Insider magazine italian ambassadors perennial trophy southafrica

Sout h Africa

Year 1 •

Number 0 •

Free copy

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November 2013

publishing Editor Insider Srl Largo Messico, 15 - 00198 Rome - Italy +39 06 98353089 President Angela Grimaldi angela.a.grimaldi@insidermagazine.it

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Relations with the Institutions Alessandro La Rocca alessandrolarocca@insidermagazine.it

letter from the editor INSIDER MAGAZINE South Africa, Made in Italy

Chief Operating Officer Raimondo Cappa amministrazione@insidermagazine.it Managing Director Francesca d’Aloja direzione@insidermagazine.it Cover Castel dell’Ovo ph Rastrelli

Editorial Director Mariela A. Gizzi redazione@insidermagazine.it Managing Editor italy Donatella Codonesu redazione2@insidermagazine.it Managing Editor south africa Alessia Cabib alessiacabib@gmail.com Art Director info@csgraphicdesign.it grafica@insidermagazine.it contributing writers Alessandra Vittoria Fanelli Carlotta Miceli Picardi Carolina Schioppa Ciro Migliore Edoardo Maria Vitali Kim Lieberman Laura Di Cosimo Lorenzo Simoncelli Mike Oldham Pippo Dalla Vecchia Ray Matthews Vincenzo Schioppa

sailing

sailing

sailing

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Izivunvuvungu School

R.C.y.C. cape town

r.Y.C.C. Savoia, napoli

PRINTING Creda TRANSLATOR Guido Angelucci

interview

aircraft

building

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Willy Persico YEAR 1 - NUMBER 0 November 2013 Company Register: Court of Rome, n° 58/2009 of 25/2/2009 The brand is protected by the Italian Brand and Patent Office Copy right Insider ©. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission from the publisher.

The Flying Lions

Italian Real Estate

ADVERTISING info@insidermagazine.it

This magazine is part of the Italian Periodical Press Union

art

travel

resort

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Alighiero Boetti

Cinque Terre

Villa Cimbrone

Under the patronage of the Italian National Olympic Committee

www.insidermagazine.it

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n In occasion of the “Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy”, we are proud to introduce a special edition of Insider Magazine South Africa. This edition has been launched because the Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy is a charity project and deserves the support and the effort of the people, institutions and the media.

Insider Magazine is an exclusive magazine dedicated to style, culture and to the best of Made in Italy, with an eye on positive and sensitive stories. For more than four years it has focused on the reality around us, telling us about traveling, art, design, sport... always maintaining a very personal Free Press style. Following up to the Italian edition, we are now glad to announce the launch of Insider Magazine South Africa number Zero, to emphasize the Made in Italy in a part of the world that very much appreciates our culture and more generally what comes out of our beautiful country. Born under the auspices of the Italian Embassy in South Africa and

the Italian Consulate in Cape Town, this number Zero of the new edition is focused on the Italian people and their stories of finding success in South Africa, and on and on South African stories of excellence.

It is a new, challenging editorial journey, an ambitious project aiming to highlight the success achieved by Italians out in the world. This number Zero proves our will to highlight people and sustainable products that keep our flag high abroad. The magazine has been put together thanks to the cooperation of the Roman editorial staff with a new born editorial staff in Cape Town. It tells Italian stories in South Africa, South African stories in Italy and shows images from Italy that we think will be interesting to our South African readers, and vice versa.

Last but not least, we would like to warmly thank our partners: Morgenster, Southern Wind Shipyards, Ferrero, Viglietti and Giuricich, Iveco. They gave us their support, believed in us and embraced this project from the beginning ◆

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With the pupils of the primary schools of Diepsloot, August 2012

With the South African Minister of Foreign Affairs, H. E. Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and the Ambassador of Argentina, August 2012

A foreword from Vincenzo Schioppa Ambassador of Italy to South Africa

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hat excitement in these past two months!

Launching a local edition of a well-known Italian glossy magazine, which builds on the friendly relations between Italy and South Africa and on the strong ties of our two peoples, was in itself a daunting task. Add to that the desire for the first issue of Insider/South Africa to accompany the first charity regatta of the Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy in Cape Town, and the twinning of the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia of Naples with the not less old and renowned Royal Cape Yacht Club; put all that in the framework of the already demanding daily

workload of an Embassy in such an important Country as South Africa, and you can have an idea.

Eventually, we are there. Thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of so many collaborators and friends, in Italy, South Africa and elsewhere. I could not mention all, but I cannot not mention Alessia Cabib, Edoardo Vitali, Toni Mainprize with Ray Matthews and all the RCYC’s friends in Cape Town; Gerardo de Maio, Francesco Angeloni, Anna Maria Venturi, Paolo Bonissone in Pretoria; my daughter Carolina in Paris, who designed the logos, and of course Raimondo and Mariela Cappa and their staff in Rome.

