A manual on reputational engineering has been published, a tool to first understand and then apply a particular quality of production organisations (and others)

Corporate reputation, as well as the reputation of the managers and people doing the business, is a complex, delicate issue, difficult to handle and important to address. It’s also a topic that has now assumed quantitative as well as qualitative aspects, to the extent of giving rise to a “reputational engineering” that merits exploration. Reading Ingegneria reputazionale. Comprendere, misurare e costruire la Reputazione (Reputational Engineering: understanding, measuring and building reputation) by Andrea Barchiesi serves precisely this purpose: delving into a business topic that lies between the culture of production, communication, marketing, human resources management and social responsibility more generally.

Reputation, then, is a subject that up to now has been complex but abstract, but today is instead measurable and malleable. This is what reputational engineering is for, which Barchiesi explains in great detail, starting with “15 principles on which to build a new communication”, because, it seems, reputation involves communication (and it couldn’t be otherwise). To better understand what needs to be done, Barchiesi immediately addresses the definition of reputation and then moves on to communication. The next step of the book concerns “reputational mass” and thus the form of reputation itself to arrive at the central theme of reputational engineering: reputation measurement and reputation building. Andrea Barchiesi’s work, however, does not end here: equally important is the issue of reputational crises and so-called reputation warfare.

Andrea Barchiesi’s book is based on an idea: reputation is a primary asset that concerns everyone and everything; it can make and break fortunes. Put another way, this also means that reputation is a kind of license to operate without which civil society simply shuts down organisations that lack this quality. This risk is also amplified by the net and the new rules it has imposed but also by the acceleration of events and the possibility of obtaining huge amounts of data.

The author’s message is that reputational engineering creates the tools to understand this mass of data and order it according to strategic and value-based criteria; but that’s not all, because reputational engineering always transforms reputation into a positive trajectory for business and organisations in general. Andrea Barchiesi’s book ought to be read, and applied.

Ingegneria reputazionale. Comprendere, misurare e costruire la Reputazione

Andrea Barchiesi

Franco Angeli, 2024

Digital Innovation for a New Industrial Humanism

The 23rd Business Culture Week, a series of events promoted by Confindustria and Museimpresa, is set to run from 14 to 28 November 2024. This year’s theme is “Thinking Hands: Artificial Intelligence, Art, and Culture for the Revitalisation of Business”. One of the greatest changes taking place in the business world—and not only—is that of the digital economy and the development of Artificial Intelligence: new and complex challenges are appearing, and they have clear cultural connotations. For this 23rd edition, the Pirelli Foundation will again participate with events that both illustrate and explore the world of digital technologies. With the firm belief that digital innovation—and the pivotal role of AI within it—is not merely a functional or unreflective application of new technology, Pirelli promotes this as an opportunity to reimagine production and creative processes, ushering in a new phase of multi-disciplinary culture.

The 2024 Business Culture Week will be an opportunity to present to the public an exhibition entitled The Sports Workshop: Team Work, Research, Technology, Passion and Social Value. The exhibition begins with a Wunderkammer, or “cabinet of wonders”, where documents and iconic objects interact with a digital setting to showcase the innovation of “Long P” products in the world of sport. And indeed, sport has long been central to Pirelli’s corporate welfare, a key element of its corporate culture since the 1920s.
The iconographic section is in the Foundation’s Open Space, with illustrated plates by Lorenzo Mattotti for The Sports Workshop, alongside Pirelli’s legendary advertising campaigns starring sports icons like Alberto Ascari, Carl Lewis, Adriano Panatta, Marie-José Pérec, Ronaldo, and Serena Williams. There are photographs that capture the backstage of competitions, the role of the teams that propel champions to victory, the critical role of technological research, and the passion that drives athletes to do their best.
The rich heritage of the Foundation can also be explored through an interactive wall that invites visitors to trace over 150 years of corporate history and sporting triumphs across two thematic timelines. This immersive journey offers a deep dive into a world of emotions and innovations—a legacy of competitions that began with the company’s founding and continues today.
The event is scheduled for Friday, 29 November, with 3 guided tours at 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 7 p.m., each lasting about 60 minutes. The 5:30 p.m. tour is specially tailored for families with children and teens aged 6 to 14. After the tour, the young participants can take part in an exciting quiz challenge, exploring the connections between Pirelli and the world of sport.
Admission is free, subject to booking, while places last. Sign up for the visits here for the 4.30 p.m. and 7 p.m. slots, and here for the “family quiz” at 5.30 p.m.

