The aim of sports photography is to capture the crucial moment while conveying both the values and the spirit of sport. For over a century, this genre of photography has evolved from mere news coverage to become a veritable art form. The goal is to portray a world of adrenaline-pumping action, of speed, passion, and thrills. A thorough, in-depth understanding of lens techniques is essential. Only this can effectively and swiftly capture fleeting moments. Equally important is a profound knowledge of the sport itself, at times enabling the photographer to anticipate the action.

The close bond between Pirelli and sport goes back a long way. Ever since the very beginning, two- and four-wheel racing has always provided a practical on-site research lab for the company’s tyre development, fostering a history of excellence, as well as of speed and victories. We can see this in the photo of Renzo Soldani, winner of the 1950 Giro di Lombardia, taken by Paolo Costa as he signs the arrival sheet, surrounded by members of the Legnano-Pirelli team. This unexpected triumph for the twenty-five-year-old from Pistoia, who modestly referred to himself as “still not much as a cyclist”, put an end to Fausto Coppi’s streak of four consecutive victories at the Classica delle Foglie Morte, much to the dismay of the Campionissimo’s fans. It was an amazing race, with the challenge of a closed level crossing, a four-way battle on the outskirts of Milan, and a final sprint within sight of the finish line, but it also pointed to the emergence of a great young promise in cycling.
Sports photography has also captured the legends of motor racing, like Juan Manuel Fangio, the star in a famous shot from the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. In this image, Fangio is seen racing along the new raised track at the Monza Autodromo, inspired by the original from the 1920s and inaugurated at that race. This event, the final round of that year’s Formula 1 Championship and a pivotal moment in motorsport history, not only secured Fangio’s third world title but also marked Mercedes’ final race in the top category, as the company announced its withdrawal at the end of the season. Fangio and the runner-up, Pietro Taruffi, thus give the last two top spots to the German car manufacturer.
Countless moments of competitions have been caught on film: from the start of the race – as in the case of the 1956 Valencia motorcycle Grand Prix, where we have a bird’s eye view of the riders lined up on the starting grid, with the enormous Pirelli logo at the centre of the circuit and the crowds lining the sides – through to behind-the-scenes shots, such as the fitting of Pirelli tyres on Sandro Munari and Silvio Maiga’s winning Lancia Stratos during the 1976 Monte Carlo Rally.

The legacy of the Long P in sport extends beyond racing, encompassing numerous sports products created over its 150-year history. “This match is played with Pirelli tennis balls”, reads an advertising banner in a picture from the 1958 Italian tennis championships in Bologna. At the centre we see Nicola Pietrangeli and Orlando Sirola, the most successful Italian men’s doubles team in history. From the ball that “whizzes by and bounces”, used in the most important national and international tournaments, through to fiberglass boats, made from the early 1950s onwards by Azienda Monza and later by the Celli shipyards in Venice. In 1963, Fulvio Roiter captured the construction of hulls and the efforts of the workers, showcasing Pirelli’s commitment to maritime sports and its innovative use of plastic materials. Another notable chapter is that of the Pirelli Sports Group, which was set up in 1922 to promote sports among workers and their families. By the 1970s, the group had expanded considerably, with 18 different sections – including athletics, bowls, and judo – with over 2,500 members who trained at the sports facilities just opposite the Bicocca factory in Milan. These pictures are the work of famous photographers, including Federico Patellani, who in 1951 captured Adolfo Consolini, the Olympic gold medallist in the shot put, and Teseo Taddia, the hammer throw champion.