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With our young friends at the Izivunguvungu School, for the Italian Christmas Regatta, December 2012

“Insider Magazine South Africa” is not an end in itself. It is intended to be a vehicle for our reciprocal messages and for even better reciprocal knowledge. The Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy charity regatta is not simply a gathering of keen sailors. It is the first of, I hope, many occasions for sharing with the less advantaged youth of the Cape Region the values of the sea, of seamanship, of solidarity and reciprocal learning. The twinning between the two glorious Yacht Clubs of Naples and Cape Town is not only a social event. It is the expression of a common vision of sport as an enrichment of society as a whole.

Few other Countries like South Africa can show better the importance, for modern diplomatic relations, of human

exchanges and of day-by-day outreach to the real people.

I feel - I know - that the occasions of reciprocal knowledge that we have organized during the last two years with the children, be they the ones of the Izivunguvungu school, of Alexandra, or of the primary schools of Diepsloot are not less important that a State visit or a business forum.

This is also the reason why we want the South-African youth to be the protagonists of another forthcoming memorable event: the visit in February of our Navy’s new flagship, the 800 ft (250 mt) aircraft carrier Cavour. But that is another story, one to which we may dedicate the next issue of Insider...

A tutte e tutti, buona lettura, e buon divertimento alla Regata! ◆ Under the patronage of the Italian National Olympic Committee

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Italians in the Cape

or: why there is so much of Italy at the foot of the Table Mountain (and in the rest of the Country)

by Edoardo Maria Vitali - Consul of Italy, Cape Town Ciro Migliore - Editor, La Gazzetta del Sudafrica - ph Trevor Wilkins

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he relationship of Italians with South Africa is an impassioned affair. Many interesting publications are available but, most probably, there is much more to say. The presence of Italians in this country has developed during periodic moments of migration but seems to be epitomised by the adventures and fortunes of a few notable people.

While history books tell us that Cape Town was founded in the year 1652 by Jan van Riebeek, commander of the fleet sent to start an agricultural station by the East India Company, the city became a strategic square on the chessboard of international relations at the turn of the eighteenth century, when the Napoleonic Wars in Europe sent the said Company into bankruptcy and “forced” England to take possession of the Cape. It was in fact this change of owners that quickstarted the migration of thousands of British and Europeans towards the Cape of Good Hope and the hinterland. But it is

hard to find Italians among them, first of all because they were Catholics and also because they could not speak English and therefore it would be difficult to communicate with them.

The first Consulate of the Kingdom of Sardegna had been established in the Cape in 1852, well ahead of the Italian national unity, but eleven years later the journalist Cristoforo Negri would write on “La Stampa” that he did in fact look for Italians in the colony, “but there are none and I did not see any.”

He was wrong because the Italian Rocco Catoggio had arrived in the Cape with the British troops that had defeated the scant resistance opposed by the soldiers of the East India Company and had become a rich businessman in Paarl, leaving a perennial memory of himself in the name Rocco that ever since has been shared by generations of prominent South Africans of families, like the De Villiers and others. It is a certainty that other Italians were living in the Cape, as is proven by the death certificates filed between 1821 and 1868 and mentioned by the historian

Valentina Jacoponi in her “Fields of gold and roads of iron” (Campi d’oro e strade di ferro) just published in Italy. At least ten had Italian names on them.

Better known are the arrivals of Italians in the following years.

It is well known and documented that Sicilian fishermen were contracted to develop the fishing industry; and the South African writer Dalene Mathee has given immortality in her “Mulberry forest” to the Italians that were recruited to start a silk industry in the Gouna Forest, on the mountains above Knysna, in total absence of… mulberry trees! It is also well documented that many Italian immigrants were sharing District Six, with the mix of races and languages that the apartheid regime decided to demolish decades later.

Those were not easy years for Italian immigrants. The Italians were commonly indicated as “bad smelling, dirty and dangerous criminals.” But police records of the time show indeed that in the span of thirty years only about forty Italians were actually apprehended by the police and just a few were actually prosecuted, while all the others had soon after their arrest been freed for lack of evidence against them.

When diamonds were found on the banks of the Orange River many Italians went to try their luck in Kimberley and the tented cities that were mushrooming in the region; many more punctually showed up in the Transvaal for the gold race that followed the discovery of the yellow metal in the area where today stands the ten million people metropolis that is Johannesburg. Some three hundred of them fought for President Kruger and the Afrikaans Republics in the AngloBoer War under the command of colonel Ricchiardi.

But Cape Town was far away from the front line and the Italian community was growing in numbers and importance, to the point that the most successful businessmen - Nannucci among them - felt the need to start an Italian school and a Common Wealth Society. Italian workers were building the new docks in Simon’s Town and most of the new buildings in the growing centre of the Mother City. The builder Giuseppe Rubbi was also the owner of the farm that today puts on the market the well-known JJ LeRoux sparkling wine and many newcomers found employment and hospitality there.

