Pirelli has been presenting its products at exhibitions and trade fairs ever since it was founded. After the National Exhibition in Milan in 1881, when the company has not yet reached the age of ten, it began appearing at trade fairs across the world, from Paris (1900) to Osaka (1903), to Saint Louis (1904) and Buenos Aires (1910). There was no shortage of experimentation in terms of display installations at these early twentieth-century fairs – such as the blown-up poster photo of workers leaving the factory, which was created by Luca Comerio for the 1906 Sempione fair – but it was in the 1950s that great names in architecture and graphic design came up with truly innovative solutions for trade-fair architecture. With Leonardo Sinisgalli as a consultant, Pirelli resumed its advertising activity in all its various forms in 1948. Trade fairs played an important part in presenting the company’s numerous products at an international level, as can be seen in the many photographs that are preserved in our Historical Archive and that are now available online. One of the first major post-war trade fairs in which Pirelli took part with an innovative stand was the 1951 Fiera Campionaria in Milan, which once again opened its doors after the reconstruction following the 1943 bombing raids. The concept was most likely by Sinisgalli, but the architectural design of the stand was the work of Luigi Gargantini, who created a sort of “advertising castle”, as the magazine Domus referred to it in its July-August 1951 issue: an installation with no products on display but only the advertisements created by Pirelli throughout its long history, reproduced on cubes and polyhedrons fastened to poles inside a structure that was open on four sides. “Rarely has a product of modern life been honoured with such an elegant display”, wrote Vittorio Bonicelli in his article “Architettura pubblicitaria“ [Advertising Architecture] in Pirelli magazine, “but that is not really the most important aspect […]: what matters most is the balance of solids and voids, and how space, light and colour have their own very precise, unalterable place. This is the essence of style,” concludes Bonicelli.

In the 1950s, when the “Propaganda Pirelli” department was taken over by Arrigo Castellani after Leonardo Sinisgalli had stepped down, the phenomenon of trade fairs expanded dramatically, both in terms of the number of visitors and as places for architectural experimentation. The displays became increasingly spectacular, in order to satisfy the public’s desire for “part science fiction and part funfair” as Francesco Mafera put it in his article for Pirelli magazine, Settantacinque fiere in un anno [Seventy-five trade fairs in one year] in which he wondered how appropriate the magnificence and cost of some exhibition stands had become in those years. In the article, he mentions the structure designed by the architect Roberto Menghi for the 1955 Fiera Campionaria as an example of a “sensational” display: a raised swimming pool, the outcome of a partnership between Pirelli and the organising committee of the fair. The pool was in the form of a reinforced concrete cage with glass walls, placed on ten pedestals, in which the divers of the Pirelli Sports Group demonstrated the company’s products for the sea. One of the most spectacular pavilions was set up by Pirelli at the Fiera del Levante in Bari that same year: it was an authentic work of engineering, once again entrusted to Luigi Gargantini with the supervision of the engineer Giuseppe Valtolina. An enormous tractor tyre, 16 metres in diameter and weighing 20 tons, was balanced on a cantilevered support over the main street of the fair, towering above the public as they walked beneath it, conveying an idea of the power of Pirelli’s contribution to the development of the South of Italy. Considerable technical measures were required both to keep the structure in equilibrium and to withstand the wind, as well as to obtain the extraordinary size of the wheel. An article was written about this display too, and published in Pirelli magazine, extolling its architectural value, which was given by “the contrast between the simple, linear structures of the support […] and the inflated sculptural roundness of the tyre with the very pronounced swirl of its tread.” Pirelli products for agriculture were shown around the structure, in a display designed by Pino Tovaglia, with “a decorative play of great sculptural effect”.

There are also some examples of installations from these years that are less spectacular but still remarkable for the high quality of their design. This was the case at the 1956 Bicycle and Motorcycle Fair, where Pirelli showed its products in a display designed by Franco Albini and Franca Helg, with the contribution of Pino Tovaglia. The stand retraced the history of the bicycle, with a display of historical items inside a structure that recalled the shape of a large wheel. A pillar at the centre held up four radial frames with graphics by Tovaglia, beneath which were the tyres and accessories for bicycles and motorcycles that had made the history of two-wheeled transport. The display was a fine example of the rationalism and discipline typical of Franco Albini, and the stand was hailed by the magazine Ciclismo as “the greatest, most moving and most poetic ode to the bicycle that any firm, large or small (and this is a very large, unattainable one), has ever devoted to the queen of the road”.

