L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 2 open to the public for free. The F o n d o A m b i e n t a l e I t a l i a n o (Italian National Trust) is a non- profit organization, inspired by t h e B r i t i s h c o u n t e r p a r t a n d chaired by Italian archeologist A n d r e a C a r a n d i n i , w h o t o o k office in 2013. Born in 1937 to the noble Carandini family from Modena ( E m i l i a R o m a g n a ) , w h i c h obtained the title of Count in the 15 th century and Marquis of Sarzano in the 16 th , Andrea is t h e s o n o f A m b a s s a d o r a n d Minister of the Italian Republic Nicolò Carandini. He is also third cousin of British actor Sir Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings film trilogy 2001-2003). After graduating from the University of Rome in 1962, with a final dissertation on the d e c o r a t i v e m o s a i c s i n t h e R o m a n V i l l a o f P i a z z a A r m e r i n a , A n d r e a C a r a n d i n i b e c a m e p r o f e s s o r o f Archaeology as well as of Greek and Roman Art History at the universities of Rome, Siena, and P i s a . H i s r e s e a r c h m a i n l y focused on the topography of ancient Rome and the Etruria region, located in an area that covered part of present Tuscany, Latium, and Umbria. Under his s u p e r v i s i o n , t h e R e p u b l i c a n Roman Villa Settefinestre (1 st century BC) was excavated in Tuscany in the years 1976-1981, and soon opened to the public. This operation became very pop- ular at the time, due to the mod- ern use of the stratigraphic tech- nique, as well as to the informa- tion provided on the agricultural production and slavery systems i n t h e R o m a n e r a . A m o n g Carandini's most controversial discoveries of the last century is the Palatine Wall, built on the north slope of the Palatine Hill in Rome and dated 8 th century Countless historical and artis- tic treasures, deeply rooted in the territory, are Italy's most valuable assets. Both this unique heritage and the environment that surrounds it must be cher- ished and preserved, not only for their present value but also for the good of future generations. Promoting the Italian culture in terms of respect for nature, a r t , a n d t r a d i t i o n s h a s b e e n FAI's mission since 1975, car- ried out through many different initiatives. Among them are the well-known Spring Days (March 21-22), when over 750 cultural sites throughout Italy will be As F.A.I. president, Carandini has committed to collaborating with the Government to enhance the Italian culture, research, landscape and heritage as an essential way out of the crisis. Photo credit: @Contrasto Andrea Carandini digs up Italy's hidden treasures SILVIA SIMONETTI BC, which is considered very important to shed light on the history of the foundation of the City itself. He also worked on t h e a n a l y s i s o f m o n u m e n t a l complexes in Pompeii, Volterra, a n d n e a r t h e A u d i t o r i u m i n Rome. From 2009 to 2012, Andrea Carandini served as the presi- dent of the Consiglio Superiore d e i B e n i C u l t u r a l i , a d v i s o r y body of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. He authored numerous publica- tions, was involved in a project for the digital collection and management of archaeological data, and was awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2006. As F.A.I.'s president, he has committed to collaborating with the Government and other stake- holders to enhance the Italian culture, research, landscape and heritage as an essential way out of the crisis. In a past interview he clearly stated "Italy will grow again only if we learn to com- bine productivity and culture, to conciliate between the past and the present in order to build the future."

• Cover