Painful time for the Italians were the years of the Second World War, when families were torn apart by the internment of the fathers and grown-up children; but those were also the years that brought about a new understanding of the Italians by the South Africans. Thousands of Italian POWs were in fact used as cheap labour in many farms and in the building of roads and they were highly regarded for their craftsmanship; indeed, they opened a new chapter in the history of the Italians in South Africa and facilitated the immigration of thousands in the years immediately after the war.

In the decades following the war there was no lack of significant contribution from Italy towards the struggle against apartheid and the birth of the “Rainbow Nation” as we know it today. During his years in exile, Oliver Reginald Tambo, one of the founding fathers of modern South Africa, found hospitality in several Italian cities where he formed deep and lasting personal relationships, which impacted also on his political activity. Most importantly, a close relationship with the City of Reggio Emilia was created, where Tambo formed a strong intellectual friendship with city councillor Giuseppe Soncini, known for his activism in favour of the decolonisation in Africa. This profound and special relationship was formalized in 1977, when Reggio Emilia signed an agreement of solidarity with the African National Congress - making it the first city to do so - and was solemnly recognized when the city, the only Municipality in the world, was invited to the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony of Nelson Mandela in 1994.

Through the ages, Italians have left a bold and durable imprint. Stone masons and engineers, doctors and lawyers, wine makers, restaurateurs, tailors and businessmen: in a thousand different ways, Italians who have made the world their Country have diffused and transmitted the “Italian spirit.” South Africa is definitely no exception ◆

* “La Gazzetta del Sud Africa” is a daily online bulletin to inform the Italian Community in this country and the Italians in Italy about South Africa. It was started on the 1st of October 2005 and has been declared from the start a quality site.

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Izivunguvungu, the upliftment sailing school In Simon’s Town the Foundation for disadvantaged youth challenges kids with a different way of learning and a better chance for life. This is how

by Commander Mike Oldham, School’s General Manager

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he Izivunguvungu Sailing School (part of a Foundation for disadvantaged youth in South Africa) operates out of the Simon’s Town harbour area, situated approximately at the southern tip of Africa where stunning landscapes and dramatic seas interact to provide both charm and challenge. The human challenge revolves around several thousand young people still experiencing various levels of poverty in the area, despite political reforms, some of whom are rising above their misfortune through the medium of sailing. Approximately 50 young people are presently involved with many more on the waiting list. The project was initially a social outreach activity started by the South African Navy, spotlighting the young people in the poverty stricken areas approximate to the Naval Base these being Masiphumelele, Ocean View and Redhill. The Navy still lends logistical support by means of office and storage space etc but is unable to give financial support due to government restrictions.

The opportunity for our students to become involved nationally and even internationally with the sailing community is invaluable towards opening their minds literally to a whole new world. Our main Staff sponsor, Captain Salvatore Sarno who is CEO of the Mediterranean Shipping Company, was instrumental in giving some of the young students the wonderful chance to sail in Europe. With typical Italian passion, the Captain has also embraced the activities of the music students from Izivunguvungu. MSC quite rightly boast that they now embrace the entire African continent and Izivunguvungu is very grateful that we are included in their humanitarian activities. The Italian connection also extends to the magnificient support given by Ambassador Vincenzo Schioppa who instigated an end of year regatta which he attends in Simon’s Town, with his colleagues, encouraging the young sailors(and the musicians!). Much needed funding will also be realised, partly for Izivunguvungu, via the “Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy.”

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The schools in these areas all cater for at least a thousand pupils each, are underresourced and underfinanced. Several have no school hall, no reasonable sporting facilities, and no credible extra-mural programme. Izivunguvungu has also developed a vibrant music project for these young people and this, together with the Sailing school has a small staff who are sponsored by the Mediterranean Shipping Company. These activities are essential in an environment where most of the students are left unattended after normal school hours and during holiday periods, making them vulnerable to organised crime, drug distribution and abuse.

Although not always initially able to cope with normal school studies where broken homes and broken schools will often have overwhelmed, some students have risen to

the highest levels of sailing achievement as is the case with Asanathi Jim who sailed in the last Olympics and Wandisile Xayimpi, one of several to participate in the Cape to Rio race. The present Sailing Manager, Ricardo Williams, is a former sailing student from Ocean View who now holds official sailing qualifications. He distinguished himself in 2012 by literally saving himself and his crew when they got into difficulty while attempting the return trip from Rio. Several students have also competed in International events in Ireland and France during the last year. The sailing students can begin at approximately age 10 years and will initially be taught to swim. They eventually sail regattas in dingies and keelboats, participating in many events around the Western Cape area, nationally and in some instances internationally.

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The development of skills associated with boat-building and repairs are also prioritised, there being an obvious skills cross-over to acquiring the ability to work productively with wood, metal, fibreglass etc...