Those involved in the design of trade-fair stands in these years and, later, in the 1960s, also included Erberto Carboni, Bruno Munari, and Bob Noorda, as well as Renato Guttuso, who in 1961 created the extraordinary mosaic dedicated to scientific research. The work was shown in the pavilion designed for Pirelli by Franco Albini and Franca Helg for Expo 61 in Turin, and is now on display at the Pirelli Foundation.

A look at the causes of Italy’s decline and the possible path of relaunch and development

A country in decline that can recover. A virtuous path, with which it is possible (and necessary) to begin this recovery and in which institutions, businesses and citizens can play a new role. This is the positive message that comes out of “Declino Italia” (Italy’s decline) by Andrea Capussela, a recently published work of just over a hundred pages on the ills of Italy and how to solve them.

The gist of the thesis – the author writes from his own experience as an economist in the field and bases his work on a broader analysis of the country – is that Italy is in decline because it is organised in an inequitable and inefficient way. The introduction and first few pages of the book explain how the opportunities of the many are limited in favour of the income of a few, and how such incomes remain protected by the tension between individual rationality and collective interest. An iron yet reversible logic, that can be changed by re-establishing the foundations of civil coexistence based on trust, on expectations that can be met (including those of businesses) and on a freedom consisting of shared rules.

To provide some understanding of the situation Capussela starts by effectively summarising, in a few dozen pages, the path of the economic and political causes of Italy’s decline. This is a journey that lasted a quarter of a century and which appears to belong to another country altogether, not to the Italy whose economic and social structure allowed it to rise after the war and even give generate a boom. The author then explains that the country appears to be organised in a less equitable and efficient way than others: in particular, the rule of law and political accountability are weaker and this limits both corporate productivity and citizens’ opportunities. Under these conditions, a situation has arisen whereby the “defence of income” prevails over the search for economic development and inclusiveness, a situation that seems influenced by a force rising from the “tension between individual rationality and collective interest”. It is from this snapshot, however, that Capussela draws together the factors necessary for a relaunch, levers that can tangibly emerge from a battle of ideas, that can set “the civil energies and material resources currently being squandered” free.

Andrea Capussela’s book is not always an easy read, but it should nonetheless be read by all those who want to acquire a different perspective on the present. And, as always with books that make you think, while it is not necessary to fully agree with their authors, it is necessary to listen to them.

Declino Italia (Italy’s decline)

Andrea Capussela

Einaudi, 2021

A survey by AICCON helps to deepen understanding on this important part of the production system

A social enterprise is a company that combines the objective of making a profit and achieving annual statements that benefit inclusion, as well as social cohesion, with a particular focus on those who find themselves in vulnerable or disadvantaged situations.

Part of a more complete and, certainly, a more complex business culture, social enterprises must be understood thoroughly and in any event considered on a par with the rest of production organisations. To assist with this, the “Report 2020 Filiere Inclusive e Coesive” (Inclusive and Cohesive Supply Chains 2020 Report) was written by several people as part of the research activities of AICCON (Italian Association for the Promotion of the Culture of Cooperation and Non-Profit), at the School of Economics and Management of University of Bologna, Forlì campus.

The research aims to meet the need for an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of the world of social enterprises and to see them as leaders in the ongoing processes of change and development. The authors aimed to look more closely at “production chains that have a ‘double helix’ of value”. On one hand, focusing on weak subjects (from an employment and accessibility to welfare services point of view) and on social cohesion (through the creation of what are referred to as “local economies” that reactivate the fabric of communities). On the other, social enterprises are increasingly set up as promoters or parties directly involved in the restoration and revitalisation of economies based on tourism, culture, agriculture, education, training and more, and which act within complex economic and social systems.

Therefore, this collection of surveys begins by looking at a theoretical framework of social entrepreneurship considered within the inclusion chain, and from there it moves on to an analysis of social cooperation and social enterprises based on significant numbers, whereas the second part of the surveys focuses on a series of major case studies – on hospitality and inclusion, tourism, cultural heritage, agri-food and others –, set in Turin, Senigallia, Catania and Arezzo.