A summary of the concepts and applications of the smart approach in a thesis

Smartness means a way of understanding urban and territorial development which expresses a complex balance between environmental and sustainability requirements, resilience, adaptability, affordability, productivity and liveability. It means the Smart City, therefore, but today also Smart Land and Smart Community, driven by an uninterrupted dialogue between different realties, which complement each other, bring out the best in each other, engage in discussion to bring something different and better to life each time. The concept and reality of smartness are certainly complex, requiring a good understanding before appropriate implementations can be achieved. Reading “Smart City e Smart Land: politiche locali per uno sviluppo sostenibile” (Smart City and Smart Land: local policies for sustainable development) – research by Matteo Paccagnella defended at the University of Padua – helps in understanding something more about all this.

Paccagnella starts from the consideration that three quarters of the public in Europe currently live in urban areas and it is estimated that by 2050 towns and cities will be home to 85% of the entire European population. The need to rethink locations in a ‘smart’, sustainable way arises from these figures. At the same time, this must take into account the need to reorganise territories, overcoming “the administrative architecture made up of borders now incapable of containing the consequences of phenomena which are global in scope.”

In Paccagnella’s view, this prospect must concern everyone – the public, local authorities, companies, associations and research centres – in their respective roles and also implies a change of pace in the culture of civil life as well as in business culture.

Matteo Paccagnella’s work attempts to lend order to the wealth of knowledge accumulated on the subject to date, starting from one concept: smartness is effectively a “new Renaissance” made up of social, economic and governance aspects that must be reimagined. After establishing the basic concepts, the research looks more deeply at the transition from Smart City to Smart Land and closes with the analysis of two case studies: Bologna and Turin.

Smart City e Smart Land: politiche locali per uno sviluppo sostenibile

Matteo Paccagnella

Thesis, University of Padua, Department of Political Science, Law and International Studies, Three-year degree course in Political Science, International Relations and Human Rights, 2024

A book that has just been published provides a good manual for guidance on a challenging path.

Sustainability that appears to be known about is the situation of many companies whose management only apparently knows the ins and outs of sustainability, and everything that follows from it. It’s not only a matter of accurate information and attention, but also of business culture which must, of necessity, change with increasing rapidity (albeit anchored to certain fundamental principles).

The introduction of sustainability criteria in companies has to do with organisation but also with strategy and, as mentioned, with the cultural substratum of those who work in companies. Niccolò Maria Todaro, Francesco Testa and Marco Frey wrote their “Integrare la sostenibilità in azienda. Un percorso strategico, organizzativo e culturale” (Integrating sustainability in companies: a strategic, organisational and cultural path) recently published in open access concerning these ideas.

“The integration of sustainability in today’s business situations requires (…) a profound change in how we do business, directed towards redefining objectives and priorities through the various areas of organisational action,” the authors state in the initial pages, immediately recalling the significant content of this change: the change in business strategies and model, in the methods of organising work, in the very ways in which people relate to work and in the workplace. Integrating sustainability into a company is therefore a complex question; on the one hand it’s a choice, but on the other, it becomes an obligation imposed by the situation which also represents a challenge “to the ability of today’s businesses to root the principles of sustainable development in their modus operandi, far beyond symbolic commitments and cosmetic initiatives”.

In their book, Todaro, Testa and Frey attempt to provide a map to guide those struggling to implement such an operation. It starts from delving into what sustainability truly is, then provides a forward-looking vision and, immediately afterwards, links sustainability to the need for a change in organisational and business culture indicated previously. The book then closes with two chapters dedicated to guiding the necessary change in the various components of business.
In their conclusion, the authors write that achieving corporate sustainability “does not constitute a static goal, but rather a continuous process of adaptation to, and integration of, diverging priorities and conflicting objectives. This does not end with the competitive structure of the company, but reverberates in the choices that determine the organisational structure, culture, and the role of people in the company.”