The stark reality is that the majority of the young people in our area, and nationally, have not achieved many of the aims and objectives intended and even the Projects such as Izivunguvungu have had minimum success in the long term, leaving the young people unemployed, demotivated and exposed to the never-ending environments tainted by gangsters, druglords et al. Izivunguvungu is now linking up with the False Bay Colleges who have five campuses in the areas around Cape Town, including Fish Hoek, Muizenberg and Westlake, the latter of which offers boat-building Courses and all of whom include a variety of occupational training

opportunities. This will afford the possibility for school-leavers to continue their education, subject to the availability of financial support, towards achieving meaningful employment.

The need is urgent among the new generation while resources are severely limited in the present economic environment. It is intended to use whatever is made available to maximum effect in order to achieve the stunning and dramatic results that will match the landscapes of our beloved Country. This level of achievement is essential in order to save our youth from the otherwise bleak future that will face many of them and, in some instances, to save even their lives! Project sponsors are encouraged to view the website and to consider supporting our young students â—† www.izivungu.co.za

Royal Cape Yacht Club

From 1860 to 2013: Historical Review of the Cape Town’s sailing headquarters

by Ray Matthews, Vice Commodore of the Royal Cape Yacht Club and Cape to Rio Race chairman - ph Trevor Wilkins

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oyal Cape Yacht Club is honoured to have been approached this year by H.E. the Italian Ambassador to South Africa, Vincenzo Schioppa, to host the “Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy Regatta.” Ambassador Schioppa’s love of sailing and passion to share the values of the sea and seamanship in the framework of communities project is now alive at Royal Cape Yacht Club. In support of the disadvantaged youth of the Cape Region, through the Royal Cape Yacht Club Sailing Academy and Izivunguvungu Sailing School, the Ambassador has invited members of the South African and Italian Governments, Ambassadors and Consuls, sport, movie and TV stars, artists, representative of the business community, and sailing enthusiasts to join him and the Royal Cape Yacht Club in a charity social race, where each boat will hosts kids of the two schools. The regatta is

supported also by the Italian Olympic Committee, C.O.N.I. The inaugural event will see the exchange of Club burgees between Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia in Naples Italy and Royal Cape Yacht Club, first step of the process of twinning. We welcome the Italian Trophy as a permanent date on our annual sailing calendar.

Recorded competitive sailing began in the waters of Table Bay around 1860 but the southern Cross yacht club was dissolved around 1890 it took 15 more years before a sustainable club the Table Bay Yacht Club was finally inaugurated on the 7th April 1905.

Initially the yacht club shared boat sheds with the Alfred rowing club in a portion of the Harbour know as Rogge bay, various moves often prompted by the commercial developments within the harbour, meant the Club had various homes, even the current clock tower at one point.

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R.C.Y.C.’s Current Facilities

The first definitive event of the club was the donation by Sir Thomas Lipton to the club of the “Lipton Challenge Cup” in 1909 and its accompanying deed of grant, this deed of grant has remained almost unchanged for the past 105 years. The first Lipton Challenge cup was sailed in the waters of Table Bay towards the end of August 1911 and from newspaper reports it seems Cape Town came to a halt as Cup fever spread, Point Yacht challenged for the cup with Tess against the Table Bay entry of Patricia, with the Natal team winning the first challenge. The Lipton challenge cup is still competed for annually offshore by all sailing clubs in Southern African.

As the clubs sailing activities took the members further afield than Table Bay a more appropriate name was adopted, during 1913 The name of the club was changed to The Cape Yacht Club, paving the way for the momentous occasion that during the middle of 1914 the King of England George the 5th via efforts of the Commodore and the Governor General, granted the club a Royal Charter, this resulted in the name change to The Royal Cape Yacht Club, to reflect its new status a new burgee was designed and is the one we still use today.

The club continued as an active yachting club for the period between the 2 world wars also surviving the ravages of the economic depression of the early 1930’s and contributed significantly to the introduction of new sailing vessels in the Cape. The main fleet however still around 20 larger yachts with 14 and 16 foot dinghies, it also received many visiting yachtsmen using Cape Town as a stopover on world voyages. The larger boats had regular trips to Saldanha and Simonstown. 1920 saw the club introduce its blue ensign after receipt of its Royal warrant. This was used until 1967.

During the Second World War members of the club formed the Seaward Defence Force reserve which operated from SAS Unite, the purpose was to use member’s boats to patrol the harbour which they did.

Marina The marina accommodates yachts ranging from 15 to 62 feet with a maximum of a 12-foot draft. Walk-on moorings are provided with water, 220v electricity supply and WiFi connectivity. Crane (18-ton) and slip services (40 tons) are available, at special rates to members.

Boat Owner Services An on the dock chandlery stocks essential consumables and yacht hardware as well as a variety of boat maintenance services including repairs, spraying and anti-fouling. Diving services for on mooring repairs and hull cleaning are also on offer.

Restaurant & Bars Elegantly designed with views over the yacht basin, The Gally Restaurant offers a fusion-style dining experience. Diners can enjoy informal alfresco lunches or dinners accompanied by award-winning, popular branded wines.