Among their conclusions, the authors note “Even in the field of social enterprise, it is clear that the ‘supply chain’, even with all its nuances, is configured not so much as a synonym for other practical use concepts such as ‘network’ and ‘value chain’. Rather, it is a way to manage a complexity of inputs and production factors that are only partially within the same organisational context and which also impacts on the mission of this particular type of company”.

Report 2020 Filiere Inclusive e Coesive (Inclusive and Cohesive Supply Chains 2020 Report)

AA.VV., AICCON c/o School of Economics and Management University of Bologna, Forlì campus, 2020

Crises can sometimes bring about positive changes and lead to improvements in important aspects of our lives, even amidst pain and suffering. The closures, lockdowns and restrictions brought about by the pandemic are economically and psychologically exhausting but have led us to discover the profound value of silence, reflective solitude and time, free from the frenzy of hectic meetings and excessive work. Among other things, it has driven us to read more.

It has led to a revaluation of books, of words that tell stories, that describe thoughts and worlds, that express emotions and anticipate the future. In the first two months of this year, sales of paper books increased by 25% (through sales channels, i.e. bookshops, large-scale distribution and online stores), while publishing sales grew by 2.3% in the whole of 2020 (not much, but an increase). The number of e-book readers has also increased, from 23% to 32% of people aged between 15 and 74 (2020 data, including those who just read e-books and those who, like most people, switch between them and paper books). Audiobook usage increased by 12%.

In short, the number of readers has increased during the pandemic, from 26.3 million in 2019 to 27.6 million in 2020, yet we still lag far behind the rest of Europe: 61% of Italians said they read a book (paper, e-book or audiobook) during the year, compared to 92% in France and 86% in Britain. We are still a country with a low inclination for reading (while many, perhaps too many, try their hand at writing). Still, in times of crisis, it’s worthwhile highlighting the positive changes and trying to figure out what can be done to make further improvements, rather than complaining about what’s wrong.

“Publishing has grown, demonstrating great stability”, comments Paola Dubini, professor of cultural management at Bocconi University. “Bookshops and libraries have worked miracles” (La Repubblica, 6 April). Economic sectors that were considered marginal until recently, measured against the success of online giants like Amazon, have shown an extraordinary ability to react. After the first wave of the pandemic and the widespread closures, government measures considered newsstands and bookshops to be essential businesses. Books have helped to brighten our days during the lockdown. Small bookshops that know their customers have responded well to their needs, advising them, suggesting things and starting to make home deliveries, offering a more targeted or “tailor-made” service for readers. Local public libraries have been increasingly important, especially for lonely people, the elderly, young people and students looking for a way to fill their days with something other than a TV series. The return of books.

Other new initiatives such as condominium libraries have sprung up, the first of these was in Milan in 2013, on via Rembrandt 12. It quickly became an example for other projects and was followed by one on via Russoli 18, shared between four social housing towers and the Aler “Falcone e Borsellino” condominium library. A dozen other successful activities were celebrated as cultural and civic “best practices” during the Milan BookCity in 2020 and are connected to the City’s efficient library system for services and consulting. Finally, there is one in Palermo, in the building opposite the “Falcone tree”, the city’s anti-mafia symbol.

Corporate libraries are also on the rise (like Pirelli’s: “La cultura come il pane” (Culture like bread) is written on a large panel at the entrance to the bookshop in the Bicocca HQ), and they have remained partially open during times of remote working and have been brought to life with digital meetings and webinars with writers.

Another important initiative came from the business world: a company book club at Vanoncini in Mapello, Bergamo province (a company specialising in sustainable buildings, with a turnover of almost 30 million euros). A bonus of 100 euros was offered to employees who read a book and presented it to their colleagues, in two scheduled meetings each month. “The initiative works and has spread among employees”, says Danilo Dadda, CEO (Avvenire, 3 April): “I strongly believe in the value of culture and education. I’m the first to dedicate time to reading and studying. Sometimes, tiredness or maybe laziness stop people from reading, so I decided to encourage my employees to read.  From book to book, from speech to speech, it improves the working world and makes life better”.

