting Cape Classic in 2015 for the third time, our
audience cannot wait to be guests in the breath-taking Italian
Residence with its beautiful garden and to listen to excellent
chamber music at the foot of Table Mountain!
Here Cape Classic, “The Magic of Music”, feels at home and
the audience not only enjoys the magical atmosphere, but is
also ‘pampered’ by the Ambassador in person, who regularly
treats the guests with his own receipts, including some
special ‘penne all’arrabbiata’ after the concert. Hospitality,
surroundings, excellent food and wines blend together to
create a fantastic, unforgettable atmosphere, comparable
with a well composed symphony!
Far away from the big cultural centres of European
metropolises, but in the region of Cape Town there is a
piece of paradise at Africa’s most southerly point, where the
environment is as unique as the audience. Once described by
one of our musicians; “Nature, vastness and this wonderful
silence, this is the ideal spot, as musicians and audience are
in an ideal frame of mind to make and to listen to music. It is
as ideal as true love and also as rare!” ◆
More on www.cape-classic.com
EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE
SKA - SQUARE KILOMETER ARRAY
THE LARGEST RADIO-TELESCOPE EVER!
I
n the 20th Century, humankind discovered
its place in the Universe and the telescopes
revealed an expanding Universe with
billions of galaxies, stars of all sizes and temperatures,
neutron stars as well as planets and gas clouds. In the 21st
Century, astronomers and the scientific world will seek to
fully understand the complete evolution of the Universe
and its constituents. To achieve this ambitious goal, a new
generation of astronomical facilities, telescopes and radiotelescopes is needed. The Square kilometer Array (SKA), was
made possible and affordable thanks to recent, innovative
technological developments both in computing and radio
frequency devices. The SKA will therefore play a major role,
with an unprecedented large radio wave collecting area, 50
times more sensitive and with a 10 000 times faster ability
to survey the sky, than any radio telescope array previously
built. The SKA, by observing a large volume of the Universe
will answer many of the fundamental questions we are asking
now and many others we do not even know we have. In
other words the SKA will be the world’s premier imaging
and surveying telescope with a combination of new high
versatility and sensitivity that will open up new windows of
ALMA Array - Chajnantor Plateau - Chile (courtesy of EIE GROUP/L. Fardella)
discovery. To achieve this the SKA will use thousands (3000
approximately) of dishes each being 15 metres in diameter
on one square kilometer collecting area, all connected by
high bandwidth optical fiber. The radio antennas will be
partly sited in South Africa and partly hosted in Australia.
Rather than just grouped in a region, the radio-antennas will
be arranged in multiple spiral arm configurations, creating
what is known as a long baseline interferometer array. The
spiral layout design was preferred after a detailed study by
scientists in how to optimize the configuration to get the best
possibly results. This interferometry technique, will enable
astronomers to emulate a telescope with a size equal to the
maximum separation between the telescopes in the array, or
just the distance between a subset of telescopes or multiple
subsets of the main array. Every single telescope will be
connected to a central core which will combine the data
that will be then carried around the globe by high speed
links, to the computers of scientists working on this immense
amounts of information, gathered by the world’s largest radio
telescope. The project will be organized into two phases.
Construction of Phase 1 will take place from 2018 to 2023
providing an operational array of telescopes capable of
SKA at night - Dishes pointing towards the stars (courtesy of SKA Organization)
carrying out the first science in low and mid frequencies.
Phase 2 and the high frequency dishes completion will then
follow providing full sensitivity for frequencies up to 20 GHz.
The SKA Project is a collaboration between institutions in
20 countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,
France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands,
New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain,
Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States.
The collaboration is led by an international committee and
further countries have expressed their interest in joining the
SKA Organization. So far, around 100 organizations have been
participating in the design and the development of the SKA
and are now engaged in the detailed design of the telescope.