Integrare la sostenibilità in azienda. Un percorso strategico, organizzativo e culturale
Niccolò Maria Todaro, Francesco Testa, Marco Frey
Franco Angeli, 2024

Four women against the gender gap. Four university rectors from Milan, to be exact: Elena Beccalli of Cattolica, Marina Brambilla of Statale, Giovanna Iannantuoni of Bicocca (also president of Crui, the Conference of Rectors of all Italian universities) and Donatella Sciuto of Politecnico. An exemplary photo (la Repubblica, 26 October) shows them side by side with the mayor of the city, Beppe Sala, in the Palazzo Marino, discussing with a group of high school students how to increase women’s participation in the labour market and the benefits this can bring, not only for the economy, but also and above all for social cohesion, sustainable development and quality of life (la Repubblica, 26 October).

The image is a symbol of the path taken by women in Milan in terms of political and cultural responsibility. Its significance may even increase in the future, given the appointment of Valentina Garavaglia as the new rector of IULM in November. The new rector, Agaglia, will assume office, and Anna Gervasoni, the rector of Liuc (the University of Castellanza), which is located in the province of Varese but has strong ties to the productive territories in the north of Milan, could also be considered a Milanese figure. However, beyond the picture, the rectors also have a warning: what still needs to be done to reduce and then eliminate those gender differences that affect work, pay, rights and, indeed, power, as access to the tools that can determine economic and social balances and chart a better future.

One thing is evident: considering the role, weight and responsibility of women is not merely about acquiring knowledge and skills to enhance their status. It is, above all, about developing an intellectual and cultural framework, an “intelligence of the heart”, sensitivity and a pragmatic approach. The ability to solve problems that could be pivotal in effecting the much-discussed economic and social “paradigm shift”, which has implications for the productive economy, civil society, the intricate domain of rights and responsibilities, social welfare and our democracy as a whole.

And it is, of course, about the conditions for a better future. Including the evolution and governance of Artificial Intelligence. As Donatella Sciuto from Politecnico, explains, “When I think that the overwhelming majority of AI systems are developed by men, it raises concerns about the potential for technology to perpetuate gender bias”. And so? It now seems to be accepted that, to put it simply, the structure of algorithms, the construction of the relationship between questions and answers, requires a multidisciplinary commitment (computer science, physics, mathematics, statistics, engineering, but also sociology, philosophy, psychology, economics, law) to understand their meaning and values and to manage their dynamics and consequences. The important thing is that the presence of women is high, discipline by discipline. The commitment of the four rectors points the way forward.

Here is a point of agreement: there must be an insistence on merit, on the professional skills of women. “We did not become rectors because of pink quotas. We studied, researched and competed,” says Marina Brambilla, the head of the Statale. This way, “women manage to become leaders where they are able to study like their peers. I think Milan and Lombardy are a good example.”

There are three articles of the Constitution that can be used as a reference, articles 3, 31 and 37, which explicitly state that “a working woman shall have the same rights and, for equal work, the same remuneration as a male worker” (we blogged about this on 17 September). And it is a disparity that continues to affect both the personal lives of millions of women and the quality of the country’s economic development.

Let’s look at some data to get a better understanding. According to ISTAT, the female employment rate was 52.7% in the first half of 2024, an improvement from 51.9% in the same period last year. But still well below that of men, at 70.4% in 2024 and 69.4% in 2023, a gap of 18 points, much wider than the EU average of 10%. A gender gap that continues to place us at the bottom of the European league. And it has a negative impact on the overall performance of the Italian economy: “If our female employment rate reached the European average, GDP would grow by 7.4%,” argues Azzurra Rinaldi, an economist and director of the School of Gender Economics at Rome’s La Sapienza University. The same reasoning applies in the EU context: “Investing in gender equality, as documented by the European Institute for Gender Equality, could increase GDP per capita in Europe from 6.1% to 9.6% in 2050. Roughly speaking, this means a gain of between 1.95 and 3.15 trillion euros,” comments Linda Laura Sabbadini (la Repubblica, 25 September), asking rhetorically whether these prospects are enough for European governments to “finally change course” and invest in equality and women’s work. Sabbadini goes on, “Our country is still prisoner of a short-sighted vision, not only because it is unfair and punitive, but because it is the result of a culture that does not understand that investing in gender equality means driving economic growth.”

