Italian
The author, introduced by journalist Giorgio Casco, defines them as “founders” because over a hundred years they began the construction of one of the most important and wealthy regions in Europe: men and women who have left their deep mark in business, culture, and sports.
This is why the book is divided into three parts, which outline the profiles of both famous figures, such as Giuseppe Volpi, Gaetano Marzotto, and Lino Zanussi, as well as lesser-known individuals like Pietro Pittaro, who, as a wine producer, decided to leave his business to his twelve workers, anticipating the profit-sharing with his employees from the owner of Luxottica.
Considering one for all, Giuseppe Volpi, Count of Misurata, he was a Venetian entrepreneur and politician and a key figure in industrial development, as he is credited with the idea of creating Porto Marghera in 1917 and promoting Venice as a tourist and cultural destination. He was skilled at navigating political changes, involved in fascism, but capable of adapting. His initiatives for the development of the city are famous: the road bridge over the lagoon, the Venice Biennale, the development of the insurance and banking sector. Unfortunately, he had a
tragic end: accused of treason, arrested and tortured, he was saved only by the intervention of his son, but died marginalized by Venice.
As for the sports field, football and cycling are the emblematic sports of the North-East, with numerous champions born in the region: Ezio Vendrame, a footballer and poet, an unconventional figure; Gianfranco Zigoni, another great football talent; Tiberio Mitri, a world-famous boxer whose life ends tragically; and Gino Bianchi, an eccentric footballer known for his extraordinary gestures.
In all these samples, common traits can be observed: solidarity and spirit of sacrifice.
Therefore, athletes widely represent the capacity for redemption and the resilience typical of the local population.
Finally, there is the third part of the book, dedicated to Faith and Church in the North-East.
Religion has always played a central role, not only as a rite but as a social glue and source of solidarity in our territories. There are also a number of examples of exemplary religious figures, such as Father Leopoldo, saint confessor of Padua; Brother Francesco Cortese, who helped Jews and anti-fascists and later became a victim of the Nazi-fascists; and Father Davide Maria Turoldo, poet, resistor, an uncomfortable but prophetic figure, symbol of Friulian spirituality. Furthermore, it is important to remember that the local Church has often supported the population in times of crisis (for example, during the Friuli earthquake).
To complete the presentation of the book, there was a reader, Alessandra Morizio from the Voce di Carta association, who read some excerpts from the book’s three sections, enriching and enhancing its enjoyment.
The book, therefore, reflects on how the North-East has transitioned from a situation of poverty and emigration to one of prosperity, thanks to visionary figures and a spirit of solidarity and innovation. Furthermore, the North-East model has also been studied by foreign delegations, which have highlighted the combination of “Japanese” work ethic and “Italian” joy of living.
A clear and objective analysis that can help us today understand which values and behaviors we could adopt from these founding fathers for a revival of the North East.
The presentation of Edoardo Pittalis’s book at the Candiani in Mestre
As part of the collaborations between Il Circolo Veneto and the Athena Project, within the series “Progetto Carteina, on May 13th, there was the presentation of Edoardo Pittalis’s book The Founders of the Northeast at the Candiani in Mestre.
Meanwhile, as we recall, the Veneto Circle is a cultural association that operates with the aim of creating civic awareness and encouraging participation in the community, through a series of initiatives, one of the most well-known being the Mestre Painting Prize. The Project Athena, named after the goddess of Olympus symbolizing cunning and poetry, has this mission: to introduce new writers with their stories and to brighten the afternoons of both young and old through the promotion of inclusive cultural events.
Together, in those productive collaborations that yield fruitful results, they thought to invite Edoardo Pittalis, journalist and writer, as well as an editorialist for Gazzettino, where he was long the deputy director. He is also the author of numerous books, some of which have been adapted into theater-song performances, brought to the stage by Gualtiero Bertelli and his company.
This time his attention turned to the Northeast, that geographical area that includes Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, and Trentino Alto Adige; in a single definition the Three Venices, a term dating back to Roman times, later revived in the nineteenth century, and finally established with a profound redefinition at the end of the twentieth century and branded as a “trademark,” thanks to the intuition of intellectuals like Carlo Sgorlon, journalists like Giorgio Lago, entrepreneurs like Mario Carraro, religious figures like Father David Turoldo, Pope Roncalli, who was adopted by the Northeast, and politicians like Bepi Covre, who defined himself as a heretical leaguer because he favored autonomy over secessionism.
The focus of the book is particularly on its founders, presenting them through a different magnifying lens, highlighting those figures who have contributed, perhaps unknowingly, to establishing the boundaries that eventually led to the final definition of a significant part of Italy with a similar identity, both economically and socially. Figures who, in their time, from the beginning until the 1980s, made history and whose lives Pittalis has only now retraced, linking them together to demonstrate that the Northeast, as we know it today, already existed in fact at the beginning of the last century.
The author, introduced by journalist Giorgio Casco, defines them as “founders” because over a hundred years they began the construction of one of the most important and wealthy regions in Europe: men and women who have left their deep mark in business, culture, and sports.
This is why the book is divided into three parts, which outline the profiles of both famous figures, such as Giuseppe Volpi, Gaetano Marzotto, and Lino Zanussi, as well as lesser-known individuals like Pietro Pittaro, who, as a wine producer, decided to leave his business to his twelve workers, anticipating the profit-sharing with his employees from the owner of Luxottica.
Considering one for all, Giuseppe Volpi, Count of Misurata, he was a Venetian entrepreneur and politician and a key figure in industrial development, as he is credited with the idea of creating Porto Marghera in 1917 and promoting Venice as a tourist and cultural destination. He was skilled at navigating political changes, involved in fascism, but capable of adapting. His initiatives for the development of the city are famous: the road bridge over the lagoon, the Venice Biennale, the development of the insurance and banking sector. Unfortunately, he had a
tragic end: accused of treason, arrested and tortured, he was saved only by the intervention of his son, but died marginalized by Venice.
As for the sports field, football and cycling are the emblematic sports of the North-East, with numerous champions born in the region: Ezio Vendrame, a footballer and poet, an unconventional figure; Gianfranco Zigoni, another great football talent; Tiberio Mitri, a world-famous boxer whose life ends tragically; and Gino Bianchi, an eccentric footballer known for his extraordinary gestures.
In all these samples, common traits can be observed: solidarity and spirit of sacrifice.
Therefore, athletes widely represent the capacity for redemption and the resilience typical of the local population.
Finally, there is the third part of the book, dedicated to Faith and Church in the North-East.
Religion has always played a central role, not only as a rite but as a social glue and source of solidarity in our territories. There are also a number of examples of exemplary religious figures, such as Father Leopoldo, saint confessor of Padua; Brother Francesco Cortese, who helped Jews and anti-fascists and later became a victim of the Nazi-fascists; and Father Davide Maria Turoldo, poet, resistor, an uncomfortable but prophetic figure, symbol of Friulian spirituality. Furthermore, it is important to remember that the local Church has often supported the population in times of crisis (for example, during the Friuli earthquake).
To complete the presentation of the book, there was a reader, Alessandra Morizio from the Voce di Carta association, who read some excerpts from the book’s three sections, enriching and enhancing its enjoyment.
The book, therefore, reflects on how the North-East has transitioned from a situation of poverty and emigration to one of prosperity, thanks to visionary figures and a spirit of solidarity and innovation. Furthermore, the North-East model has also been studied by foreign delegations, which have highlighted the combination of “Japanese” work ethic and “Italian” joy of living.
A clear and objective analysis that can help us today understand which values and behaviors we could adopt from these founding fathers for a revival of the North East.