Among them Italy and the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica
Italiana (INAF) are part of the European SKADS Project (SKA
Design Study), operating within the Sixth EU framework
program and belonging to the so-called Dish Consortium,
which share the endeavor with other SKA consortia and
industry groups each contributing to defined activities. During
2013 EIE GROUP (www.eie.it), concluding a ten years effort
on the ALMA Project, (the largest radio telescope in existence
at the moment, with an array of 66 12m radio antennas on
the Chajnantor Plateau, Chile), renewed its engagement into
radio astronomy by joining the SKA Dish Consortium (SKADC)
in cooperation with, SAM S.c.r.l. According to the agreement,
started in June 2013, the two Italian companies are now part
of the SKA DC and specifically they are in charge of providing
it with System Engineering and Management services and
Prototype realization. The SKA Dish Consortium, with its 14
international members, is already responsible for the complete
dish work package, which includes the design, verification
and procurement of the antenna structure, optics, instruments
as well as all the supporting systems and infrastructures. One
of the greatest challenges of the dish element of the SKA
undoubtedly lies in the mass production scale of the project.
Producing thousands units of a 15m wide - cutting edge
technology telescope is indeed an unprecedented technical
and engineering endeavor, that requires the very best price
to performance ratio to be sought. EIE is honored to put its
experience at SKA DC’s disposal and to take part to such an
amazing Project in the South African land, which can count on
the important support of international players and government
institutions like the Italian Embassy ◆
www.skatelescope.org
Preparation of glue which is weighed and samples sent for lab tests (courtesy of ESO/M. Alexander)
80
M AGA ZINE
The Square Kilometre Array Project
& Italy-South Africa
Research Collaboration
by Mattia Vaccari - ph Courtesy of SKA South Africa
O
n a 2013 southern winter night, Michael
Lesetja would never have thought that he
would begin a journey to become part of one
of the world’s largest science projects.
Originally from South Africa’s rural Limpopo, Michael worked
in Johannesburg assembling electronic components. Yet,
after seeing a television programme featuring opportunities
to join a South African team working on a future radio
telescope to be based in the Great Karoo and a short visit
to an Internet Café’, he was on his way to become part of
the Square Kilometre Array Project. Michael applied for a
position as a trainee electronics technician, and since January
research
Computer Image of the completed SKA South African core in the Karoo
Lesetja at work at the SKA South African core site in the Karoo
Lesetja at work at the SKA South African core site in the Karoo
2014 he has been shadowing technicians responsible for
telescope maintenance in Carnarvon in the Northern Cape.
The expanses of South Africa’s Great Karoo desert are not
generally associated with cutting-edge scientific research or
technological infrastructure. And rural villages in the area did
not have much to offer their youth in terms of educational
facilities or job opportunities. Yet both are rapidly
materializing as a consequence of the multi-billion-Euro
project in which a large number of international partners,
including South Africa and Italy, are participating.
Although still in its infancy, the project has already
contributed to increasing educational opportunities in the
Carnarvon area, for example providing computer labs and
teacher training to local schools and boosting the local
Internet connectivity.
The Square Kilometre Array, or SKA, (ww.skatelescope.
org) is an international effort to build the world’s largest
radio telescope, with a total collecting area of one square
kilometre, or one million square metres. First conceived
in the early 1990s, only in 2012 it was decided that the
distributed array of radio telescopes will be jointly hosted
by South Africa and its partner African countries (70%) and
Australia (30%). Given the cost, size and complexity of the
project, the construction will be split into a Phase 1 (2018-
2013) and a Phase 2 (2023-2030), and telescope operations
would then continue at least until 2050.
The core of the SKA’s African instrument will be located
in South Africa’s Great Karoo desert, close to the town of
Carnarvon in the Northern Cape, but sparsely distributed
radio dishes will extend across the African continent and
adjacent islands, as far as Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar and
Mauritius. The remote and scattered location of the radio
dishes will pose formidable engineering challenges in a
number of areas such as digital electronics, power generation,
data storage, transfer and processing. For this reason, a
substantial fraction of the SKA budget is being allocated to
81
M AGA ZINE
82
M AGA ZINE
The KAT7 prototype at the SKA South African core site in the Karoo
technological development programmes bringing together
academia and the industry.
When compared with existing radio telescopes, the SKA
thus represents a huge leap forward in astronomical
instrumentation and it is expected to deliver a correspondingly
transformational increase in research capabilities when
operational. It is hoped that it will shed light on some of the
most interesting questions of modern astronomical enquiry.
Does Einstein’s 100-year old and surprisingly resilient
Relativity Theory hold up to its most stringent tests to date?