Other relevant data comes from INPS (National Institute for Social Security), which documents how “mothers are penalised in terms of salaries and careers” (la Repubblica, 25 September). This phenomenon is known in economic and social literature as the ‘child penalty‘, which refers to the impact of motherhood on work and careers. A gap is opening up with men, who are making progress in both areas, while mothers are experiencing part-time work and slow career progression. With a gap that is rarely made up (around thirty points, according to INPS). And, of course, this has an impact on pensions: the average male pension is 35% higher than the average female pension.

Another aspect highlighted by the INPS is the increasing tendency of women to stop working after the birth of a child.  If, prior to the birth, the probability of leaving the labour market is more or less the same (9% for men, 11% for women), immediately afterwards, in the year of the birth, the risk rises to 18% for the mother and begins to fall to 8% for the father. At the age of two, the risk is still high for the mother (14%), and it is only after the third year that the situation becomes more equal. Of course, if you can count on family and social support (starting with nursery schools).

The situation is even worse for part-time female workers.

A situation that needs to be radically changed. With political choices. Welfare investments. Equal opportunities. And changing cultural trends. A long and far-reaching commitment. Not exactly what the newspapers and statistics would lead us to believe.

It is not only a matter of justice and a better social balance, but also an advantage in terms of values and quality of development. Marina Beccalli, Catholic University, says, “There are many international studies that document that in organisations or companies where there is a greater presence of women, there is less fraud, more ethical behaviour, a greater orientation towards sustainability.”

(photo Getty Images)

Research published explaining the strong links between AI and business leadership

Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the service of business, as long as it is well understood and managed. This is the key message of most studies on the subject, such as the recently published “Design of AI in leadership” by Khushwant Singh and Mohit Yadav (University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Maharshi Dayanard University).

The research aims to clarify the relationships between AI-based technologies and the leadership role of specific functions within Industry 4.0. The study was based on two main categories: “Artificial Intelligence” on the one hand and the meaning of “leadership” on the other. The two researchers start from the observation that artificial intelligence (AI) is having a major impact on the working environment, both from a technical and social point of view, due to the increasing use of technologies developed by AI. However, the essay highlights the importance of leadership in ensuring the correct adoption and use of AI in business.

The research puts forward a simple argument. A review of the available literature demonstrates the need for AI-enabled leadership techniques in organisations, but also the fundamental role of leadership itself in the diffusion of AI. A role that the authors divide into at least four categories: leadership that touches on the strategic transformation process, leadership that touches on skills and culture, and finally, human-AI interaction.

While Khushwant Singh and Mohit Yadav’s research does not bring new insights to the analysis and evaluation of AI in business, it does have the merit of putting current knowledge into context and reiterating the fundamental role of the human element in even the most advanced technologies.

Design of AI in leadership

Khushwant Singh, Mohit Yadav

atIA. 2025; 3:118

A book has just been published that traces a clear history of one of the foundations of civic life

Work changes with society, and so do companies and the way they operate. A question of technology but also of human relationships. And of goals and priorities for action. Much about the evolution of the economy and social relations can be understood by understanding how work has evolved. This is why “Il lavoro in Italia. Un profilo storico dall’Unità a oggi” (Work in Italy. A historical profile from the Unification to today) is an essential read. Written by Manfredi Alberti – researcher in History of Economic Thought at the University of Palermo – this is a book dedicated to the subject, full of content but clear in its presentation.

Alberto’s starting point is that the world of work in Italy has undergone profound changes since the Unification, linked to the economic, social, political and cultural shifts that have affected the country in its transition from a rural economy to the current service society. This long path of development and transformation encompasses the role of politics and the state in building the welfare state and labour law, the impact of migration and the evolution of gender differences, trade union struggles and the history of rights, but also the economic theories that have helped both to outline the contours of the social question and to explain the determinants and trends of key variables such as wages and employment.

Alberti also traces the history and current affairs of each topic, making extensive use of statistical sources and legislation, as well as reconstructing the historical changes that have transformed the value of labour in the country.

The book is divided into ten broad chapters: from the situation of post-unification Italy to that of early globalisation, from the working conditions of the First World War to those of the Twenties, from the situation during the Second World War to the early years of the Republic and the boom. It then covers the period of conflicts and reforms, the period of Fordism and the market, and finally the period of the second globalisation, precariousness and new forms of employment.

Alberti Manfredi really allows us to understand one of the foundations of the civic and social life of the Italian Republic.