The ninth edition of the Cinema & Storia training and refresher course for teachers has come to an end. Under the title L’Europa siamo noi [Europe is Us], it was organised by the Pirelli Foundation and Fondazione ISEC, in collaboration with the Cinema Beltrade in Milan. With the participation of over 150 teachers who linked up from across Italy and from abroad, the main objective of the online course was to outline the European context through diachronic readings of a number of aspects: politics and economics, memory, culture and society.

The course started with a talk by Marco Meriggi, professor of the History of Political Institutions at the Federico II University in Naples, who examined the principal ideas behind the development of the European political structure since the end of the Second World War. The historians Lucien Febvre and Federico Chabod gave their differing interpretations of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s “Considerations on the Government of Poland” of 1772, which introduced a new conception of Europe and of the European people. The course continued with a discussion on the French Revolution – which brought to light the concept of universal rights – and of the Napoleonic adventure, through to the publication of the Ventotene Manifesto, by way of the age of nationalism and sovereigntism and the Young Europe theorised by Giuseppe Mazzini.

For the first time, the course associated each lesson with a film selected in collaboration with the Cinema Beltrade, which also presented them. For the first encounter, the film was Meeting Gorbachev by Werner Herzog, which retraces the life of the politician in a long interview, taking a novel look at the main events that unfolded during the closing decades of the twentieth century.

Francesca Fauri, a lecturer in Economic History at the University of Bologna, focused instead on the economic processes that have affected the history of our continent. The formation of the European Economic Community for the free movement of goods, persons, and capital, the customs union, which arose from the ashes of the European political community, the Maastricht Treaty, the birth of the single market through to the single currency, the European Central Bank and its role as a lender during the 2008 banking crisis, the development of the European Stability Mechanism, which has been active since 2014, and Europe’s recent interventions to counter the effects of the pandemic, such as the SURE fund and the Recovery Fund. The film linked to the themes of the second lesson was The Milky Way, by Luigi D’Alife, which tells about the “La Via Lattea” ski slopes between Italy and France, where thousands of sports lovers congregate every day. The area is crossed clandestinely at night and at great risk by migrants seeking a better life across the border. Not everyone makes it to the other side of the mountain, but the solidarity of the inhabitants of the valley is unfailing.

Alberto Martinelli, professor emeritus in Political Science and Sociology at the University of Milan, on the other hand, analysed the shared aspects of the European identity, over and above any national differences, pointing to the recognition of differences, the inclusion of others, and the preservation of diversity as a possible way towards European integration, as well as examining the rights and duties of European citizens. The subject was also examined by the screening of Speak Up!, a film by Stéphane de Freitas and Ladj Ly, which describes and follows the story of participants in the Eloquentia contest to nominate the best public speaker at the University of Saint-Denis, in the suburbs of Paris. The students, who come from different socio-cultural backgrounds, use the art of rhetoric to talk about and discover themselves, revealing their most personal stories and discovering that, when coupled with the power of ideas, words can indeed change the world.

The fourth lesson of the course, which was held by Marcello Flores, a lecturer in Comparative History and History of Human Rights at the University of Siena, focused on the creation of a shared European memory, from the First World War to 1989. It was indeed the fall of the Berlin Wall, which brought to an end a period of tense confrontation during the Cold War, with its political, ideological, military, economic, and cultural clashes. The following years were dominated by the Balkan question and, following a symbolic rather than historical logic, by Europe’s attempt to identify the Shoah and Communism as the two foundations on which to build a European memory. Flores’s proposal is to adopt a global historical vision, in order to build a common European view of the past, placing partial memories in a global context. This will put an end to the conflicts between history and memory and to manipulation of the truth, as well as to narratives based on propaganda and identity politics. 1945, by Ferenc Török was the film chosen for this lesson. Using black-and-white images, it tells the story of a Hungarian village on the day a wedding is being celebrated, only to be upset by the arrival of two Orthodox Jews who, it appears, may demand the return of possessions that were redistributed among the citizens after the deportations.