When and how did the first luminous objects form soon after
the Big Bang? How did stars and black holes within galaxies
evolve jointly over cosmic time? Do nearby stars emit radio
waves that could be associated with intelligent life? Perhaps
more importantly, the SKA will open a new window on the
Universe that will certainly allow us to make discoveries we
cannot now even imagine.
South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF, www.nrf.
ac.za) and Italy’s National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF,
www.inaf.it) are two of the founding partners of the SKA
Organisation, which includes eleven members in total. The
two countries have thus had a chance to forge a productive
working relationship involving, not only scientists and
engineers, but also key industrial partners.
South Africa will of course have a central role in developing
local infrastructure as well as in managing telescope
operations, and the Italian SKA Industry Consortium,
including Finmeccanica and Telespazio as well as a
significant number of SMEs, was formed in 2011 to encourage
and coordinate Italian participation in the bidding process for
SKA construction and operations.
The SKA South Africa project (www.ska.ac.za) has
been investing heavily in human capacity development,
providing a funding pipeline for, among other uses, training
Ariston Thermo Group has landed to South Africa. A worldwide leading company in heating
and water heating with a total turnover in 2013 of € 1.33 billion, 7.2 million products sold
in more than 150 countries; it has 6,600 employees, 45 companies and 7 representative
offices in 31 countries. Since March 2014, Heat Tech Geysers, a South African manufacturer of water heating
solutions, has become part of the Italian multinational that now entirely controls the operations.
South African market is of strategic importance for the international growth of the group, and
consistent industrial and communication investments are going to be deployed to reinforce
the current organization and to create the base for a further development.
Heat Tech is today one of South African fastest growing, high performance, premium quality
water heating solutions manufacturer. It is fast becoming the country’s new benchmark in not
only conventional but also in solar water heating technology. Therefore, Heat Tech has been
identified as the ideal partner for Ariston Thermo to enter the market and to invest to bring it
up to the highest standards that are typical of any of the group plants.
Heat Tech brand is already well known among customers and business operators thanks
to its premium quality and wide national distribution. The local know-how and the market
understanding of the South African organization are the perfect match for the Ariston Thermo
long international experience that will be brought to the country by people, equipment,
procedures and capabilities.
SKA South Africa scientists in Giardini Naxos, Italy, for the June 2014 SKA Science conference
Ariston Thermo’s commitment to energy efficiency is expressed through its constant stream
of new solutions based on renewable energy sources such as solar thermal systems and
heat pumps as well as improvement of the efficiency of traditional products (such as boilers
and water heaters) and investment in new projects for the future. The underlying objective
is to offer an optimal combination of comfort, energy savings and care for the environment.
South Africa is careful about its energy strategies and Ariston Thermo Group can offer the
ideal solutions for efficiency.
84
M AGA ZINE
The KAT7 prototype at the SKA South African core site in the Karoo
apprentices, technicians such as Michael Lesetja, science and
engineering MSc and PhD students, post-doctoral research
fellows, university lecturers and research chairs. Several
Italian scientists have accepted the challenge of developing
astronomical research in South Africa and have taken up
research or teaching positions at the country’s universities.
Last but not the least, in August 2014 the Italian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation approved a
number of collaborative research proposals, including two
projects aimed at bringing closer South African and Italian
scientists working in radio astronomy through student cosupervision, research visits and workshops. Scientists from
the two countries will thus have a chance to work jointly on
training the next generation of radio astronomers as well as
shaping the future of radio astronomy. While it is still early
days in a long-term project, the SKA promises to provide
an important avenue to boost collaboration in research and
development between South Africa and Italy ◆
research
86
87
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Reggio Emilia and South Africa:
a long story of friendship
by Alessandro Costa - ph Tavolo Reggio Africa
Poster of the Ship of Solidarity
O
Oliver Tambo with Giuseppe Soncini and Luis Cabaco, 1977
who were fighting for the freedom of
Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and
South Africa. The voyage and cargo
were the result of months of active
campaigning, which involved the Italian
Government,
Regions,
Provinces,
Municipalities, Trade Unions, as well
as political parties and civil society
organisations.
