Italian Innovators will make you discover Italy’s present contribution to arts, fashion, technology, business, design; learn about great Italians in a dynamic & informative, way; and explore Italy's cultural history and its path to global success.
The presented stories of Italian entrepreneurs and innovators (from the past to the present) aspire to investigate Italy's way to originality, the impact of culture upon business, and the value of a holistic approach to the creation of new, meaningful ideas.
Playlists are organized in different categories: #innovators (profiles in English) #initaliano (profili in italiano) #italianages (lessons on Italian cultural & industrial history) #interviews (conversations with contemporary professionals)
The host & creator Luca Cottini is a literary scholar & cultural historian. Educated in Italy (Univ of Milano) and in the U.S. (Notre Dame, Harvard), he is associate professor of Italian Studies, author, and storyteller.
Thank you for shining a light on this marvellous gallery and the central figures responsible for making it a reality. My office was a block away from this fabulous treasure, which is also the site of afternoon concerts and a place to seek solace and restorative contemplation during one's hectic workday.
Thank you very much for your comment and I am glad my episode landed so close to you! You made me remember my fond years in Boston while I was attending grad school at Harvard! Thanks again!
Delighted to hear of your interest! Thanks from the heart! And, of course, if you are interested in Sicilian culture and entrepreneurship, check out my latest video on the island's wines and liquors at bit.ly/innovators-sicilianwines
Grazie, Luca! A most interesting and revelatory story. The Marco Polo instrument in particular is magnificent!, and your concluding choice of metaphors is inspired. ;)
Thank you very much for your kind words and I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed the episode. Fazioli is indeed a truly remarkable example of Italian savoir faire and holistic thinking. Grazie!
"Business Philosophy" 1. Employees. The Employer Will Take Care Of The Employees. 2. The Employees Will Take Care Of The Customers. 3. The Customers Will Take Care Of The Shareholders. Retired @ Chrysler
Great video on a truly talented and inspirational individual. My introduction to Elsa Peretti was through her Tiffany pieces. Something about them pushed me to discover more about the artist and designer behind them. To learn of her foundation is remarkable and I can further appreciate her ongoing contribution to humanity, animals, society and our planet. What a gift Elsa was to us!
Your work inspiries us to think of people who imagine and create. Thank you for your stories that take me into the world of historical connections and flights of fancy!
Having worked at Olivetti for many years, I can say that besides the superior aesthetics of the exterior design of products. Equal care was taken on the insides and construction. I know many who having worked on Olivetti products who when working on other brands have often found them to be crude in construction often cutting themselves on sharp parts and pressings, something one got used to never finding on an Olivetti product, no matter how complex. Anyone who has seen the interior of an Olivetti accounting machine or elecromechanical computer terminal or online banking terminal would never describe them as simple. But they were by design more straight forward than the competition. Then came the electronic equipment, electronic product years after Olivetti had sold their advanced computer division. Design brilliance inside and out with technical training that was better than others, the Divisumma 18 shown above at 19:52 is not a standalone example, the desk mounted and standalone equipment was also comparable in design significance, the TCV250 being a fine example as a fully electronic unit similar in design to the P203 an early electromechanical office machine. In house and field mechanical technicians were trained on electronics and had some of the best diagnostic tools available to fault find any Olivetti designed and built IC circuit board and repair at chip level. Other companies hiring electronics experts for electromechanical equipment often displayed a lack of competence at the mechanical level in the electromechanical era.
I have a small collection of older ties. Sometimes I just enjoy looking at them and appreciating their beauty. Unfortunately in the US today very few opportunities exist to wear them without seeming a little pretentious. Thanks for a wonderful presentation. I’ve eaten at a restaurant in the hills above Naples and the meal was spectacular.!
Thanks for your comment and you are right. It is less and less common to wear ties, but they do remain a sophisticated and charming fashion accessory, which Neapolitan brand Marinella reinvented in a warm and authentic way. So, elegance without pretentiousness, formality without rigidity, style without arrogance. That is the secret of success for many other Italian fashion companies. I am glad you enjoyed the episode!
As always, a sumptuous and fascinating video. What better way to introduce the essence of Napoli than through its art, aristocratic culture, and vital history all represented in the Marinelli brand! Grazie molto for your wonderful insights.