Photographs also highlight the importance of sport in the pages of Pirelli magazine. In addition to coverage of the Olympic Games, from the 15th edition in Helsinki in 1952 to Mexico in 1968, numerous articles addressed issues within the various disciplines. These ranged from the crisis in Italian fencing after the 1959 World Championships in Budapest to the shortage of figure skaters in the early 1960s, the frequent injuries in boxing, and the challenges faced by sports from other countries – such as rugby, ice hockey, and basketball – in gaining popularity in Italy. One exception, however, was baseball, the “American national sport” which enjoyed a revival at the national level in the post-war period. The illustrations accompanying the texts show a number of Italian teams, such as Nettuno, Europhon and Pirelli, which in the 1960s reached the top places in the Serie A championship, with various players going on to join the national team. From the triumphs of the team to those of the individual: after just one year of training, the designer Roberto Menghi became the Italian archery champion, as well as the record holder for distances in the Round-FITA, an international tournament held in Milan in 1964. He was “The clandestine archer“ photographed just as the arrow took flight.
The magazine also featured photo shoots by big-name photographers. Rodolfo Facchini’s black and white photographs accompany Guido Oddo’s analysis of the popularity of golf in Italy, from the political and economic struggles of the 1930s through to its definitive acceptance, illustrating the close relationship between sport and the natural environment. Stefan Krukenhauser, a photographer and ski instructor, created dynamic images of great artistic appeal: spectacular perspectives, bold contrasts of light and shadow, and elegant patterns etched into the snow. The cover of the 1958 issue prominently features the wedeln or godille skiing technique that he himself invented.

Competition and passion, technological research and innovation – these are just some of the many connections between sport and business, along with shared values of community and civic commitment, all promoted by Pirelli. This sporting history began almost at the same time as the company was founded and it continues to this day. From the experience of Formula 1 racing, as captured by renowned photographers and agencies such as Ercole Colombo, Eurofotocine, and LAT Images, to the thrilling sea adventures of Ambrogio Beccaria on board the Alla Grande–Pirelli, photographed by Martina Orsini, these visual records capture the thrill of sports contests.

Research by two geographers tells of the changing perception of the natural and industrial landscape

Understanding the perception of the environment and development, sociality and production also through visual storytelling, i.e. the kind that uses images. Even those of yesteryear – postcards and ‘homemade’ films – which were in common use until a few years ago and now appear to have almost disappeared. Yet, it is also through postcards and family films that the culture of social living, production, development and sharing can pass. It is around these ideas that Pietro Agnoletto and Lorenzo Bagnoli worked in their research ‘Ambiente e percezione sociale. Cartoline e filmati di famiglia nell’Italia industriale’ recently published by the magazine of the Association of Italian Geographers (AGEI).

Agnoletto and Bagnoli start by considering a fact before all attentive observers of social reality: that which, in postmodern Italian society, is considered an environmental conflict, in the industrial Italy of the 1960s and 1970s could instead be considered acceptable and be represented without offending the common aesthetic sense. In other words, things that were so fascinating a few decades ago that they were admired, remembered and visited, may today have been relegated to elements of environmental and social damage. Tourism and the travel memories it produces – explain the two authors – testify to this process. Not the memories that originate from discerning travellers, but those that come from ordinary people, from families on holiday, from those that may appear to lack focus, yet are able to capture particular features of the landscape. Postcards and family films, therefore, as tools capable of bearing witness to a different perception of the landscape and human artefacts, communal life, production, factories. A culture – also of production and enterprise – that appears to be markedly different from that of today, but which has been part of the common feeling of Italian society for many decades.

Thus, Agnoletto and Bagnoli point out, a visual analysis of these types of documents shows how often car parks, arterial roads, means of transport, industrial plants or apartment blocks – all carefully avoided in today’s tourist representations – were not then perceived as objects that disfigured the landscape even during a holiday period, but elements that testified to the progress and development of a tourist resort. In other words, as the research explains, the tourism context of the second half of the 20th century bears witness to Italy’s economic boom, is an integral part of it and manages to pass on information that would otherwise have been lost.

Agnoletto and Bagnoli’s work is an example of how economic and social research can be done by putting the numbers aside for a moment and looking closely at people’s everyday lives. A must-read for sure.

Ambiente e percezione sociale. Cartoline e filmati di famiglia nell’Italia industriale

Pietro Agnoletto, Lorenzo Bagnoli

AGEI, Geotema, 72

The latest research by the Einaudi Centre provides a careful snapshot of the reality in which we are moving

From globalisation to post-globalisation. These are not abstract categories, but important concepts that need to be understood in order to be able to orient oneself in a reality – social and economic – that is changing, increasingly complicated, presenting strong risks but equally strong opportunities. This is why we need to read “Il mondo ha perso la bussola” (The World has lost its compass), 2024 Report, edited by Mario Deaglio, of the Luigi Einaudi Research and Documentation Centre in Turin.