Our member’s bar is a glorious setting for a quiet drink and relaxed meal, as well as a popular venue all year round.

Private Functions, Conferences & Meeting Rooms Nestled in the heart of the clubhouse, our conference and meeting rooms are an ideal setting for your next corporate event. The regatta centre caters for private functions from 250-seater weddings to up to 400 guests for cocktail style events. Although open to the public, these facilities have special rates for members.

Regular Events Join us for an annual wine tasting where we score wines, reflecting the most palatable on our wine list. We offer food &wine pairing evenings, live bands, champagne & whiskey evenings as well as charity events. One often over-subscribed event is the first Sunday of the month live Jazz concert on the deck.

Sailing Schools Wanting to get out on the water but don’t know where to begin? The RCYC, located in the Table Bay’s most protected waters, is a safe learning environment to start the gripping sport of sailing. The club hosts a number of sailing schools that provide accredited training resulting in internationally recognised crew and skipper qualifications.

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After this war began the changes that we still can witness today, with the club obtaining its present clubhouse, in the Small Craft Harbour which was opened in February 1951.

The Small craft harbour meant that member’s vessels could be moored safety on trot moorings in front of the club house.

1955 saw the introduction of the first long distance race organised by the club to Mossel Bay some 240 miles away 6 boats participated and as luck would have it the race was sailed in a full gale. The next long distance race was arranged in 1956 to Port Elizabeth 700 miles from Cape Town and again 6 boats took part.

The Cape to Rio Race The South Atlantic Ocean Trust and Cruising Association of South Africa staged the inaugural Cape to Rio Yacht Race some 3600 miles away, which started on 16th January 1971. The club hosted all boats and crews leading up to the start. 69 boats

entered and the race captured the imagination of many South Africans, with many towns and cities entering teams. Stormkaap the Royal Cape entry however retired shortly after the start with rudder failure. Fittingly Sir Robin Knox Johnston co-skippered Ocean Spirit and took line honours in 23 days. Next year, 2014, sees the 14th edition of this iconic event and Royal Cape Club, the organisers, expect that the current record crossing of 10 days and 16 hours held by Zephyrus IV in 2000, may be broken by Maserati a Volvo 70 skippered by Giovanni Soldini. This event is proudly owned and run by Royal Cape Yacht Club.

America’s Cup featured in our history when Royal Cape was the host club for Shosholza, South Africa’s entry for the 2007 Americas Cup. The club continues to play host to all international sailing events calling on Cape Town, Volvo Ocean Race, Clipper, Vendee Globe, Global Ocean Race, Arc and Oyster rallies.

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The Royal Cape Yacht Club Sailing Academy The Royal Cape Yacht Club Sailing Academy has recently sprung to life again after many years, and growing rapidly from 2 boats to four, the club currently own 5 one design Lavranos 26 foot boats used exclusively in the Sailing Academy. The aim of the academy is to train underprivileged youth of Cape Town, in good seamanship and keel boat racing. The youth have been selected from good dingy sail training programmes to grow themselves as yachtsmen into keel boat sailing. The course has been specially adapted so that through mentorship, the candidates may be better placed to handle the pressures of modern life. The course focuses on growing the youth’s confidence on keel boats by providing them the opportunities to race as a team or as individuals placed on other teams, in all keel boat events at RCYC as well as travelling to other club’s regattas.

Royal Cape Events The clubs current sailing calendar caters for all levels of sailing and is full. Locally organised races include popular calendar events such as the Cape’s largest sailing regatta, The Mykonos Offshore with over 100 entries, Mid-summer Fling Regatta in Table Bay over 3 days and December’s Summer Regatta with over 50 entries and real fun “Antigua week” style of racing. Our twilight racing see some spectacular sunsets in front of Table Mountain and is really an around the world phenomenon making superb use of late summer hours. It’s a cocktail mix of racing, fun and socialising that has become very competitive over the years. And of course, Saturday afternoons throughout the year are dedicated to inshore around-the-cans racing.

The Royal Cape Yacht Club is a haven for those who share the love of sailing, not necessarily racing.

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We encourage togetherness on the water through regular cruising events. The opportunity to join a flotilla of yachts for a tour of the bay, anchor off Robben Island, barbeque off Clifton or join the annual ‘sailgrimage’ to Dassen Island to celebrate the start of crayfish season is a growing part of our sailing calendar every year ◆

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VALUES AND FRIENDSHIP FROM NAPLES

THE REALE YACHT CLUB CANOTTIERI SAVOIA AND THE ITALIAN AMBASSADOR’S PERENNIAL TROPHY

by Vincenzo Schioppa, “Founder Member” of the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia, Naples

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uly 1893. Naples has completely recovered from the shock of having lost its position as the Capital of a Kingdom. The soul and spirit of the cosmopolitan city are back; industry and tourism are flourishing. The romantic Neapolitan songs are the hymn of a new, confident Italy. “Funiculì, Funiculà” (imitated later by Richard Strauss and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov...) was written in 1880 to commemorate the opening of the first funicular cable car on Mount Vesuvius, quite a technological achievement for the period. A few years later “‘O Sole mio”, the most globally known song ever, would be born.