In the fifth lesson, Antonio Calabrò, the director of the Pirelli Foundation, looked back at the dates, events and people that have helped shape Europe ever since the 1940s, emphasising how this long period has been one of peace. From the Ventotene Manifesto to the European Council, from the Robert Schuman Declaration to the creation of the ECSC and of the European Economic Community, from the Delors Report on the Economic and Monetary Union in the European Economic Community to the Maastricht Treaty – which in 1992 marked a positive turning point after a long period of crisis in Italy – through to the introduction of the single currency. The discussion continued with an analysis of the new fractures opening up in Europe, from sovereigntism and populism to Brexit, ending with an in-depth economic and political look at the Recovery Plan. Andreas Pichler’s film The Milk System, which was chosen for the lesson, looks at the milk production system through the eyes of farmers, politicians, lobbyists, NGOs and scientists, revealing some surprising facts about the “milk system”: who gains, and at whose expense? Does the system have a future, and are there alternatives? A cinematic journey across different continents that blows the lid off preconceptions, pointing to alternative visions.

The last part of the course was devoted to the laboratory run by the Archivio Nazionale Cinematografico della Resistenza in Turin, which retraced the history of cinema, examining the differences between the main subjects of films. Paola Olivetti, the director of the Archive, introduced the course, using period films to tell the story of the leading role played by cinema in twentieth century communication. pointing to its importance in documenting historical events. Corrado Borsa then provided the tools needed to understand the particular value of media such as newsreels, feature films, and documentaries. Lastly, Adriana Toppazzini shared a detailed digital map of the educational use of film images, for tracking down the main historical sources of audio-visual media, and to assess the teaching skills acquired.

The course also provided an opportunity to discuss the role of the younger generations in building the European integration project.

A comparison between Italy and the US on one of the most important tools for creating development and growth

Innovation districts, in other words, places where it is possible to combine technology, local opportunities and networks of human and business relationships. These are places where it is easier to create and grow first-class manufacturing excellence. The concept is not new, but must be updated as things and people evolve and examples from other economic areas appear. It is also a key issue for development strategy to adopt. That is why innovation clusters are included in the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

“Il recepimento dell’Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile: spunti metodologici dalle esperienze statunitensi dei distretti d’innovazione dell’area di Boston” (Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: methodological insights from the US experience of innovation districts in the Boston area), a research paper by Luna Kappler (from the “Sapienza” University of Rome, DICEA – Department of Civil, Constructional and Environmental Engineering) discusses the concept and its territorial application. The author stresses “the timeliness of reflecting on the future needs of places that are now home to 3.5 billion people”, which “are increasingly becoming centres of ideas, trade, culture, science, productivity and social development”.

Innovation districts are what would be “the US response to the crisis and underpin the transatlantic productivity gap with Europe”.

The work then addresses the concept of the innovation district, a compact and accessible geographical area where leading institutions and companies connect with each other and with start-ups. It is a place where governance itself has changed in order to promote access to innovation, increase opportunities and encourage new ways of living.

Luna Kappler points out that similar experiences are also found in Italy. The comparison between our country and the USA gives an indication of what has been lacking and what needs to be done.

Kappler writes “It should be pointed out that if the innovation districts in the United States have brought about a new approach to the city, this perspective has been lacking in Italy, due to an objective difficulty in identifying recovery mechanisms, especially at a regional level”. The Boston area’s successful experience can serve as a helpful example in understanding what is more useful to do from the perspective of local government and as well as the economic instruments to attract promising investors.

Luna Kappler’s study is a good summary of a complex but important topic.

Il recepimento dell’Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile: spunti metodologici dalle esperienze statunitensi dei distretti d’innovazione dell’area di Boston (Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: methodological insights from the US experience of innovation districts in the Boston area)

Luna Kappler

Paper, s.d.

Valerio Castronovo’s latest literary work is an important tool for understanding more and acting better

Business culture is partly shaped and enriched by a good knowledge of what went on before: good history for good business culture. This principle is accepted but not taken for granted, so it must be cultivated and renewed constantly. . That is why we should be reading books like “Storia economica d’Italia. Dall’Ottocento al 2020” (The Economic History of Italy from the Nineteenth Century to 2020), written by Valerio Castronovo, a former professor of modern history at the University of Turin and, above all, a renowned expert on the Italian economic, social and political events of the past two hundred years.

Castronovo’s latest book revisits, expands on, updates and republishes a history of the Italian economy, which has appeared several times in various versions and is always updated. Against a backdrop of events in the financial and international markets, Castronovo reconstructs the complex history of the Italian economy, interweaving it with political events, cultural trends and social transformations. In this way, the most significant phases of a development and modernisation process that was neither uniform nor linear, but very uneven from a territorial perspective, are revisited along with the work of major figures from the economic and business worlds.