Deaglio and his collaborators (Giorgio Arfaras, Giuseppina De Santis, Paolo Migliavacca, Giuseppe Russo) start from a question. Are there still any safe cardinal points we can look at to get our bearings? The answer – or answers, indeed – come from a careful narrative that touches on several key concepts: the observation that “certainties are no more” in every field of activity, relations between Europe and the United States, the complex round of the 2024 elections, the continuous oscillation between peace and war actions, the complication of the Italian situation.

The Report thus explores the themes and scenarios of the post-global world in which people and businesses find themselves living and acting. The message conveyed by the research group of the Einaudi Centre is that a new compass is needed, but that it is also time for companies, banks and governments to look inward and demonstrate their anti-fragility. All with a few examples that go a long way to clarifying the situation: the level of education that is no longer growing, the way of life, the industrial (and peaceful) war of the electric car, the many problems of the economy such as those of Germany as well as Italy.

After the “extraordinary decades of globalisation” – this is one of the messages of Deaglio’s coordinated research – there is a need to understand the challenges of our time and continue to navigate wisely towards a future of sustainable growth. The Report provides the basis we need to do this: A lucid snapshot of reality.

Il mondo ha perso la bussola

Mario Deaglio (editor)

Guerini e Associati, 2024

“I love the elegance that derives from intelligence,” says Giorgio Armani, in a long interview published to mark his ninetieth birthday in “U”, the new monthly magazine of “la Repubblica”. To be even more precise, he also says he loves “subtle things, discretion” and “sobriety, which is always a winning quality”.

The relationship between elegance and intelligence must be considered carefully, especially in rough times such as the ones we are living in. And the world of fashion, if it wants to be truly consistent with its commitments to sustainability (which is environmental, but also social, against waste, the excesses of luxury, the neglect of safety and quality of work in manufacturing) can be an effective channel for stimulating moral values, the best relationships between aesthetics and ethics (after all, these two philosophical spheres are closely related), the need to choose quality in relationships between people, but also between powers, political classes, countries, to seek “intelligent” ways of escaping from the increasingly radical conflicts that are shaking the world and from the violent and vulgar behaviours that humiliate civil coexistence, politics, institutions.

There is another word on everyone’s lips, in these days dedicated to fashion, between the Fashion Week shows in Milan and the events at Palazzo Pitti in Florence. And it is ‘gentleness’ or ‘kindness’.

“I make gentle luxury,” says Brunello Cucinelli, who has long been enthusiastic about philosophy (with meetings and lessons in the medieval village of Solomeo in Umbria, where ‘the dream of humanistic capitalism’ is nurtured). And he talks about making clothes for “a refined and sensitive man”.

Pierre-Louis Mascia is also passionate about “gentle fashion”, for the “Le Cavalier Bleu” collection inspired by an artistic movement of German expressionism of the early twentieth century.

And so where elegance, intelligence, gentleness, and humanism are the key values. Is fashion a channel of rebirth, of balanced development, even of civil economy? It is, in any case, an original journey “from heart to hands”, from creative passion to good craftsmanship, to reiterate the effective title of the Dolce and Gabbana exhibition at Palazzo Reale in Milan.

But we shouldn’t expect too much, of course, from a sector in which fashion and elegance do not always coincide and which still has its strict logic, the harshness and sharp angularity of a tight global competition (on which, right now, Giancarlo De Cataldo is writing sapid and sarcastic pages in the latest best seller for Einaudi, “Il bacio del calabrone”, a new case for the aristocratic magistrate Manrico Spinori). But in any case, the fashion world acts as a forerunner and then as an amplifier of signals that indicate a social need, a new cultural dimension, a Zeitgeist to be taken into careful consideration.

The praise of intelligence and gentleness is a thin but robust thread that also animates other worlds. We talk about gentle leadership in companies, as hierarchical cultures give way to more horizontal management dimensions, clearly marking the substantial difference between authoritarianism and authority. We write about the primacy of soft power even in politics (with good peace of mind of those who are charmed by the “single man in charge”). As an anticipation of new and more civilized times, an advertising slogan that has been very successful since its launch in 1994, “Power is nothing without control”, with an amazing Carl Lewis, Olympic champion in red heels, photographed by Annie Leibovitz for Pirelli (it is written about in the pages of “L’officina dello sport”, edited by the Pirelli Foundation and just published by Marsilio: there is an essential relationship between power/power and control not only in sports competitions, but also in the economy and politics).