The Belle Époque was in full swing. Neapolitan gentlemen and ladies would follow the trends, in some cases would even set the standards for European elegance. Sports were getting enthusiastic attention and in Naples, according to the legend the daughter of a Mermaid, rowing was a natural choice for many.

Eleven distinguished members of the “Circolo Canottieri Italia”, founded four years before, decided to give life to another rowing club in order to constitute a competitive alternative. One of these gentlemen, I am quite proud to remember it, was a member of the Schioppa family.

Thus, the “Sebetia” Club, from the name of an ancient,

A Belle Époque advertising

The Yacht “Molly”, of the RYCC Savoia, around 1910

mysterious Neapolitan river, was born. And so too a protagonist was born of the sport, cultural and social scenes of Naples and Italy. Always a devout supporter of the Royal Family, the Club in 1895 changed the name to “Savoia”, and was affectionately close to the Court for the grief caused by the regicide of Monza, in July 1900. The new King, Vittorio Emanuele III, in the same year of his accession to the throne, granted the club the title of “Royal”, and assumed its Honorary Presidency. A charge held for forty-six years, until the day he exiled to Alexandria.

In the same year, to once again give a concrete sign of gratitude to the House of Savoy, the colors of the Club changed, as they are now, adopting the definitive royal blue.

After the Second World War, the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia formed part of rebuilding of a Nation. It has and continues to contribute to the élan of Italy with innumerable sport achievements, and by promoting and safeguarding the best qualities of the Neapolitan social life.

On a more personal note, for me the Savoia was the place where, since I was very young, I would learn to understand, cherish and practice the values of the sea, of seamanship, of passing experiences from one generation to another and from mate to mate. The place where you would admire and

The early years: the Founders, July 1893

The early years: the rowers, June 1898

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Not only sport: cruising to Capri, around 1910

befriend young talented skippers that would become world champions, like Raimondo Cappa and Carlo Campobasso (recently elected as our new President after 22 years of the highly successful presidency of the charismatic predecessor Pippo Dalla Vecchia), or have the chance, as I had, to be chosen to sail together with legendary skippers like the unforgettable Neri Stella.

Yes, that was and in a sense still is an elitarian circle, but not with the intent of exclusion, rather in the very Neapolitan sense of inclusion, of sharing, and, why not, of teaching. Few experiences like sailing can be a school of life, of a better

and more human life, for all, and a school of egalitarianism.

After all, all men are equal before the sea.

This is why I am deeply glad that South Africa and Italy, Cape Town and Naples, the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia and the Royal Cape Yacht Club could build yet another bridge between our two peoples. The initiative of the Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy allows us to share with the children and teenagers of the rainbow nation - the old and noble land of South Africa - and particularly with the more disadvantaged, our common belief in friendship, integration, solidarity ◆

Time and fashion change: cruising to Capri in 1960, when the RYCC Savoia hosted the Olympics

The unmistakable beauty of a classic yacht, racing in the Bay of Naples under the colours of the RYCC Savoia, around 1920

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Circolo velico savoia

A rich history bound to the sea

by Fabrizio Mautone, featuring a personal reminiscence by Raimondo Cappa - ph Mediasail

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Savoia’s crew at Lysistrata

he life of the sport, having begun with rowing, was soon greatly inclined towards sailing which at the time was practised by the Neopolitan upper-middle class and most of all by the aristocracy. The successes would ensue almost immediately.

Amongst the many, we remember the most important ones: The twenty-tonne (20t) “Caprice” that belonged to the Vice President of the Savoia, Emilio Anatra, won at Nice in 1909, gaining victory over the yachts belonging to the kings of England, Germany and Spain over three consecutive years.

Thus securing the Gordon Bennet Cup. Also In 1909, the Lysistrata Cup was instituted by the Circolo Italia and was reserved for youth class rowers. The trophy was donated by the great American editor Gordon Bennet. For many decades the route spanned two-thousand metres from Cape Posillipo to Mergellina with eight teams participating on captains gigs. The Circolo Savoia would win the first edition and four consecutive others. An unquestionable triumph. The Lysistrata Cup is even now an annual affair which still holds great success. After the First World War the Savoia continued to reap grand successes in the sailing and rowing categories.

“Capelle”, the six metre (6m) S.I. of the Savoia dominated the international scene for ten years as did the Star “Orsa” which

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claimed the European Championship at Marseilles. The social life was glamorous and remained as such until the break-out of the Second World War. The clubhouse, near the end of the conflict, was almost completely destroyed due to an American air-strike. However, the Members quickly endeavoured to reconstruct the clubhouse and render it more beautiful than ever before. As such the International Sailing Federation elected the Circolo Savoia as the hosting clubhouse for the 1960 sailing Olympics. The club enjoyed great acclaim and

XIX Marcello Campobasso Trophy.