After fifteen days the Amanda arrived
in the harbour at Luanda, Angola, and
on the 23 June, it reached its final
destination in Mozambique. The ship,
n a cold and rainy day
in May 1980, the ship
Amanda left the harbour
of Genoa. It was full of expectations
and hopes of the women and men on
board, who faced with anticipation the
extraordinary adventure that was just
beginning.
Its hold contained 2 800 tons of
agricultural
equipment,
prebuilt
structures (among which were three
schools), ambulances, and clothes and
food. All of this was to be given to those
Solidarity pact, 1977
88
89
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Oliver Tambo at the “National Conference of solidarity for the independence and sovereignty of the peoples
of Southern Africa against colonialism, racism and the apartheid”, 1978
became the first city in the world to side officially with the
crew and passengers were welcomed to Maputo by Italian
anti-apartheid movement, and to identify itself expressly with
parliamentarians, politicians, trade unionists and activists.
the imperative to found a democratic South Africa.
The successful mission of the first Italian ‘Ship of Solidarity’
The role of Reggio Emilia in the struggle against apartheid
- which was followed by Rea Silva in 1984 - is the story of
was internationally acknowledged in 1978 when the city was
a city, Reggio Emilia, and its efforts to support the African
chosen to host the first ‘National Conference of Solidarity for
people’s struggle against colonialism and apartheid.
the Independence and Sovereignty of the Peoples of Southern
The relations between Reggio and the African continent date
Africa
against
colonialism,
back to 1963 in Warsaw when,
racism and the apartheid‘, which
at a conference of the ‘Partisans
assembled many leaders of the
for Peace,’ Mayor Renzo Bonazzi
liberation movements, among
met the Guinea-Bissauan leader
them Oliver Tambo, Sam Nujoma
Amilcar Cabral and Marcelino
from Namibia, Marcelino Dos
Dos Santos, founder of the
Santos from Mozambique and
Mozambique Liberation Front
Robert Mugabe from what was
(Frelimo). This meeting initiated
then North Rhodesia.
a strong and lasting friendship
The Conference gave new impetus
between the Italian and African
to the initiatives organized by
people.
the citizens of Reggio Emilia. In
In the years that followed, relations
1978, the first Italian edition of
grew stronger and deeper, in
Sechaba, the official magazine
particular through the work and
of the ANC, was published. In
the personal commitment of
1982 the municipal publishers
Councillor Giuseppe Soncini, who
printed the first autobiography of
promoted and chaired a national
Nelson Mandela to be translated
committee of solidarity with
in Italian, The Struggle is My
the peoples of South Africa (but
The first Isitwalandwe medal,
cast by the Italian sculptor Armando Giuffrida
Life. The following year, the first
which also reinforced relations
‘Isitwalandwe’ medals - the decoration with which the ANC
with Mozambique and Angola). Thanks to his efforts, and
honours its most important leaders - were cast in Italy, from
the support of many associations and volunteers, on 26 June
a design by the sculptor Armando Giuffredi.
1977, the Mayor Ugo Benassi signed a ‘solidarity pact’ with
These were deep bonds indeed, but would not remain limited
the ANC and its then president, Oliver Tambo. Reggio Emilia
Sechaba, 1978
to the past. The Municipality and the people of Reggio Emilia
continue to this day to accompany South Africa along its
democratic path. In 2012, the then-Vice President Kgalema
Motlanthe visited Reggio, while in the same year the Mayor
Graziano Delrio was welcomed in Johannesburg by Jacob
Zuma and leaders of the ANC.
The Italian Embassy in Pretoria, in collaboration with the HIP/
Hellenic, Italian and Portuguese Alliance, has organized an
exhibition concerning this rich story of engagement. It was
opened in Johannesburg in October. Its aim is not only to display
a history which united the peoples of Italy and South Africa, but
also to represent the spirit of the times and to convey the strong
emotions shared by a generation of Italians and South Africans.
The case of the relations between Reggio Emilia and South
Africa become thus an opportunity to think of what we both
were, of what remains of those exceptional times, but also
of what we can become, together. It is a story that should
inspire future generations ◆
90
M AGA ZINE
AGEROLA’S
PATHWAYS OF THE GODS
by Municipality of Agerola
A
gerola, ‘Land of the Gods,’ is 600m
above sea-level. You overlook the
famous Amalfi Coast as if from a
balcony. It is easy to get lost in the harmonious conjunction
of the deep blue of the sea and the azure tones of the sky.