In this line of reasoning, we are wisely inspired by the chapters of Italo Calvino’s ‘Lezioni americane‘, from the considerations on ‘lightness‘ (‘Take life lightly, which is not superficiality, but gliding over things from above, not having boulders in your heart’) to those on ‘accuracy’ and ‘multiplicity’.

The need to build “a safer, more civilized” and, in fact, “gentle” world is spoken of in the “Assisi Manifesto”, a document “for an economy on a human scale” prepared in 2021 by the Franciscans of the Sacred Convent and by Symbola and signed by personalities from the economic and cultural worlds, universities, businesses and a long series of civil society associations.

And ‘kindness’ is a key word in Pope Francis’ encyclical ‘Fratelli Tutti: “Kindness frees us from the cruelty that at times infects human relationships, from the anxiety that prevents us from thinking of others, from the frantic flurry of activity that forgets that others also have a right to be happy”.

Kindness as the key to the commitment to ‘take charge’ of others. Kindness as a state of mind that leads to relaxation. And prepares the soul for wisdom.

That precise kind of wisdom that the Pope recalled in recent days to the world leaders gathered at the G7 in Puglia, urging them to do ‘healthy politics’, and exercise the ability to decide with ‘the phronesis of Greek philosophy’. He spoke, on this subject, of responsibility for a ‘human’ use of Artificial Intelligence”. But above all, his words paved the way for more general considerations, on sustainable and balanced development, on sensitivity to suffering, on the need to ensure a better future for the new generations.

Of course this is easy to say. But doing it? Anything but easy. But necessary.

On the other hand, “ease is a form of perfection that contains the substance of a long toil”. The words of Paolo Conte, exemplary artist. A ‘master in the soul’. A smart person. Elegant. And kind.

(photo Getty Images)

Milan, Pavia, Rome, Turin, Vicenza, as well as Lugano in Switzerland, Barcelona in Spain, Bogotá in Colombia, and Monterrey in Mexico. The young people who took part in the educational courses organised by the Pirelli Foundation this past school year came from all these places and more: over 2500 primary and secondary school students took part in 93 events, totalling approximately 150 hours in classroom and online studies.

The journey, as the programme’s title – Parlar d’Impresa – suggests, was about “talking of business”. Words, along with images and sounds, guided the students as they explored various facets of the highly diverse world of Pirelli. 13 different events explored Pirelli’s corporate culture, with guided tours, digital content, interactive platforms, games, and assisted readings of works and documents. This narrative seamlessly blended science and technology with art and creativity. “I never imagined that a company that makes tyres could possibly work with so many artists – writers, photographers, actors, graphic designers, and musicians”, says Marta, class 2G, art school. Simone, 2B, technical and professional institute, adds, “I was surprised to hear that Pirelli put on a concert inside one of their factories, halting production in order to do so.” Alessandro, 5A, scientific high school, notes: “I found out that a company can communicate in lots of different ways, promoting not just its products but also important concepts such as technological development, environmental awareness, and safety.”

“Communicate” was chosen as a key verb and an underlying thread when talking about the company. It was used, for example, to highlight the importance of innovation and the relationship between Pirelli and the arts. The older students were assisted in their analysis of effective communication techniques and while creating an advertising campaign, while the younger students penned poetic compositions about the countless potential applications of rubber, using words and sounds, rhymes, and onomatopoeia.

The verb “remember” served as the starting point for tracing the company’s development through the documents in the historical archive, helping students understand the importance of sources in reconstructing our past and planning our future.

The verb “experiment” helped us investigate the never-ending work conducted each day by Pirelli technicians and engineers for the creation of tyres that are increasingly innovative, safe, and eco-friendly. The students also tested their skills by programming a small Formula 1 car that navigated a track based on given commands.

Through the word “promote”, the students explored the countless activities and projects that the Pirelli Foundation undertakes in order to make known its historical and artistic heritage to the public.