The usual international regatta on invitation only, for Optimist Class

acknowledgement for its excellent capabilities on that grand occasion. The respective sporting and social successes have not been diminished by time. International titles in sailing have enriched the cabinets, displays and walls of the Circolo Savoia as has the international acclaim garnered by the blue and white rowing teams. The Savoia has also received one of the most prestigious awards, the Collare d’Oro, which was conferred upon it by the Italian Federations for Sailing and Rowing and by CONI (Italian National Olympic Committee).

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with

personal reminder 470 - 1972

by Raimondo Cappa

My memories bring me back to the last of the fifties when, shortly after the 1960 Olympic Games Regatte, I was admiring the little but oh so great sailor Nino Cosentino whom had just won the olympic bronze medal in the Dragon class, and I started to attend the sailing school by the Circolo Savoia to compete; first in regattas on dinghies and gradually moving onto the Flying Junior, the 470, the Flying Dutchman and, and finally onto fixed keel boats. I remember when the World Championships would take place and the circolo would see great champions coming to visit such as Rodney Pattison, Paul Elvstrom, Paul Cayard with whom the crews of Savoia would have the chance to compete and sometimes even beat. I remember when from 1983 to 1987 we formed a mixed crew of athletes from the nearby Circolo Italia, competing in the J 24 class and, thanks to rigorous training and teamwork with brothers Maurizio and Giampaolo Pavesi, Roberto Perrone Capano, Francesco de Angelis and myself from Savoia, we conquered three Italian titles, an European title and finally a world title in the waters of Capri. In 1989 I was called upon by my good friend De Angelis on board the “Brava” of Pasquale Landolfi and I found myself winning a second world title side by side with great champs such as Paul Cayard and others, many of whom are still involved today in the America’s Cup. We can’t forget that the Savoia’s burgee has been waving in

Caprice

two edition of the American’s Cup on board of “Mascalzone Latino”, Vincenzo’s Onorato racing boat who won two world championships in the Farr 30 and Farr 40 class, as well as.

Nowdays, the Savoia is renowned for being the host of one of the most important regattas of the international scene in the optimist class: the Trofeo Campobasso, with over three hundred young sailors representing twenty-eight nations taking part.

This magnificent sport has taught me the value of victory through respect for the rules, knowledge of one’s values and limits, appreciating an opponent in his win and how that very win will drive you to improve; all excellent values our youths should be taught for a better society.

In the last twenty years the Savoia has sucessfully twinned with nineteen other clubs situated across the globe. According to a special ranking published by great French editor Gallimard which encompasses all the sailing and rowing clubs in the world, the Circolo Savoia is amongst the first in the world for the beauty of its clubhouse and its rich collection of art and furnishings which are related to the history of international sailing and which render the locales of the Savoia uniquely fascinating ◆

Skal International Roma and Roscioli Hotels congratulate the Italian Ambassador in South Africa, Vincenzo Schioppa, and the Organizers of the first edition of the “Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy” and wish them a great success of the event.

Skal International is the largest and oldest Association of Tourism Professionals in the world and Roscioli Hotels, Member of Skal Roma, is a flagship of Roman hospitality.

SKAL SKAL SKAL

Almagores - 1984

Segreteria Operativa SKAL ROMA c/o Blastness: Via Castelrosso 10 - 00144 Roma Tel +39 06 87675059 - segretario@skalroma.org - www.skalroma.org Sede Legale SKAL ROMA c/o Best Western Hotel Universo: Via Principe Amedeo 5/b 00185 Roma Tel +39 06 476811 - franco@rhr.it - universo@rhr.it - www.hoteluniverso.com

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Ingegner Persico’s Southern Wind Shipyard Semi Custom sailing yachts of qualitative excellence since 1991

interview

Ingegner Guglielmo Persico - ph G. Malgarini

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n 1990 Willy Persico decided to construct his own boat in Cape Town, letting his longstanding friend architect Antonio Minniti design the interiors. The year after, he founded his own company that has never stopped growing since then. Insider met him to hear the story of his twenty two years of lasting success.

Mr Persico, what brought you and Southern Wind Shipyard to South Africa?

Southern Wind Shipyard was born by chance, as it happens for some of the best things...

I have always loved the sea in all possible ways. After years of cruising and racing as an owner of different Swans and

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Almagores - ph Peter Shreiber

SanGermani I decided in 1990 to have my own boat built.

I chose Ron Holland as a naval architect and long lasting friend Antonio Minniti for the interior design.

In one of many business trips, I was advised by Ron Holland to visit Cenmarine, a small yard in Cape Town which specialized in building custom yachts of very good craftsmanship. I swiftly

decided to have my boat built by them, the 72 feet Aga Jari and also a friend’s boat, an innovative 72 feet projected by Farr Yacht Design, which was destined to have great success.

