Happy birthday, Newspaper. On June 25th the newspaper founded by Indro Montanelli will officially celebrate its first anniversary fifty years of history. In fact, on that early summer day in 1974, the great journalist from Fucecchio sent out the first copy of that new information organ with a strong liberal inspiration that would revolutionize the entire Italian journalism. “Fanfani counts friends and enemies” was the very first opening headline of the “Giornale Nuovo”. Although the birthday of half a century of life will be celebrated – calendar in hand – only in three days, in reality there have already been many events that have celebrated our daily life in this first half of the calendar year 2024. And it’s not over yet .
Wednesday afternoon the director Alessandro Sallusti led the big demonstration at the Portrait hotel in Milan which saw the interview with Giorgia Meloni on stage and immediately after the dialogue between Nicola Porro and Mike Pompeo, as well as the greetings from the former publisher Paolo Berlusconi, the vice-presidents of the Council Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini and the president of the Senate, Ignazio La Russa. However, numerous other national and local government representatives, institutional representatives, entrepreneurs, managers, journalists and intellectuals were present in the Milan location. Among many, Matteo Piantedosi, Attilio Fontana, Luigi Brugnaro, Antonio Angeluccimember of the Chamber of Deputies and editor of Il Giornale, Vittorio FeltriGiovanni Malagò, Letizia Moratti, Marco Tronchetti Provera, Nicola SperoniCEO of Il Giornale, Remo Ruffini, Paolo Del Debbio and Stefano Zecchi.
On Monday 24 June, a long journey towards the moment in which we will be able to exclaim out loud: “Happy birthday!” will be concluded. But the first public event was held at Circolo Filologico Milanese to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the newspaper and took place last February 29th. Sallusti and all the other prestigious authors of the Milanese newspaper have “challenged” the leap day to inaugurate the celebrations: “100 days to the elections – The future of Europe” the title of the event which analyzed Europe’s geopolitical and economic challenges to the vote and the scenarios on the horizon, including wars and upheavals destined to bring about the emergence of a new world disorder. After the panels moderated by Nicola Porro and Augusto Minzolini, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper interviewed Antonio Tajani And Matteo Renzi.
On April 10th we moved to Turinmore precisely at the Polo del ‘900, to discuss “Artificial Intelligence – The Fifth Revolution”. In the heart of the Piedmontese capital there was a discussion between the great protagonists of business and innovation 5.0, with a panel dedicated to the new frontiers of AI hosted by Hoara Borselli whose guests were Marco Ditta (Group Head Data & Artificial Intelligence Intesa), Barbara Caputo (full professor and Director of the Artificial Intelligence Hub at the Polytechnic of Turin), Mauro Crippa (DG Information Mediaset) and Michele Grazioli (CEO Vedrai Spa). Nicola Porro instead entrusted the floor to experts who know the secrets of new digital technologies and study their further cutting-edge applications: Uljan Sharka (CEO iGenius), Xabi Uribe-Etxebarria (Founder & CEO Sherpa.ai) and Carlo Cavazzoni ( Leonardo Lab Manager).
Just over a month later Genoa He hosted “Quo vadis Terra”: on 15 May, in fact, two public debates addressed the issues of the green transition at the Palazzo Ducale. After the initial meeting with the mayor Marco Bucci The price of sustainability was the topic at the center of a discussion between Mario Tartaglia (Head of FS Research Center FS Group), Luigi Merlo (President of Federlogistica-Conftrasporto) and Elena Flor (Head of Esg Steering of Intesa Sanpaolo). We then came to discuss the new technological frontiers of the energy transition – between opportunities, innovations and green utopias – together with Raffaella Luglini (Sustainability Director of Leonardo), Maria Enrica Danese (Communications & Sustainability Director Tim) and Matteo Cidda (Communications and Social Responsibility of Banco Bpm), to conclude the event with a face-to-face meeting between Alessandro Sallusti and Gilberto Pichetto FratinMinister of the Environment and Energy Security.