Finally, “envision” helped the students find out about the key figures in the technological and cultural development of the company: the men and women whose creativity and insights have brought about such significant changes and have led to such innovative products. The schools also used the concept of “envisioning” as the basis for a series of podcasts devoted to various aspects of corporate culture.

These words, along with others, accompanied us on our journey, through the past and present of Pirelli. The journey has now come to an end, but the Pirelli Foundation will be putting on a new programme next school year. New methods and content will meet the needs of schools, introducing students to the world of production and work and to its core values.

Watch the video 

The formula for growth and economic development translated into reality in a region

There are people and areas behind the success of businesses. It’s not about calculation alone, therefore, but much more, different factors. If you want to find a formula – a model – to indicate the elements in the success of a company or group of companies at all costs, elements that definitely have to be present are the community spirit and the innovation that can emerge from it. It means business culture, certainly, but at a high level. This may also be the message of Modello Emilia. Imprese innovative e spirito di comunità (Emilia Model: innovative businesses and community spirit) by Franco Mosconi published a few months ago, which says it all right from the title.

Mosconi attempts to answer a series of questions that could apply to any industrial area. Why are exports per capita so high? Why are rates of development so high? Why is it so strongly and intensely attractive? And why is the rate of emplyment so high (also for women)? More generally, Mosconi tries – successfully – to explain the reasons or Emilia’s economic and social growth, which has actualy surpassed all other Italian industrial districts.

Through an attentive, detailed survey over the entire Aemilian Way, Mosconi shows how the success of Emilia-Romagna results from a special relationship between the state, the market and the community, embodied in the so-called ‘Third Pillar’. This approach is not restricted to the economic dimension, but comprehensively affects the social dimension, as demonstrated by the results achieved in terms of innovative capacity and human capital formation.

At least two concept pairs are highlighted. The first – people and community – focuses on the inseparable link between developments and the human component; the second – efficiency and equity – emphasises social and economic organisation that is both effective and respects rights. Mosconi then concludes by indicating six “key factors” of the Emilia model: the manufacturing tradition that is still present, the growth in the dimensions of companies, production specialisation and quality, capacity for investment and technological innovation, the proactive role of institutions, the importance of the community the real ‘Third Pillar’ of development.

Modello Emilia. Imprese innovative e spirito di comunità

Franco Mosconi

Post Editori, 2023

A newly published study focuses on intellectual work in factories and workshops.

Work in factories and offices is changing, evolving, altering in both appearance and substance, finding new forms of expression. It bears witness to development in the times and culture of production. This applies to both manual and intellectual work: blue-collar and white-collar workers are united by a shared outlook, that of the company. The research of Emma Garavaglia, Serafino Negrelli and Valentina Pacetti, recently published in Sociologia del lavoro, focuses on precisely these changes in white-collar work.

“The transformations of white-collar work in advanced manufacturing: an empirical study” has a clear objective: to describe how the white-collar work in manufacturing companies has changed over time and how it may change, taking into account its new forms, starting from remote work.

The authors start from the observation that despite the growing relevance of service activities within manufacturing companies, studies on “white-collar” workers employed in contemporary factories are limited. The study therefore focused on this category of workers, observed in their main areas of activity: financial and commercial employees, production technicians and research and development technicians. Based on a selected number of Italian factories, the research therefore describes the current of white-collar work in factories in terms of autonomy, intensity and complexity, but also with regard to the relationship between employees, work, companies and trade unions, all leading up to relationships between employees working remotely.

This may be the exact reason why Garavaglia, Negrelli and Pacetti’s research retains a validity that extends beyond quantitative aspects to touch on relational and human characteristics that retain meaning even in the age of intense digitalisation.

Le trasformazioni del lavoro impiegatizio nel manifatturiero avanzato. Una ricerca empirica  (The transformations of white-collar work in advanced manufacturing: an empirical study )

Emma Garavaglia, Serafino Negrelli, Valentina Pacetti
Sociologia del lavoro, 2024/168

How is the Italian economy doing? Pretty well, all things considered. That is according to ISTAT projections that indicate a GDP growth of 1% this year and 1.1% in 2025 – in line with government estimates but considerably more optimistic than those of the International Monetary Fund (0.7%) and the Bank of Italy (0.8%). Looking ahead, private consumption, investments, employment, and –crucially –exports are on the rise (“In the global arena, ‘Made in Italy’ is climbing the ranks, even outperforming Chinese smartphones,” observes Marco Fortis, Vice-President of the Edison Foundation, as reported by IlSole24Ore on 7 June).

