L'Italo-Americano

SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano A y e a r h a s g o n e b y s i n c e t h e Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco wel- c o m e d i t s n e w D i r e c t o r , A l b e r t a L a i . B o r n i n Cagliari, Sardinia, she grad- uated in Ancient Literature and taught Latin and Greek in Italian high schools for s e v e r a l y e a r s , s h e t h e n gained a Doctorate in Greek Philology at the University of Urbino, with a thesis on the tragedy of Aeschylus. Director Lai's passion for promoting the Italian lan- guage and culture emerged with her first assignment abroad, in 1997, in Iceland, where both her daughters were born. With her hus- band being by her side in all t h e c o u n t r i e s w h e r e s h e served, our chat with Direc- tor Lai kicks off with a state- m e n t o f g r a t i t u d e t o h e r family: "By sacrificing his professional ambitions with great generosity, my hus- band Carlo allowed me to reconcile my career with a p e a c e f u l f a m i l y l i f e , " s h e tells us. Director Lai, what's your story throughout the years? C l a s s i c a l S t u d i e s a n d Greek Theater have always b e e n a g r e a t p a s s i o n o f mine; for many years, I ded- icated myself to the promo- tion of the Italian language and culture. To me, there is no career more rewarding than the one that allows you t o w o r k a n d m a k e o n e ' s country and its cultural her- itage known, appreciated, and loved. I got a Master's degree in teaching Italian as a foreign language and one more in promoting Italian culture abroad at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, anoth- e r s i g n o f m y i n t e r e s t i n teaching Italian. Without thinking twice, I welcomed t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o t e a c h Italian language and litera- ture at the University of Ice- land in Reykjavik through t h e M i n i s t r y o f F o r e i g n Affairs. Then, my first posi- tion as Cultural Attaché at the Italian Cultural Institute i n O s l o a n d t h e r o l e a s director at IICs in Vancou- ver, Chicago, and Prague. I was born on the shores of the Mediterranean, yet my work abroad led me to live in many other latitudes and climates. How did you get pas- sionate about working to spread Italian culture around the world? Looking at the interest shown by people in Iceland, the desire to contribute to making Italian cultural her- itage known and to appreci- ate Italian excellence in all s e c t o r s w a s b o r n i n m e . Today, I read lots of Italian b o o k s , l i s t e n t o I t a l i a n m u s i c , a n d w a t c h I t a l i a n movies. I visit exhibitions of Italian artists, in search of works and projects that can best represent creativity, o r i g i n a l i t y , r i c h n e s s a n d variety of Italian culture. Getting the opportunity to be in San Francisco was precisely the fulfillment of a l o n g - c h e r i s h e d d r e a m . There are many things that excite Director Lai about San Francisco and the Bay Area: "Despite having had v e r y s t i m u l a t i n g a n d rewarding work experiences i n m a n y c o u n t r i e s a n d cities, I had great opportu- nities for professional and cultural growth during the years in Chicago and I want- ed to return to the United States for my last assign- ment abroad. In my first few weeks in San Francisco, I used to compare the city to Chicago. I soon realized that C a l i f o r n i a n c u l t u r e a n d lifestyle are very different and I began to appreciate locals' approach, the gen- uine tolerance towards oth- ers, and people's kindness". The dream of a life in San Francisco also comes from a family's story. At the begin- ning of the 20th century, Director Lai's grand-uncle on her mother's side emi- g r a t e d f r o m S a n V i t o , a t o w n i n S a r d i n i a , t o t h e United States and settled in S a c r a m e n t o t o w o r k a s a m i n e r . " F r o m w h a t w e heard, he had made a big f o r t u n e a n d h e u s e d t o return to his hometown on holiday, always driving a luxury car accompanied by an elegant American wife. U n f o r t u n a t e l y , d u r i n g W o r l d W a r I I , t h e f a m i l y lost track of them. This story of emigration pushed my interest towards the history o f t h e I t a l i a n - A m e r i c a n community and the contri- bution to the grandeur of this city." Which were your first t h o u g h t s w h e n y o u moved here last year? San Francisco, which I already visited as a tourist, revealed itself in all its beau- ty. Despite the morning fog, the hills, and the wind, I finally found myself on the seaside again, with the scent of salt brought by the sea breeze. The liveliness of the city's cultural life, the fervor of innovation, the scientific research and the prestigious u n i v e r s i t i e s i m m e d i a t e l y i n s p i r e d D i r e c t o r L a i , encouraging her to explore the cultural, artistic, and m u s i c a l s c e n a r i o s w i t h a vocation for technology. T h i s p a s t y e a r h a s been a very busy time for the institute. What's the biggest challenge for your team? O u r I n s t i t u t e i s a t t h e c e n t e r o f a p i l o t p r o j e c t , I N N O V I T , c o n c e i v e d a n d financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Interna- tional Cooperation. It acts as an accelerator for Italian startups to prepare them, through training and men- t o r i n g p r o g r a m s . I n t h i s context, we had to rethink our role, objectives and ini- tiatives, as well as contents a n d f o r m a t s , m o v i n g towards a setting where cul- ture and art meet business- es, scientific, and technolog- ical research. W h a t ' s t h e p l a n f o r the rest of the year? I n 2 0 2 4 , t h e I n s t i t u t e presented a schedule that ranged from music to cine- m a , f r o m l i t e r a t u r e t o dance, from art to photogra- phy and design, from sci- ence to cuisine. We hosted m o r e t h a n f o r t y e v e n t s across San Francisco, Berke- ley, Palo Alto, Napa Valley, Seattle, Portland, and Hon- olulu. We have a tiny staff, w i t h t h r e e d e d i c a t e d a n d talented employees, howev- er it's not enough to keep up with the number of activities and the complexity of the administrative-accounting m a n a g e m e n t . W e h a v e important events awaiting like Il Giorno del Contem- poraneo, aimed at valoriz- ing Italian contemporary art in all its forms; the XXIV edition of Week of the Ital- ian Language in the World; and the IX Week of Italian Cuisine in the World. What's the most excit- ing project you're work- ing on? I don't want to disclose the whole program yet, but w e ' l l w e l c o m e a r c h i t e c t Alfonso Femia, founder of the international studio Ate- lier Femia of Genoa; writer S t e f a n i a A u c i , a u t h o r o f international best sellers, during the literary festival San Francisco Litquake; and musicologist Gabriel Dotto, S c i e n t i f i c D i r e c t o r o f t h e Ricordi Archive and curator of the complete edition of G i a c o m o P u c c i n i ' s w o r k . W h a t I c a r e m o s t a b o u t right now is bringing back a contemporary Italian cine- ma festival to San Francisco. The idea is to present the same program in Seattle and S a n F r a n c i s c o , t h e r e f o r e sharing titles and guests and bringing part of the event to Honolulu and Hawaii too. IIC Director Alberta Lai: from Sardinia to the world, a journey inspired by Italian culture and language SERENA PERFETTO Director Lai with Giulio Iacchetti, curator of the exhibit Carissimo Pinocchio, and Pino Trogu, professor of design at San Francisco State University, in March 2024. Image courtesy IIC SF

• Cover