Il lavoro in Italia. Un profilo storico dall’Unità a oggi

Manfredi Alberti

Carocci editore, 2024

Employment in Italy is growing, exceeding the ceiling of 24 million people with a job that is more or less stable, more or less in line with their needs and expectations. The unemployment rate is just 6.2%, the lowest it has been since at least 2009. All in all, the financial markets are not showing any particular concern about the resilience of the Italian system and public accounts, without increasing the spread. And the Meloni government is right to see the economic glass as half full, even if the chances of achieving the 1% GDP growth predicted by Palazzo Chigi at the end of the year (the Bank of Italy reasonably estimates +0.8%) are diminishing.

“Paradoxes (and records) of employment”, writes Ferruccio de Bortoli in the Corriere della Sera (20 October), highlighting the “anxieties” linked to a situation in which the Italian employment rate is 62.3%, while in the other major EU countries it is around 80%, and young people and women remain largely outside the labour market. Low wages that have not kept pace with inflation in recent years. Growing dissatisfaction with the companies and public administrations in which people are employed. Labour shortages, exacerbated by the prospect of a “demographic winter”. And a general climate that makes one fear that the dynamism that Italy, more than other European regions, has shown in the post-Covid period may be waning.

However, if we look closely at the news of recent weeks, we can see that, beyond the economic trend, there are elements of fragility that must be taken into account, precisely in order to be able to design economic and social policies capable of revitalising the economy and triggering a more solid and lasting recovery. And those elements are both the growing weight of the underground and illegal economy and the increase in poverty, including among workers.

The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, has sounded the alarm. Speaking at the Stars of Merit ceremony for those who have distinguished themselves in their work (Il Sole24Ore, 18 October), he said that “Pockets of low wages tear the social fabric apart”. It is not just an economic issue. But a wound in the body of the country, with serious consequences for the closeness of relations and the very stability of the national community. Social cohesion is fundamental to democracy. And without this cohesion, the possibility of building robust hypotheses for the future and sustainable development for new generations is also at risk. A solid democracy is one that manages to hold together political, social and civil liberties, the market economy and thus enterprise and economic growth, welfare and widespread prosperity. Otherwise, the crisis will worsen.

President Mattarella therefore stressed, “It is true that the growth figures are comforting. But it is also true that employment is fragmented, between an upper end where quality and professionalism translate into good pay, and a lower end where pay is inadequate, fuelled also by involuntary part-time work and precariousness. This is a worrying tear in the social fabric.”

Let’s look at the data, then. In Italy, according to ISTAT (2023 data), there are 5.7 million people in absolute poverty (4.1 million ten years ago) and 2.2 million households, with a rate of 8.4%, up from 6.2% in 2014. Poverty is also a problem for families where the primary breadwinner is a worker: their rate rose to 16.5% from 14.7% in 2022. Southern Italy is the worst affected area. It is true that employment is rising, as Istat repeatedly tells us, but inflation has wiped out the positive impact of wages on spending power: a decrease of 1.5% in real terms in equivalent expenditure. And more generally, real wages have lost 10% since 2019 (Inps data, Il Sole24Ore 18 October).

There is another factor to consider: the incidence of absolute poverty among minors, which is 13.8% and affects 1.3 million children and young people. These generations see their future in jeopardy and risk being marginalised from economic development and civic life, with dramatic discrimination in education, health and quality of life. A fundamental departure from the constitutional requirement of equality of opportunity for citizens.

These conditions are greatly affected by the existence of a “black”, underground or illegal economy: poor jobs, low security, high precariousness, lack of rights, poor prospects. This is the second vulnerability. This is not sufficiently addressed (the historical tendency towards social security and tax amnesties is certainly not conducive to economic development and transparency).

“The underground and illegal economy: record high at 202 billion (+9.6%)”, wrote Carlo Marroni in Sole24Ore (19 October). The underground economy is worth 182 billion, and the illegal economy, the basis for the power and violence of the ‘ndrangheta, the Camorra, the Mafia and the various other criminal organisations, is worth almost 20 billion. The data comes from Istat and confirms that this “black” economy is worth 10% of GDP. A growing imbalance in economic and social equilibrium, another landmine that seriously threatens the country’s social cohesion and severely limits its potential for sustainable environmental and social development.