In summary, we are making progress, albeit in an atmosphere fraught with concerns, owing to geopolitical tensions with no clear favourable resolutions to the crises (in Ukraine, the Middle East) and the persistence of unresolved underlying issues: Demographic decline, environmental setbacks and societal struggles – with wages and the nation’s mean productivity stagnating for two decades – are pressing issues. Additionally, the ‘brain drain’ phenomenon is stark, with 132,000 graduates having ‘voted with their feet’ by leaving Italy over the past decade, as reported by IlSole24Ore on 3 June. Moreover, a pervasive sense of disillusionment and a crisis of confidence are evident, further underscored by a concerning trend that has set alarm bells ringing in political circles: the increasing abstention rate, which surpassed 50% of the electorate in the latest elections for the new European Parliament (“Disillusioned youth and impoverished families: Why half of the Italians are shunning the ballot box,” in la Repubblica, 10 June).

Indeed, industrial production has been declining, with a 1% drop in April marking the 15th consecutive month of downturn, and a 2.9% decrease compared to the same period last year, with the most pronounced falls in the automotive and fashion industries. Moreover, consumer spending and investment are losing momentum as a result of rising interest rates and inflation. The machinery sector is suffering too (“Failure to launch Transition 5.0 bonus causes drag”, warned IlSole24Ore, 11 June). Businesses have been cautious, and consumers timid. Now that the ECB’s decisions signal a reduction in interest rates, coupled with ongoing worries about inflation that is unlikely to return to 2% in Europe anytime soon, we might gradually start to consume, produce, invest, and revive the faltering economy. Time will tell.

Indeed, aside from the performance figures, we know that Italian industrial infrastructure is strong, technologically sophisticated, and poised to restore momentum. A recent survey on “industry excellence” by IlSole24Ore (7 June) attests that Italy boasts over 100,000 robots, leading Europe in this regard, with the automotive sector being the only exception.

The Bank of Italy‘s annual report has indeed underscored the growing prevalence of industrial automation, noting that since 2017, “only China has seen higher rates of growth than ours”. We have now achieved the milestone of 100,000 installed units, advancing from eighth to sixth place globally in terms of robot numbers, owing to the proficiency of businesses in capitalising on Industry 4.0 tax incentives.

The companies say that we can still continue to do well. Domenico Appendino, president of Siri (the Italian Association of Robotics and Automation), acknowledges the advantages of the Industry 4.0 incentive scheme (attributable to Carlo Calenda, Minister of Economic Development from 2016 to 2018). However, he critically observes that “the market has been frozen by the announcement of the 5.0 bonus, leading to a downturn that began in mid-2023”.

Confindustria is pressing for the disbursement of the €6.3 billion allocated in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) for tax credits on innovative investments. The Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy has assured that the decree is in the final stages of preparation. For sure, following the severe crisis of 2008, Italian industry responded by investing and innovating, as well as carving out new niches within the global markets. It requires clear and far-sighted industrial policies at both European and national levels in order to sustain this growth.

An open challenge awaits both the government and the Commission that will steer the EU in the coming years, following the renewal of Parliament. We need an industrial policy that can tackle the environmental transition and digital innovation pragmatically, without being constrained by ideological frameworks. This policy should encompass the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence, security and development strategies, and the opportunities for new generations as they face competition from the economic powerhouses of the USA, China, and India.

Italians excel in making machines, boasting outstanding mechanical and mechatronic engineers, as well as highly skilled workers and technicians.  And Italian entrepreneurs have a keen eye for quality and a bespoke approach: as though a steel mill, a machine tool, a packaging machine, or indeed a series of robots were high-fashion garments, meticulously crafted and tailored to meet the most sophisticated demands of customers around the globe. In essence, Italy is skilled at blending design with practicality, advanced technology with environmental sustainability. Green steel is one area where Italy excels, achieving remarkable outcomes at Lombardy-based plants that could serve as exemplary models for the rejuvenation of the Ilva complex in Taranto (given wise political choices and leadership that is both capable and secure).

