Massacred by Aldo Grasso of Corriere della Sera, criticized by several listeners on social media, the Rai1 talk show on Euro2024 “European Nights” is nevertheless proving to be a pleasant surprise in the television panorama. Rewarded by ratings, which always fluctuate above one million viewers with peaks of 2 million (in the last episode on Wednesday before the two-day break it captured 1,320,000 viewers with a 15.5% share) the program hosted by Marco Mazzocchi and Paola Ferrari The secret of success lies in its lightness.
Mazzocchi and Ferrari as in “Casa Vianello”
The light-hearted atmosphere desired by Marco Mazzocchi – histrionic, irreverent and self-deprecating – makes the show slide towards informal and popular tones, without the pretension of “teaching football” or improvising as teachers. We smile and laugh in a jovial atmosphere with the host who improvises enjoyable theaters at the “Vianello house” with Paola Ferrari. Joking digs, enjoyable back and forth like when Mazzocchi set a trap for Ferrari by asking: “We know that the European top scorer is called…”. The presenter of 90th minute was only partially taken aback by having to spell the Georgian Georges Mikautadze: “I have it, I have it… I also know where he plays, I know everything. But don’t give me a test on the pronunciation of the names of Georgia’s players without me being sufficiently prepared” she replied and after reciting the player’s name and surname correctly she froze her colleague: “Are you okay with this? But I’m not joking with you tonight!”.
Damascelli’s report cards and the arguments with the guests
Among the strong points of Notti Europee also the connections with Toni Damascelli, who gives ruthless report cards in contrast with those of the other guests and often argues with Pecci or Antinelli, faithful to the role of “disturber” but among the new features there are the presence of Umberto Martini, sent to Germany, and Valeria Ciardiello, a permanent presence in the studio.
Who is the correspondent Umberto Martini?
If Umberto Martini’s improvisations on the streets of Germany, in pubs or at the homes of Italian emigrants, initially left the spectators speechless, who, instead of hearing comments on the matches, found themselves following the personal stories of the interviewees in a sort of “La vita in diretta” made in Deutchlandas the episodes went by, we appreciated the original connection with the Rai correspondent who is also hosted in private homes and shows the daily life of Italians in Berlin or Dortmund with hilarious domestic skits and the deliberately merciless pressure of Mazzocchi ( “Did you offer yourself as a domestic worker?”).
Who is Valeria Ciambriello?
The calmest voice in the entire study, among Mazzocchi’s grimaces, Ferrari’s intemperates and Ubaldo Righetti’s clarifications, is that of Valeria Ciambriello who has been working at Rai for some time. Ciambriello made his TV debut in 2006 on ESPN Classic with the programs “Protagonisti” and “More Than a Game”. In 2007 he joined Juventus Channel, where he hosts various programs and participates in live broadcasts from stadiums. Subsequently he worked for Rai Sport. In 2013 she was appointed director of Sport LT 1 and in 2014 she began collaborating with Alice TV. In 2015 she joined the Italian Basketball Federation for the launch of the Italbasket HD channel on Sky Sport 3. Since 2017, she has been involved as a consultant for the project “QuBì Program – The recipe against child poverty”. For the 2023-2024 season she is a commentator on “La Domenica Sportiva” on Rai 2 and “Notti Europea” on Rai 1.
Born in Milan to Giuditta Longari, a cycling champion from Gombito, and Carmine Ciardiello, amateur cyclist from San Martino Valle Caudina, Valeria grew up in an environment where sport was an integral part of daily life. From a young age, you showed a great interest in various sports disciplines, practicing artistic gymnastics, dancing and swimming. After completing the Alessandro Manzoni High School in Milan, she graduated with honors in Environmental Sciences from the University of Milan-Bicocca. While she studied, she worked as a hostess and travel companion. Her passion for theatre led her to join the Quelli di Grock company, where he acted in works by great authors such as Eliot, Ibsen, Pirandello, Schmitt and Strindberg.