What should be the political response to that? In addition to the indispensable measures to alleviate extreme poverty and the initiatives to combat undeclared work and tax evasion (funds are being recovered, but little and slowly, with a tax system that continues to burden regular employment and businesses), what is needed is a radical, far-reaching economic and fiscal policy that promotes growth and the modernisation of the country. And a Europe-wide industrial policy that encourages investment in the sectors with the most future. Starting with the quality industry. And therefore raise wages by linking them to productivity (and this would require favourable taxation).

As an indication, it is worth reading the words of Mario Carraro, one of Italy’s best and most far-sighted entrepreneurs, 95 years old, with a quality metal business in Campodarsego (Padua) and a great passion for culture: “Love for the factory and constant reflection give birth to the future,” he said in an interview with Paolo Bricco (Il Sole24Ore, 20 October). Research, productivity, international outlook, reform policy, focus on innovation and the energies of the younger generation.

Indeed, the country’s balanced growth depends on its best industry. With the promotion and fiscal support of a “Made in Italy” that does not only focus on the well-known “typical” (clothing, furniture and agri-foodstuffs), but also on the most competitive and productive sectors: mechatronics and robotics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding and aerospace, rubber and automotive components, i.e. all those industrial productions that are the pillar of those 630 billion exports that keep the country’s system on its feet and feed a long line of innovative services for businesses. Quality, innovation and development, in short. Wages and welfare. Industry is also the cornerstone of the social cohesion that President Mattarella and the most responsible Italians rightly hold dear.

“The industrial product gains charm and prestige in the eyes of the public when it is enriched by the architect’s imagination […]. But how can an architect confer this appeal upon a product? By means of a carefully studied setting, placing it in a certain way, in a certain set of spaces; in short, by inventing an aesthetic context for it.” These were the words written by Armanda Guiducci in the pages of Pirelli magazine of 1960, in a critical analysis of the modern culture of well-being, which allows man to linger on the moment of enjoyment and in the “most refined pleasure of consuming”. The words of the Neapolitan writer underscore the significance of the relationship between artists and the business world—a meeting of visions that was crucial for conveying to the public not only a company’s history and values, but also the story of its products. This collaboration could be enhanced by architects and designers, who created the stands, shops, and shop windows that could communicate a company’s commercial power “at a glance”.
The photographs preserved in our Historical Archive bear witness to the importance of international fairs for Pirelli. These fairs provided an ideal platform for unveiling cutting-edge products and capturing the public eye, and many great names from the last century helped shape the visual identity of the iconic “Long P” with their ever more spectacular settings.

In contrast to early twentieth-century installations, which lacked a clear display model—as we see in the picture of the 1929 Prager Autosalon, with its “sculptural” pile of tyres—trade fairs from the 1950s onwards became an ideal space for architectural experimentation. At the 1958 Turin Motor Show, the collaboration between Bob Noorda and Roberto Menghi brought to life a luminous space, showcasing not just the company’s products, which were suspended from the ceiling by cables, but also the construction of the Pirelli Tower. The Dutch designer himself was photographed sitting on the pavilion’s armchairs, as if having a final look at his work before the opening. The various attractions of the “Long P” stands, caught on camera, included demonstrations of tyre assembly and disassembly, inflatable airships in rubberised fabric, rotating installations, and special demonstration machines that allowed visitors to experience the springiness of the company’s rubber suspensions.

Pirelli also took part in fairs devoted to the world of two wheels, such as the International Cycle and Motorcycle Exhibition, featuring renowned artists like Pino Tovaglia, Marco Zanuso, Franca Helg, Franco Albini, and Massimo Vignelli. The last of these created the setting for the 1963 edition, which was photographed by Roberto Facchini: tyres placed on illuminated pedestals, screens with pictures of Pirelli’s most significant racing victories, and, most notably, the “Directomat” machine—a small robot that dispensed “120 answers to your sports questions” printed on paper, sparking the curiosity of young and old alike. The Pirelli stands at EICMA went beyond just showcasing products, for they also showed the manufacturing processes, simulated their use on a circuit with mannequin-riders on bicycles with Pirelli tyres, and looked back over the history of the velocipede, showcasing some rare historical pieces. These ranged from the Draisine—the 1855 “dandy horse”—to the 1952 Bianchi bicycle that took Fausto Coppi to victory that year in both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France.