Time slows down and the natural beauty of the environs
seeps into your soul.
Agerola is criss-crossed by 60km of trails and pathways,
the most famous being the ‘Path of the Gods.’ Lush
surroundings give way to breath-taking views, ranging
from deep gullies carved out by thousand-year-old
mountain torrents to rocky cliffs at an altitude of 1,400m
above sea-level. Seemingly endless oak forests are
punctuated by remote medieval hermitages, and finally
Italy
the vista opens onto the distant islands of Capri and Ischia.
The region is also rich in gastronomic tradition. It is a
cornucopia of local produce: fior-di-latte and buffalo
mozzarellas; smoked provola cheeses; ‘provolone del
monaco dop’ - a certified original cheese; salami and bacon;
rusks and tarallo biscuits: chestnuts and walnuts; and terroir
fruits such as limoncella apples and pennata pears.
Agerola is a natural and cultural jewel. It is intoxicating in
every way; it transports those who visit it into realms of
the imagination. It is also an open and welcoming town.
No one remains a stranger for long; everyone receives
old-world hospitality and soon you will feel completely
at home.
91
M AGA ZINE
92
93
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
HIKING
Agerola is a paradise for hikers, and not only because of its
extensive network of centuries-old footpaths, mule transport
trails and tiered hillside terraces. The Amalfi Coast also
presents a unique confluence of history, tradition and the
natural world far from the noise and chaos of modern cities.
The pathways, sculpted into this enchanted landscape,
wind through various tones and hues of blues and greens,
through natural gorges, gullies and forests, across streams
and waterfalls, and through meadows in bloom.
Some trails retrace the footpaths carved out, since ancient
times, by the steps of shepherds and country folk. Several
lead to small villages, religious retreats and beaches that have
remained unspoiled for centuries and are now justifiably
renowned all over the world.
THE PATH OF THE GODS
Starting from the main square in Bomerano, you can follow
this 9km picturesque nature trail all the way to Positano.
Known as the ‘Path of the Gods,’ this trail is rated as among
the ten most beautiful pathways in the world. The walk in its
entirety takes about 3 hours.
It runs along spectacular cliffs, through gorges, affording
unparalleled views at every turn from Positano to Punta
Campanella and right up to the island of Capri. Along the
way, walkers can see hillside terraces and ancient rural
constructions, and have a bird’s-eye view of the towns, bays
and capes of the spectacular coast.
For those who are more adventurous, the ‘Path of the Gods’
continues to Punta Campanella, the eastern part of the
Peninsula Sorrentina. This is a region steeped in history and
Italy
94
95
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
legend: in Homer’s Odyssey, this is the place where Ulysses
encountered the Sirens and where the ancient Greeks erected
a temple to honour the Goddess Athena.
After a day of hiking from Bomerano, the alluring island of
Capri comes into view, presenting one of the most beautiful
landscapes in Italy, if not the world.
URBAN TREKKING
The urban routes offer the opportunity to discover the lesser
known parts of Agerola. Here the culture of the region,
including its thriving art tradition, is fused with the glories of
nature. There are also opportunities to participate in a range
of outdoor sporting activities.
BORGO DEGLI DEI
This trail is 2.5km in length and is a pleasant and undemanding
walk. It begins at the piazza Paolo Capasso. Only 200m
into the walk, you come upon the Acampora Palace, the
residence of the Acampora family for over two hundred years.
It is a rare example of early-eighteenth century aristocratic
architecture. Inside, a characteristic courtyard opens onto
a web of narrow streets. Ancient dry-stone walls and other
elements of architectural interest preserve the features of the
ancient village of Bomerano.
During the summer months this location hosts a gastronomic
and cultural country fair, Borgo del Pane, which is part of the
Agerola World Music Festival. This event transports the visitor
back in time, bringing her into the presence of traditional
craftsmen and inviting her to partake of the distinctive local
produce.
If you take the via Pennino toward the piazza, you find
yourself on the ‘Path of the Gods’. For this walk you require
robust trekking shoes and preferably hiking poles. If you
venture along this route - this pathway in the heavens that
leads you through to Positano - you can admire the rocky
cliffs of the cave Grotta del Biscotto and the ancient little
houses built into the rock-face, which may well have been
places of retreat for the hermits who, in the high-Middle
Ages, used to live around the Church of Santa Barbara.
