L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano " Industrial city of the 20th century:" th is is how Ivrea has been recently introduced to the U N ES CO World H er - itage List, at the beginning of the month of July. Ivrea is little known outside of Italy, but its most beloved son, Adriano Olivetti, is famous, appreciated and esteemed around the world. A name, that of Olivetti, syn- onym with innovation and Made in Italy, but also with work ethics, family values and respect for the employee. He was pro- foundly Italian, Adriano Olivetti, but somehow also tied to the US, a country he visited in 1925, at the tender age of 24, to learn English and better understand how its industrial power devel- oped and continued to grow. His stay in America is recounted in a text, Dall'America, Lettere ai Familiari 1925-1926, published by Fondazione Olivetti, dedicat- ed to a young man besotted with the efficiency of the American industrial model, but also some- how worried about the potential consequences of uncontrolled industrialization. L'Italo Ameri- cano had the opportunity to speak about Adriano Olivetti, about the foundation carrying his name and, of course, about Ivrea's can- didature to the UNESCO World Heritage, with Beniamino De'Liguori Carino, Secretary General of the Fondazione Olivetti and Adriano's grandson. Ivrea's just become part of the UNESCO World Heritage List, also in name of its "patri- monio culturale Olivettiano". Could you tell us more about it? Thanks for asking this, as it gives me the opportunity to clari- fy what we mean by "cultura Olivettiana," which is the most important inheritance the Fon- dazione Olivetti has to manage. By "cultura Olivettiana" we intend all those factors determin- ing a society's well being and progress. Adriano Olivetti was many things: an entrepreneur, above all, but also an editor, a politician, a urbanist, a sociolo- gist, a writer. Each of these reali- ties has been studied in depth, to the point they have almost become independent from one another. The "cultura Olivet- tiana" is the link tying together all the planets of this amazing system, iconically represented by the figure of Adriano Olivetti. You mentioned the Fon- dazione Olivetti: what are its aims and what's its history? The Fondazione was created in 1962, two years after the pre- mature death of Adriano Olivetti. His passing was sudden, unex- pected and left half of the city of Ivrea without an important pater- nal figure. But there was more. The wide project of entrepre- neurial, social and political reforms carried out by Adriano Olivetti came to a halt in such a sudden manner there was no plan B to fall upon. It became immediately clear it was neces- sary to keep going with his pro- jects, but it was a time of pro- found transformation in our company, with many members of the Olivetti family leaving its management board. Because of this, action had to be taken out- side of the company itself, and this was exactly what my family did. The creation of the Fon- dazione Olivetti is an exemplar philanthropic act: all 5 branches of the Olivetti family, including Adriano's sisters, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and chil- dren devolved a non-reim- bursable capital for the constitu- tion of a foundation aimed at "promoting the cultural and social work created by Adriano Olivetti." The news of the day is cer- tainly that of Ivrea's UNESCO recognition: can you tell us something more about the town and, most importantly, about the role of the Olivetti family in its development? Ivrea has very ancient origins, about which little is known. However, locals are very attached to their roots, also thanks to the popularity of the city's Carnevale Storico. Ivrea is at the heart of the Canavese area, which had been dominated since the 5th century by the Salassi, a Gallic population. After years of ferocious battles, they were finally conquered by the Romans, who founded Eporedia, modern Ivrea, in the year 100 BC to control strategically the territory and create, along with Aosta, military outposts in the area. After the Romans, Ivrea was controlled by ecclesiastical powers, then there were feudal diatribes, and then Arduin of Ivrea ruled it. Later, it became French under Napoleon, then returned to be part of the King- dom of Sardinia in the second half of the 19th century and finally a commune of the King- dom of Italy. After the unifica- tion Ivrea underwent many changes, especially in its very productive and economic fabric, which had always been prepon- derantly agricultural, with little interest to manufacture. It was a place, honestly, that didn't seem ready to be the home of the 'Prima Fabbrica Nazionale di Macchine per Scrivere' (the first national factory for typewriters), that is, the most innovative idea one could think about at the beginning of the last century. But… for one hundred years the history of the city has been writ- ten by my family; today, thanks to UNESCO, this link has been made perpetual and indissoluble. A timeless connection, which will see for ever the name of Ivrea and that of the Olivetti family together. I cannot hide how proud I am, but it's a pride that transcends family ties. It's FRANCESCA BEZZONE Ivrea: the last Italian jewel to enter the UNESCO Heritage List an Italian being proud of other Italians who made the history of our country. A history that, today, is patrimony of the world. Then, we can say this candi- dature is very much connected to the figure and the work of your grandfather, Adriano Olivetti… Certainly so. Ivrea would not have received such recognition if my family didn't make of the city the heart of its interests and life. Because the company truly was part of the family, both for Camillo and Adriano.Then things changed, just as the world changes, and it's normal the company's expansion modified relationships and connections. Yet it didn't modify the respect my family as a whole always had for "la ditta," the company, and for the people who worked there. Ivrea is a model example of a 20th century's industrial city not only, I believe, for the peculiari- ty of its industrial architecture, when compared to other coeval examples, but also because the values at the heart of its creation can be of inspiration for the eco- nomical, social, political and cul- tural rebirth, growth and devel- opment not only of our country, but of the world as a whole. It took us ten years to prepare the dossier to submit to UNESCO for Ivrea's candida- ture: these years are a true added value, thanks to which we didn't only finalize the concepts and ideas that won us a place in the UNESCO Heritage List, but also allowed us to create a strong ter- ritorial alliance among all the institutions involved. Mibact and the Comune di Ivrea above them all - they accepted our proposal in 2008 - along with the Regione Piemonte, Torino Città Metro- politana, the Comune di Banchette and the Fondazione Guelpa. To conclude, what does this candidature mean for the city, but also for the Fondazione Adriano Olivetti and its other projects? In truth, there are two answers to this question. The first is more personal and driven my emotions: I'm incredibly touched, just as the whole team at the Fondazione was when we found out Ivrea had become a UNESCO site. Touched because of the passion we've been carry- ing out our work with, especially in the last ten years. The second answer is more rational. I can see the future knocking on Ivrea's doors and I hope there'll be enough lucidity to understand those doors need to be wide open!Ivrea can be again a place of experimentation and innova- tion. Alone, we can run fast, but we can't go very far. We need many allies, all tuned on the same wavelength. We need to find another successful goal to achieve, just like the incredibly moving one we reached on the 1st of July. A s pecial thanks to Francesca Limana, of the Fon- dazione Olivetti, for the support given while writing this piece. The Carnevale Storico, with its battle of the oranges, is one of Ivrea's oldest traditions Ivrea, little know, yet beautiful town of Northern Piedmont is the last Italian to become part of the UNESCO Heritage list Beniamino De'Liguori Carino, Secretary General of Fondazione Olivetti and grandson of Adriano tells l'italo Americano about the Olivetti heritage and the beauty of Ivrea After the Unification of Italy, Ivrea underwent many changes, especially in its social and economic fabric ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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