The diverse range of exhibitions that Pirelli took part in reflected the breadth of its product line during the mid-twentieth century: from the 1953 Triennale Firefighting Exhibition—where the company showed its accident prevention items such as hoses, respirators, and masks—to the 1956 International Packaging Exhibition in Padua, where a Fiat 600, wrapped in a Visqueen tubular sheet, was photographed at a stand made entirely of polyethylene, designed by Noorda. In 1957, at the International Children’s Festival in Palermo, the “Pirelli Zoo” came to life with Rempel toys, while at the 1st International Furniture Fair in Milan in 1961, a photograph captured the gluing process with a skilled worker applying Pirelli foam rubber to a seat. There were plenty of exhibitions abroad, such as the 1959 Feria Oficial e Internacional de Muestras in Barcelona. Here, the Pirelli stand, which was devoted to electrical conductors, featured a dramatic design, with a central pool surrounded by towering vertical columns shaped like cables, together with illustrations depicting the process of energy transmission through the products made by the iconic “Long P” company.

The photographs also capture the official visits of key political figures of the era. Prince Humbert of Savoy and his wife, Maria José of Belgium, are immortalised in front of a model of the Bicocca factory at the 1933 Milan Fair, interacting with a drawing of the same subject in pencil and white lead displayed on the wall. Similarly, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy was photographed the following year at the unveiling of the classical-style Pirelli Pavilion, designed by Piero Portaluppi. Transitioning from Monarchy to Republic, the Turin Motor Show saw Presidents Luigi Einaudi in 1951 and Giuseppe Saragat in 1965, the latter photographed alongside Leopoldo Pirelli and Juan Manuel Fangio, the star of a series of commercials for the Cinturato that year. Also King Baudouin of Belgium made an appearance at the Pirelli stand at the 1960 International Motor Show in Brussels, with the camera capturing him in a conversation with the company’s technicians, “showing a keen interest in the details of the new BS3 invention”, the undisputed star of the show.

The importance of stands at trade fairs remains vital to Pirelli today as a means of expressing its identity. This can be seen in the space created for the 2024 edition of the Goodwood Festival of Speed—a stand devoted to electric mobility and the sustainable materials used in tyre production. This commitment is further reflected in The Sports Workshop, the new exhibition by the Pirelli Foundation, which honours the company’s longstanding bond with sports competitions.

Antonio Padoa-Schioppa’s latest book is a lucid summary of the issues that Europe needs to address.

Crisis, full stop? Or crisis and ways to emerge from it? These questions have obvious answers, but truly demand a guide organised by subject and stages. This is what Antonio Padoa-Schioppa has attempted with his Destini incrociati. Europa e crisi globali (Destinies intertwined: Europe and global crises), a book which has just been published. In its first pages, it expresses a “feeling of trust, but made up of responsibility” to convey “to the youngest readers” first and foremost, but which it would do everyone good to receive.

The author addresses crises starting from 10 words and from Europe. The first are: climate, energy, defence, reforms, budget, taxation, inequality, West, East, United Nations. The European Union, on the other hand, is the leading player today called upon to address these issues, which are all challenges to overcome.

Ten issues for negotiation between Europe and the planet make up the same number of chapters in Padoa-Schioppa’s book, which ends with a letter to the confirmed EC President Ursula von der Leyen.

The author leads the reader along a path that sees Europe as an extraordinary place of converging interests and values, a path punctuated by the themes identified by the different words which summarise them. However, the path leads to the question of whether the EU will truly be able to remain a global reality, whether it will truly succeed, even in the face of today’s crises, in continuing to institutionalise its peace and whether, finally, it will prove capable of leading Europe into the future.

This all reaches its conclusion in a letter to the President of the Commission – an act of trust and not naivety, Padoa-Schioppa clarifies. One of the letter’s final passages says: “Crises represent the origins of turning points; they birth them. And it is leadership that seizes on and promotes their potential. And finally, it’s the grassroots pressure (…) that provides the leadership with the necessary consensus support, which unfortunately is not enough on its own.” Democracy and unity therefore appear to be the real resources available for overcoming even such a difficult period as this.

Antonio Padoa-Schioppa’s book is a must-read for all: by those who are “merely” members of the public and those with decision-making responsibilities in businesses and institutions.

Destini incrociati. Europa e crisi globali

Antonio Padoa-Schioppa

il Mulino, 2024