Thank you for sharing your history and the sources of your inspiring presentations. Your enthusiasm for learning is revealed in the subjects you choose to enlighten us and expand our horizons. I look forward to future videos and wish you well!
Thank you very much for your kind words and the esteem for my work. Sharing a story is a way to multiply it! Telling is a way to learn it anew! I’m glad you’re enjoying the contents of #italianinnovators Spread the word! 😊
The term appears in Vasari's vite, but until the mid-19th century its meaning did not have the connotation we are used to. Before "The civilization of the Renaissance in Italy" (1860), the 16th century was the known to historians as the century of the Italian wars. After then, it is the century of the Renaissance. The one who introduced this critical shift was Jacob Burckhardt (it is spelled with a final T). Thanks for watching!
The analysis is very good. Can I translate the main content into Chinese and share it on my own Chinese self-media platform? I will write clearly the source and author
Don Cottini, I am an anthropology PhD student stumbled upon your video looking for something to inform me about post war Italy after watching Divorce Italian Style and Marriage Italian Style. I learned so much and your connections to design were fascinating. Bravo!
Thank you very much for your message and I am very glad to hear this. The best joy of a teacher is to open a new window of research and establish new connections for students. Thanks for your kind words!
I would submit to you that Balla's painting MERCURY PASSING BEFORE THE SUN may have been inspired by newspaper accounts of Einstein's theories that began in Einstein's "Miracle Year" of 1905 and culminated w/ Einstein's 1915 paper Explanation of the Perihelion Motion of Mercury from General Relativity Theory that was the first proof of General Relativity. In short, Mercury was the Mona Lisa of science in the years preceding Balla's painting, and Balla was an amateur astronomer. "Cafe Intellectuals" consumed things like this with modern newspapers. Einstein knew about the Newtonian problem of Mercury when he made a summary of his special relativity in 1907. Newtonian gravitational "force" could not account for a slight discrepancy in predicting where Mercury should be after long observations. An international team of scientists including Marcel Grossmann, Michele Besso and Erwin Freundlich set about trying to use the new theory to account for Mercury's orbit in the winter between 1911 and 1912. In 1913, Einstein developed a preliminary theory, which he called “Entwurf” (draft in German) which, although erroneous, was very important in his way toward the mathematical formulation he would publish two years later. In fact, just before, along with Grossmann, he had already found the right solution, but without recognizing it as such. An example of the importance of chances and fortune in the advancement of science. Now, Balla may not have grasped General Relativity, and Einstein expressed consternation that most of the people heaping fame on him did not, but it did not matter, this was NEWS and the world was cahning. Final confirmation of the new reality of the universe - that we were living in Einstein's universe as it were - took place 1919 and was the biggest science world news event ever. It's not for nothing Balla did at least a dozen versions of MERCURY PASSING BEFORE THE SUN.
Fantastic documentary, I came here after listening to the Podcast "Salvatore Ferragamo, Shoemaker of Dreams" from the Ferragamo museum on Spotify. Great to see this after listening to that podcast. Grazie!
Thanks for your kind words and I am glad you enjoyed the Ferragamo episode. If you are interested in Italian fashion, you can find in this channel a whole playlist of #innovators and entrepreneurs in the field of #moda. You can check it out at bit.ly/MyInnovatorsFashion Enjoy!
The bicycle with the potential to provide an affordable means to freedom of movement to the common man....must have been absolutely frightening to the institutions in power at that time. Not that that has changed. Excellent presentation and eye opening. Thank you!
fantastic ! You explaned to me perfect the feeling I get when i'm confronted with italian design. If it is a car , a painting , a building ore food. I had to review your analyse several times for the best understanding bur slowly it starts to be clear to me now. I hope modern times don't be the end of the Italian way of creating. Italians are not the only of creating beauty but I think the way this proces you have explained works is meaby typical & unique to Italy. Thank you for this video... I have to read your book.
Thank you very much for your words and I am honored to hear of your interest. In the book you will find a historical reconstruction of how this model came about in the early industrial phase. This presentation relates to its philosophy and mental structure, which, as you point out, applies very to contemporary design as well. Thanks again and you can find many more presentation on the theme on this channel. I recommend "The Italian Way. What Makes Italian Design Unique?"