June 5th Verona he hosted instead “Made in Italy – Unique in the world”: a way to celebrate the alchemy that makes our country a global excellence. The tricolor genius is a mix of creativity, tenacity, entrepreneurial spirit and traditions that have crossed time and fashions. At the Confindustria headquarters in Verona, welcomed by the president Emanuele Orsini, some exemplary business stories have been told that have brought the Italian brand to the world. Among the guests were Sandro Boscaini (President of Masi Agricola Spa), Massimiliano Anzanello (CEO of Arte Bianca – Pan Piuma), Andrea Compagnucci (Marketing Director of Arena di Verona). Then, in the round table moderated by the deputy director of il Giornale, Osvaldo De Paolini, with Hoara Borselli, speeches by Stefano Susani (CEO of Amplia – Autostrade per l’Italia), Cesare Trippella (Head of Leaf EU Philip Morris International), Luigi Scordamaglia (CEO of Filiera Italia) and Domenico De Angelis (Co-General Manager of Banco BPM). Finally, the interview with Ettore PrandiniPresident of Coldiretti, on the protection of the Italian agri-food chain and its excellence.
In short, the journey was long and full of events. But the debates were not the only engine that animated this gigantic party that flooded Northern Italy. Yes, because at the beginning of June the leaders of the newspaper were received in a private audience by Pope francesco. At the Second Loggia of the apostolic palace Alessandro Sallusti presented the delegation to the Holy Father: the editorial director Vittorio Feltri, the publisher’s family represented by Antonio, Gianpaolo, Alessandro and Simone Angelucci with their respective children, the group’s managing director Nicola Speroni and the general manager Stefania Bedogni. The Angelucci family donated to the Pope a seventeenth-century Roman crucifix as well as the first original copy of Il Giornale and a sculpture created specifically to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary; Francis reciprocated with rosaries blessed by him. The same leaders – together with the Quirinalist Massimiliano Scafi – were then also welcomed by Sergio Mattarella, to whom the first original copy of il Giornale and a sculpture specially created to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary were donated. An anniversary that will conclude on Monday 24 June with the event entitled “Il Giornale 50 years later”.
Garlic IBM Studios in Piazza Gae Aulenti, various relevant current issues will be analysed. First “The challenge of peace”: here Nicola Porro will moderate the debate on Claudio De Scalzi, CEO of Eni, Giampiero Massolo, President Mundys, and Ana Palacio, former Foreign Minister of Spain. “Forced to grow” is the topic they will face Flavio Cattaneo, CEO of Enel, Carlo Cimbri, President of the Unipol Group, Giuseppina Di Foggia, CEO of Tema, and Cristina Scocchia, CEO of Illycaffè, moderated by Osvaldo De Paolinis. In the middle of the day, Bruno Vespa will recall, in “Pride and Freedom – The protagonists”, old anecdotes with those who succeeded Montanelli as director of the Giornale: Vittorio Feltri, Maurizio Belpietro, Mario Giordano, Alessandro Sallusti and Augusto Minzolini.
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo he will be interviewed by Nicola Porro, after which Hoara Borselli will talk about “Paradigm shift” with Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Fincantieri, Marco Hannappel, CEO of Philipp Morris Italia, and Pietro Labriola, CEO of Tim. “The sustainable dream” gives the title to the panel with Marco Mari, Sustainable Development Expert, Claudia Parzani, President of the Italian Stock Exchange, Tommaso Sabato, President of Acea Infrastructure, and Roberto Tomasi, CEO of Autostrade per l’Italia.
Finally, Vittorio Macioce will host “Quel maledetto 1974” in the company of Michele Brambilla, writer and editorialist of the Giornale, the journalist Domizia Carafoli, the Minister of Culture, Giuliano Sangiuliano, and Massimiliano Scafi. All on the eve of the fifty symbolic candles to be blown out to remember where it all began: from that signed “Fanfani counts friends and enemies” Indro Montanelli.