The circular trail takes you back to the piazza Paolo Capasso,
where you can admire the St Matthew the Apostle Church,
built in the sixteenth century, which is rich in works of art and
is renowned for the fifteenth-century wooden cross taken from
what was once the Monastery of Santa Teresa in Campora ◆
Italy
96
97
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Di Meo, The Art of Wine
T
he wonderful hills of Salza Irpina, in the
province of Avellino, are graced with the
presence of the ‘Di Meo’ estate, which
specializes in the production of wines (white, red, rosé and
sparkling) and of grappa, brandy and ratafià.
The estate devotes meticulous attention to every phase of
production, from caring for the vineyards to harvesting the
grapes, which still takes place exclusively by hand, while
the most advanced technologies are used in the vinification
processes.
At the helm of this successful estate are the Di Meo brothers,
Generoso, who sees to its promotion in Italy and abroad,
Vineyards
and oenologist Roberto, who is responsible for management.
Besides the high quality of production, one of the aspects
that distinguishes ‘Di Meo is the particular attention
devoted to the territory, focusing on the defence of the
old autochthonous grape varieties and, at the same time,
the valorisation of wines which symbolise the oenological
history of Irpinia, from Fiano di Avellino to Greco di Tufo and
the red wine Taurasi.
The defence and promotion of these specialities are pursued
tenaciously by the Di Meo brothers, particularly Generoso,
who, with his innate creativity and refinement, has not only
implemented the company mission over the years, but has
Di Meo bottles
Italy
by Anna Barbato
Generoso and Roberto Di Meo
98
99
M AGA ZINE
Italy
M AGA ZINE
The Estate
The cellar
also succeeded in advancing a series of unique enterprises,
creating a solid and happy combination between winemaking
and the world of art and culture.
In particular, through founding the ‘Di Meo: vino Ad Arte’
cultural association, the beautiful eighteenth-century
farmhouse owned by the Di Meo family, around which
hectares of land and vineyards revolve, has been transformed
into a busy cultural centre; a wonderful setting into which
Interior of the Estate
Dining room
intellectuals, artists and writers are welcomed.
Furthermore, an annual appointment for the past thirteen
years has been the ‘Di Meo Calendar,’ which has now become
a status-symbol, created by internationally acclaimed artists
and characterised by the fact that it is based on a different
theme every year, always with an attentive and sensitive eye
on the world around us.
The 2013 calendar, for example, by photographer Massimo
Listri, was dedicated to the immense artistic heritage of
the city of Naples, with twelve shots depicting some of its
most beautiful churches, with the aim of launching a strong
message in defence of great artistic masterpieces. The 2012
edition, dedicated to Germany in the 1920s and 1930s,
consisted of twelve beautiful photos of iconic men and
women of the time, among them Marlene Dietrich, Bertolt
Brecht and Albert Einstein.
Atrium of the Estate
These calendars are increasingly sought-after. The launches
entail exclusive and original parties, held in a different city
every year, in dreamlike locations (from the Capodimonte
Museum in Naples, via Berlin’s Tempelhof airport, to the
luxurious Kadiri Palace in Marrakech and the National
Museum in Warsaw) and attended by VIPs from the artistic,
cultural, political and diplomatic worlds all over the globe.
Generoso Di Meo is a constantly active ‘volcano’ who,
100
101
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Calendar 2015 - March
Calendar 2015 - August
thanks to a marked sensitivity towards every form of art and
culture, together with an innate ability to relate to people, has
succeeded in just a few years in creating a close network of
relationships in Italy and abroad. This has made the family
business not only a perfect example of Italian and international
entrepreneurial excellence, but also a point of reference
within the broader artistic-social-cultural panorama.
A modern-day patron of the arts, Generoso Di Meo is
Calendar 2015 - September
distinguished by a natural munificence and nobility, so much
so that we would have to believe that he could not possibly
have been given a more appropriate name. For Generoso
and his remarkable family, art, in all its forms, takes on an
essential role in the existence of each and every one of us.