The author leads the reader from the situation of a newly unified Italy to that of the country during the “industrial take-off”, to the turbulent period between the First and Second World Wars, then to industrial Italy after the second war and finally, to a country grappling with a “difficult modernisation” and an unprecedented global crisis.

What emerges is the story of a country that made significant economic progress, partly due to the dynamism of a plethora of small and medium-sized enterprises, but failed to bridge the gap between the Centre-North and the South. Today, it faces the challenge of rebalancing huge public debt within the European Monetary Union, in addition to that of the growing competitiveness of large emerging countries. Today’s situation is also the result of events over the last few decades, to the extent that it makes us think that Italy is a case apart among Western economies. The roots of Italian capitalism, as well as the material resources, structural conditions and social characteristics of our economic experience differ significantly from those of other European countries.

In this time of globalisation and the pandemic, Castronovo’s theory is that our country is at a crucial turning point for its future.

Valerio Castronovo has once again written a book that provides the essential elements for understanding where we are and where we can go. It should be read and kept as a good travelling companion.

Storia economica d’Italia. Dall’Ottocento al 2020 (The Economic History of Italy from the Nineteenth Century to 2020)

Valerio Castronovo

Einaudi, 2020

Being parents. Being children. Discovering the network of relationships that connects an awareness of the past and responsibility for the future, in the midst of this pandemic crisis and recession. This means making political and social choices that can simultaneously protect the elderly and create conditions to ensure a better destiny for the new generations, our children and grandchildren. This is where the most obvious key to sustainability lies: protecting and valuing the environment, preventing its further degradation which undermines our quality of life and investing in innovation, training, knowledge and a better social balance. The best lesson we can learn from the crisis is that we must go “beyond fragility”, which is painfully highlighted by more than 107,000 deaths from Covid19 in Italy (out of almost three million victims and 127 million sick people in the world at the end of March). We must work not only on curbing the pandemic (with rapid and effective mass vaccination) and treating the infected, but also on a radical paradigm shift in economic and social development. We need to address the quality of the economy, social relations and the right to public goods (health and school, first and foremost), work (with increased opportunities for women) and welfare. We need to look at the relationship between progress (economic, scientific and social) and protecting people. We need an Impact Economy based on a green and digital economy, as the EU rightly calls for in its ambitious Recovery Plan for the Next Generation.

There has been a recurring image in some of the wiser speeches given over these long and difficult months. It’s a picture of Aeneas carrying his old father, Anchises, on his shoulders and holding the hand of his young son, Ascanius, as they flee together from the ruins of Troy in search of an escape route and salvation. Three generations, linking memories and the future. The responsibility of being a father and the loving, grateful care of being a son. The awareness of defeat along with the remaining pride of a warrior who, despite being defeated, finds himself at the centre of a family and social hierarchy and knows that he must go on to rebuild a community (which would later be known as Alba Longa, then Rome, then Italy, a community that would have a wandering man, a refugee fleeing from war, as its founder).

Pope Francis made an explicit reference to that image in an interview in “La Civiltà Cattolica” last April, at the very beginning of the pandemic: “Virgil’s Aeneid teaches us not to give up in the face of defeat: ‘Save yourselves for better times, for in those times remembering what has happened will help us. Take care of yourselves for a future that will come. And when that future comes, it will do you good to remember what has happened'”. This is the image of Aeneas, defeated in Troy, who “has lost everything and two paths lie before him: to remain there to weep and end his life, or to follow what was in his heart, to go up to the mountain and leave the war behind”. The Pope continued: “It’s a beautiful verse: Cessi, et sublato montem genitore petivi. ‘I yielded, lifted my father and made for the mountain’”. That is what we all have to do today, concluded Pope Francesco: “Take the roots of our traditions with us and make for the mountain”.

Virgil’s Aeneas is neither the epic of a hero nor the rhetoric of glorious defeat. If anything, it shows very human suffering from the consequences of war, the ability to take charge and take care of family members and the people one is responsible for, and the difficult but necessary choice to set out and build a new beginning for life and history. That’s why Aeneas is our contemporary today.