In this context, it is also important to acknowledge the improvement in quality of our universities, including the ‘Politecnici’ of Turin and Milan, which this year ranked 111th in the QS ranking of 1,503 global universities, placing them within the top 8%. Moreover, the strengthening of ties between academic institutions and businesses, as well as between the public and private sectors, encompassing research, education, and innovation, is noteworthy.

Bringing all this together, we must emphasise the value (and values) of industry for various reasons: to provide substance and a future for Italian manufacturing; to make it a desirable goal for the new generations; to encourage a portion of the 132,000 graduates who have departed to come back to Italy; and to draw young men and women from across the globe to work, engage in business, and conduct research, as well as to establish new lives here. If we can do all this, it will be an effective strategy for growth – and moreover make us truly European.

(photo Getty Images)

Museums are an essential part of our social capital, they are custodians and promoters of memory while stimulating its dissemination; they encourage participation within local areas and communities and therefore nurture the culture of environmental and social sustainability and strengthen civic commitment to it. They help to share knowledge and promote the mixing of different types of knowledge. They are, subsequently, fundamental instruments of cultural and therefore economic and social growth. Museums, in short, should be treated as witnesses to history and stories, as yeast for the future; as active spaces for the “future of memory”.

These words, so dense with meaning and strong values, are to be found in a large diagram that Michele Lanzinger, director of the Science Museum of Trento and president of ICOM Italy (the International Council of Museums) likes to show people to illustrate how museums are changing at a time when sensitivity to environmental and social issues is growing, especially among younger generations, and complex and controversial critical thinking on the role of museums and cultural relations is spreading. This goes beyond the traditional limits marked by the primacy of Western representations of culture and art (a good place to explore the issue further is the book Musei possibili. Storia, sfide, sperimentazioni – Possible Museums. History, challenges, experimentation – edited by Fulvio Irace, published by Carocci and presented in Il Sole 24 Ore on 26 May: from the symbol of the Altes Museum in Berlin, an icon of the Enlightenment museum, to the revolution of the Centre Pompidou and new constructions in Arab countries, such as the Louvre in Abu Dhabi, up to the advent of digital experimentations). And, amid conflicts and opposition (cancel culture, woke trends), the quest continues to build dialogue and discussion, navigating different ideas about the world and different representations.

Lanzinger, therefore, situates the responsibility of museums within the context of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and, in particular, of UNESCO’s Thematic Indicators for Culture (environment and resilience, prosperity and livelihoods, knowledge and skills, inclusion and participation) and explains that “bringing sustainable development to the world of cultural heritage means exploiting the ability to look towards the future and expanding the scope of the cultural institutions that are involved”. This was discussed in mid-May at the Triennale di Milano, as part of a conference promoted by the Lavazza Museum for Museum Day 2024 to debate the role of museums and businesses. And it will be on the agenda once again at the Dubai 2025 ICOM International General Conference.

In short, then, the UN’s 2030 Agenda is setting the direction taken by UNESCO and ICOM. And this is reflected in the definition of “museum” adopted by ICOM with a document approved in Prague in August 2022: “The museum is a permanent non-profit institution at the service of society, which researches, collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible cultural heritage.” It then adds: “Open to the public, museums promote diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically and professionally and with the participation of communities, offering diversified experiences for education, pleasure, reflection and knowledge sharing.”

And here we can detect the echo of many of the words we started with. They point to a clear way forward, which fully invests museums with the task of transitioning “from agents of conservation, research, exhibition and education to true drivers of social and economic innovation”. They point to being cultural hubs and stimuli “for an increasingly diversified and global contemporary audience”. And to providing a public service, even when it comes to private facilities; spaces for knowledge, and therefore for freedom; for discussion; for dialogue; and, for Europe and other Western countries, a fundamental democratic space.

The indications set out in Article 9 of the Italian Constitution, in the new wording approved in May 2021, come to mind: “The Republic promotes the development of culture and scientific and technical research. It protects the landscape and the historical and artistic heritage of the nation. It protects the environment, biodiversity and ecosystems, including in the interest of future generations.” This is a wise and responsible frame of reference, and one in which museums play an essential part. And, naturally, that includes company museums.