And in this case, the words of the great playwright, Bertolt
Brecht, are particularly true: ‘All artforms are in the service of
the greatest of all arts: the art of living’ ◆
Italy
102
103
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
South African
Cellists
in Castelnuovo
di Garfagnana
by Berthine van Schoor - ph Dr Markus Krumme, 2014
C
Yeram Im in Trio
Berthine van Schoor
Matthys Pretorius
Ingo Meyer
astelnuovo di Garfagnana, a small medieval
town in the northern part of Tuscany, comes
alive with music annually at the end of June. It
is host to the International Academy of Music, which takes
place from 27 June to 8 July.
The festival attracts teachers and students from all over the
world and has already celebrated its tenth anniversary. It
gives young musicians the opportunity to have lessons with
world class teachers, to work together with young musicians
from different countries, as well as to perform in solo and
chamber music concerts.
South African cellist Berthine van Schoor was invited to be
part of the faculty of the academy for the third time this year,
and she took along three young South African cellists. For
them it was the first time to visit Italy and to take part in an
international music festival. Together with their teacher, they
visited Florence, Lucca and Pisa. During the festival, they
performed in many concerts and also attended lessons with
teachers from Italy, the USA and Russia.
We asked each of them about their impressions.
Yeram Im (17), Pretoria
My Italian experience was amazing. It allowed me not only
to grow as a person, but also as a musician. It opened my
awareness to a much larger musical world and inspired
me to be even more dedicated in my pursuit in becoming
a professional musician. It was wonderful to experience the
culture and lifestyle of the Italians and the ice cream was
delicious!
Matthys Pretorius (17), Pretoria
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, la Rocca
I enjoyed visiting Italy and studying at the International
academy of music. I learned a lot during the festival, attending
different teacher’s concerts and classes, as well as performing
in the solo and chamber music concerts. During my visit I
was amazed by the old buildings and bridges. I enjoyed the
art work, the stained glass windows in particular. I will never
forget the food, especially the pizza! I would love to return
to Italy!
Ingo Meyer (17), Rustenburg
Berthine van Schoor
To me it was truly an experience that was worth a lifetime
of waiting: a country infused with the perfect combination
of art, architecture and food! An unforgettable culinary and
art-filled two weeks and a festival that paved the road to
my musical future with gold. I could not have learned more
about the finer aspects of creating music anywhere else in
the world.
Once again, visiting Italy was a heart-warming, inspiring
experience. It is a privilege to be on the faculty of the
International academy of music, teaching there and
performing with world-class musicians. Taking my students
to Italy is a real highlight: walking through Florence,
watching the sunset over the magnificent city from Piazzale
Michelangelo, visiting Museo San Marco to see the beautiful
frescoes of Fra Angelico. For each of us it was an incredible,
unforgettable and life-enhancing experience.
We wish to thank the Italian Embassy in Pretoria for their
support in making this possible. We would certainly love to
visit your country again! ◆
104
105
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
Portorotondo,
a visionary
reality
by Luigi Donà dalle Rose
T
he call from the old Count Vittorio Cini, a
wealthy, enlightened Venetian aristocrat,
came in 1964: he wanted my brother,
Nicholas, and myself to take care of tourism development
for a vast tract of land he owned on the northeast coast of
Sardinia.
We were greatly surprised - why us? Because we were
Venetians ourselves: young, full of enthusiasm, and capable
of completing a project. Why there, where there was nothing
except wild boar, wild birds, and a few ruined sheep-pens?
Because it turned out that, just a few kilometres away, Prince
YCPR
Italy
106
107
M AGA ZINE
Interior of the Church of San Lorenzo
Classic Sailing Regatta 2013
Karim Aga Khan had recently begun development of the
‘Costa Smeralda’ area, which is now considered one of the
most beautiful and exclusive in the world of tourism.
Portorotondo began like this, as did my career as an
entrepreneur and developer. While proceeding with the
urban development and designing the port, the village, and
private villas, I hired young artists to beautify the community
areas: the church and its bell tower, the “piazza”, the
theatre, the main road out to the port itself - everything was
constructed with a uniting philosophy of harmony and art.
Today, Portorotondo is a global location: a small architectural
gem set in breath-taking nature. Here we have seen royalty,
Classic Sailing Regatta 2011
heads of state, and every kind of artist, either visiting
frequently, or coming to stay. In summer, the port plays host
to the most spectacular yachts in the world, typically with a
minimum length of 250 feet.