Every relationship is simultaneously a continuation and a fracture. It is the custody of tradition (the preservation of fire, to use Gustav Mahler’s effective simile). It is an ambitious commitment to change, transformation and the building of new horizons. Memory and the future.

What this means now, is drawing up a new generational pact, which seeks to rectify the fracture of the mid-1980s (with the explosion of public debt that was dumped on the shoulders of future generations, so that the adult generations of the time could live in prosperity without worrying about producing new wealth). It means being able to make choices that protect the elderly from illness and death today (an urgent need) and give young people a better future.

The myth of Aeneas, with an image of the famous sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is also echoed in the words of the talented and perceptive writer, Antonio Scurati, in the “Corriere della Sera” (25 March), with his many suggestions for “our salvation”: To save oneself by abandoning one’s elderly father is inhuman, but risking one’s life to save a parent without having a child to lead by the hand is desperate. From a structural point of view, it is Ascanius, not Anchises, who is helping to support the group. At the same time as he reveals himself to be a son, Aeneas has to understand that he is a father”.

Scurati cleverly derives topical political implications from this. “The myth tells us that while we must vaccinate our elderly parents with one hand, we must do everything possible to reopen our children’s schools with the other”.

Going beyond the emergency of these turbulent days “there is more, much more, that we can do with ‘the hand of Ascanius’. We have to create the conditions for an infertile society to stop being so”. It is infertile because of the falling birth rate but also because of poor economic growth, the breakdown of upward mobility, the dwindling hope for better conditions for today’s girls and boys.

What it all boils down to is that “Italy is in the grip of a demographic decline: 746 thousand deaths and only 404 thousand births, as “Il Sole24Ore” (27 March) wrote in its front-page headline, reporting on Istat data for 2020. Gianpiero Dalla Zuanna, one of the most authoritative experts on demographics, commented in “La Reppublica” (27 March) that “We, old Italians are left without children”. We have fallen below the threshold of 60 million inhabitants, our most promising young people continue to leave Italy and even immigrants and their children are leaving, in search of better living, working and social conditions elsewhere in Europe. Empty cradles, disheartened young couples and stalled development, a horizon of uncertainty and dismay. This has been exacerbated during the pandemic due to the decision by some institutional powers, in confusingly governed regions, to humiliate the elderly by vaccinating them late and in low numbers, prioritising powerful categories and corporations.

This is a socially devastating trend, for the old and the young, which needs to be interrupted and reversed.

Fortunately, the measures introduced with a sense of urgency and foresight by Prime Minister Mario Draghi, are a step in the right direction. Prioritise the opening of schools. Insist on vaccinating by age group. In the long term, write an effective Recovery Plan based on the environment, innovation, reform and knowledge. Learn from Aeneas, Anchises and Ascanius.

“Stories of Races” is the digital hub that illustrates at Pirelli’s involvement in racing competitions in the world of cars, motorcycles and bicycles, examining how race tracks are used as test beds for the development of increasingly high-performance tyres. This online publishing project gives biographical insights into the great drivers and riders and into the most legendary races, creating a timeline that, from the creation of the first tubular bicycle tyre in 1890, reaches all the way to the records of today, and the challenges of the future.

Go to the website

The Pirelli Foundation with the Fondazione ISEC and musil, in collaboration with ERIH Italia and Museimpresa are organising a series of events as part of the Journey through the Industrial Heritage of Italy programme, with presentations of books devoted to the industrial heritage of Italy.

The programme of forthcoming events is as follows:

Friday 26 March, 6 p.m.

Le fabbriche che costruirono l’Italia, by Giuseppe Lupo (Il Sole 24 Ore, 2020)

In conversation with the author: Antonio Calabrò, Pirelli Foundation | Museimpresa and Marcello Zane, musil

Friday 9 April, 6 p.m.

Stories of the Skyscraper, curated by the Pirelli Foundation and Alessandro Colombo (Marsilio, 2020)

In conversation with Antonio Calabrò, director of the Pirelli Foundation: Uliano Lucas, photographer,

Serena Maffioletti, IUAV University of Venice

(download the flyer here)

The meetings will be live-streamed on the Facebook pages of the Fondazione ISEC and musil.

The event is organised as part of the Matrice Lavoro Lombardia PIC (Piani Integrati per la Cultura) project funded by the Lombardy Region.