The indications of ICOM and the definition of museums as places for education, pleasure, reflection and the sharing of knowledge resonated in recent days when the annual assembly of Museimpresa (the association promoted over twenty years ago by Assolombarda and Confindustria, which almost 150 museums and historical company archives are part of) gathered in Florence (the guests of Baker Hughes/Nuovo Pignone and the Ferragamo Museum) to talk about how to “value memory and identity at a time of great transitions“. Those transitions refer to the environmental and digital transitions; the transitions towards a new geopolitical equilibrium, which is undermining the old models of an unequal and distorting globalisation; the changes in production systems and products driven by innovations amplified by the spread of Artificial Intelligence; migration; and generational transitions, with old and new divisions across gender, age, geographical origin and knowledge-related lines.

Businesses are physical and cultural places that are more sensitive than ever to these issues. They are organisations driven by innovation, productivity and competitiveness. But at a time when there is much talk of the stakeholder economy (with priority given to the values of the individuals, areas and communities on which the business has an impact), social inclusion, the values of work and its safety and respect for maintaining the environmental equilibrium are also fundamental factors that drive the kind of sustainable development that is increasingly appreciated by the markets (the investment market, as well as the consumer market).

Museums and historical archives feature (very current) testimonies to these economic and social processes. Their documents and images, technical data sheets and stories reveal the strength – historical and contemporary – of Italian companies, starting with its workmanship and the qualities of a full-blown industrial “metamorphosis” prioritising quality and social relations.

Working on preserving the memory and valuing Italy’s enormous industrial and cultural heritage is a way for companies to testify that they are part of an active citizenship that helps us to think in concrete terms about the quality of our country’s development. In the archives and in the business museums we find the story of women and men who, in the face of the challenges of the time, were able to respond through growth. This is reflected at an economic level in the success of export figures (670 billion euros, which places Italy among the top five countries in the world) and, on the social and cultural level, in the growing influx of visitors, especially the younger generations, to company museums.

“High-potential destinations for industrial tourism”, writes Il Sole 24 Ore (1 June). In any case, this is exemplary testimony of a “civilisation of machines”, of enterprise and work that constitutes a fundamental asset for writing a better “history for the future”, one that very much starts from the economy and from museums.

A thesis on brand activism presented at Ca’ Foscari

Companies whose commitment extends far beyond what they produce. Companies that have made activism within society and the local area their raison d’être, or simply the main tool of their commercial operations. The topic is an important one and little explored in the literature dealing with business management. And yet it is worth trying to understand it better. This thought is behind Camilla Francescon’s research work, which became a thesis discussed at Venice’s Ca’ Foscari university entitled Brand Activism nel settore agroalimentare. Un’analisi del contesto italiano (Brand Activism in the Agri-Food Sector. An Analysis of the Italian Context).
Specifically, she looks at a well-defined model of action – brand activism – which consists of the behaviour of companies with well-defined brands that, as Francescon herself explains, decide to take a stand on relevant social, political, economic or environmental problems affecting society, going beyond the achievement of financial goals (which are also often put in the shade).
Her research begins with a lucid framing of the model she is analysing, focusing on its origin, evolution and its range of possible expressions. Further exploration is then dedicated to the agri-food sector in general – and the Italian sector in particular. On the subject of the agri-food business, some major topics straddled by brand activism, such as environmental and social sustainability, as well as information transparency, are then looked at. The development of Francescon’s theory is also enriched by a series of interviews conducted within agri-food companies of different sizes, all of whom, however, are significant. They include Sgambaro (a mill and pasta factory), Bauli (confectionery), Melinda (fruit), Lattebusche (dairy), Pedon (horticultural products), Rigone di Asiago (jams), Molino Rossetto (a mill and pasta factory) and Morato (a bakery).
Brand activism, therefore, is positioned as a new and in any case original form of a corporate culture that evolves, changes and becomes more entrenched in the social environment it operates in, aware of its responsibility but also of the risks it takes in moving from “simple” production to something broader and more complex.

Brand Activism nel settore agroalimentare. Un’analisi del contesto italiano (Brand Activism in the Agri-Food Sector. An Analysis of the Italian Context)
Camilla Francescon
Thesis, Ca’ Foscari University, Master’s Degree in Marketing and Communication, 2023