That’s why, when I arrived twenty years ago in Cape Town
to be with my wife, my heart leaped: I saw the same rocks
smoothed by the often relentless wind, the same crystal light,
the long, pristine, dazzlingly white beaches, surrounded by
the same flora. Everything made me think of Sardinia. It was
as if an artist had designed the area specifically to stop me
feeling so far from my homeland. I have felt happily at home,
both here and there, ever since I arrived ◆
Luigi Donà dalle Rose
Italy
M AGA ZINE
M AGA ZINE
109
design
108
M AGA ZINE
A New Map of Italian Design
Francesca Lanzavecchia, Our Chair, 2009, autoproduzione, con Hunn Wai
F
orming part of the Cape Town Design
Capital 2014 expo, ‘The New Italian Design’
- presented by Triennale Design Musem in
collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian
Consulate - was exhibited at the Waterfront Lockout in Cape
Town. From the 5-25 of October, the South African public
had the opportunity to admire an overview on more than 130
contemporary Italian designers. This exhibition described
and explained changes in design, linking them to economic,
political, and technological changes over the past century.
Presented for the first time in 2007 at the Triennale Design
Museum in Milan, ‘The New Italian Design’ is the result of
a national survey on the passage from the twentieth to the
twenty-first century and on the changing role of designers.
The exhibited works range from self-produced prototypes to
mass produced objects; from works of art to purely industrial
Brian Sironi, Elica, 2009, Martinelli Luce
artefacts. Many of the designers involved are already well
established at international level and are employed by
important companies in a number of industries. Others
are involved in the art world and small-scale production,
some of whom control the entire process of a product, from
conceptualization to completion.
The Triennale Design Museum is directed by Silvana
Annicchiarico, who organized the exhibition with the
intention to analyze and to give voice, space and visibility to
new Italian creativity. She states:
“Italian contemporary design is to be found in an absolutely
different model from the one that dominated in the age of
the “Masters”. In those days, design culture aimed to create
finished, functional products, whereas today - in what has in a
certain sense become a “mass profession” - design generates
processes more than products, and is primarily a form of self-
110
M AGA ZINE
View from The New Italian Design exhibition at Centro Cultural La Moneda, Santiago Chile, 6 December 2013 - 30 March 2014. Courtesy Triennale Design Museum
representation of the designer’s ability to imagine, create and
innovate.
Today’s new designers are neither the heirs nor the pupils
of the well-known artists of the past, such as Munari,
Magistretti and Castiglioni. They are something else.
Labelling them as “little masters” means forcing them into
twentieth-century paradigms that no longer hold true.
It means doing an injustice to them and to their diversity
Emanuele Magini, Lazy Football, 2010, Garagedesign
and originality, as well as to the design system as a whole.
Finding one’s way around the new, everchanging world
of Italian design, which is made of team effort more than
individual action, requires no nostalgia for a golden age that
doesn’t exist any more.
What is needed is an ability to explore and experiment new
forms of design, and possibly even lose one’s way, only to
find it again.
Gumdesign, L’astemio, l’equilibrato, lo smodato, 2009, Gianni Seguso
112
M AGA ZINE
Formafantasma, Moulding tradition, 2010, Self-production
Antonio Cos, Barchetta, 2002, Collection
Marcantonio Raimondi Malerba, Piantama, 2010,
Self-production
Dotdotdot, Cultura Eleva, 2008, Plusdesign Gallery
“The New Italian Design” exhibition is an attempt to move in
this direction. For this reason, the map did not just concern
furniture design but examined a far more ample area, in order
to pinpoint all the new forms - from food to communication
- that design had been entering into in recent years. There
were not just traditional product designers but also those
who worked on the web, graphics, fashion and textiles,
as well as copywriters, jewellery designers, multimedia
designers and those who create play environments and who
work with digital images, through to those who work with
style and narrative.
‘In other words, all-round designers: not just architect
designers but also art directors, consultants, and service and
communication organisers, through to those who carry out
research and experiments” ◆
Sout
h Africa
Year 2
•
Number 1
•
Free copy
•
November 2014