A few months later, as the boat was being built, the yard’s owner was forced to shut down the yard due to personal problems. I decided to seize the opportunity and bought an industrial area

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Feelin' Good - ph Rob Kamhoot

to be converted in a shipyard, selected the best craftsmen and founded a new reality: Southern Wind Shipyard.

What elements do you like to remember about your South African adventure since it began in 1991?

In its first nine years of life, besides Aga Jari, the shipyard launched ten Farr 72s. Building more than a boat per year, I had the time to conduct research, to select specialized personnel,

as well as training a management group that was to become a fundamental asset for the company. Having gained fame, the quality level of the boats attracted many boat owners who also wanted larger boats. Hence, in collaboration with Nauta Yacht Design from Milan, the splendid 95’ blue water cruiser project was born, an ideal boat for owners who intend to sail around the world.

interview

Building such maxi yachts entailed the inevitable growth of the shipyard, new sheds and facilities were created, state of the art construction technologies were implemented and in 2000 this ultimately lead to have the boats built by epoxy resin infused Carbon fiber sandwich construction.

With a production rate of 3 boats launched every year, to

date Southern Wind has built 43 yachts, of which 16 in the 100 foot range, size for which the yard is leading the market.

SWS yachts are renowned for their qualitative excellence, what’s so special about boat building in South Africa? And what about this parallel development between Cape Town-Genoa ?

The shipyard employs about 250 people, mostly locals that have

costs make the yard more competitive than most of the leading European countries; a slight advantage that is all invested in quality and not in savings.

However, the necessity to be present where the yacht market is the most active requires a presence in Europe. This is done thanks to Pegaso Srl, based in Genoa, which is one the most important hub in the Mediterranean with a vast yachting tradition. Pegaso manages and develops relationships with clients from the first design phase to after sales services.

Fado - Transport out from the yard - ph Francesca Van Der Royen

Almagores - ph Peter Shrieber

now been with us for 15-20 years. Their experience allows to achieve qualitative excellence in every phase of construction.

In its first few years of activity Southern Wind had the good fortune to grow in efficiency and improve its products thanks to South African government incentives in product exportation and a favorable exchange rate. This advantage ended in 1994, when exportation incentives were abolished.

This led the company to focus even more on products of qualitative excellence. Still today the more accessible labor

interview

Premises - ph Guido Grugnola

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interview

Yard Lamination - ph Guido Grugnola

Yard Lamination - ph Guido Grugnola

Yard Lamination - ph Guido Grugnola

Which ones of your boats represent Southern Wind the most?

In the last ten years Southern Wind had its greatest success with the 100 feet model. 15 Of these boats were built in just six years; on the wake of this success, in the last two years we have proposed a new 102 project to the market. Two of these boats are already sailing and two are in construction.

The reasons behind this success are linked to the capacity of these yachts to satisfy both comfort requirements (that depend on interior volumes) also during long “blue water� navigations and performance requirements. Mediumlight displacements make our yachts fun in light winds and competitive on the most challenging regattas.

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interview

Thalima - ph Superyachtmedia

Our most recent challenge is the SW115, a project which started last year to answer to the growing requests of owners who are looking for boats of this size.

What is your relationship with clients like?

The choice of a Southern Wind is always a new encounter: the shipyard exposes its philosophy and projects while the clients express their desires. This produces unique models, that are clearly the offspring of a shared feeling: to enjoy the sea in the best possible way. The conception and realization of a boat is an activity that creates a strong link between people

and this is an aspect I live intensely. Long hours are spent analyzing different aspects and taking decisions with each of them establishes a relationship of mutual trust which is at the base of our day to day work. Such a trust is greatly valued and we do the greatest efforts to maintain strong, following clients closely throughout the boat’s life and its management: administrative/fiscal consultancy, crew recruiting, as well as 360° technical assistance. Great resources are allocated to these services, both human and financial.

The result of this for the client is to feel part of an enlarged family! ◆

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Iveco

Rise of the Phoenix

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veco’s back-to-basics approach to rejuvenating the brand’s presence in South Africa is culminating in a full-scale exhibition at the last October’s Johannesburg International Motor Show.

When Bob Lowden arrived in South Africa last year from Iveco in the United Kingdom, appointed to the role of Managing Director for the Southern African region, it would be more than fair to say that he was presented with a monumental challenge.

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Bob Lowden

Bob’s To Do List 1. Establish a Key Fleet programme “We didn’t have a demo programme, we weren’t really present at tenders - it’s fair to say we weren’t even on the radar of what I’d call the top 100 Blue Chip fleets in South Africa.”

2. Establish a Used Division “We didn’t have any means of providing buy-backs, trade-ins or any of the normal used business.”

Bob didn’t need the figures showing Iveco’s dismal sales performance locally (around 15th of 16 brands). Simply conducting impromptu market research by studying the unending stream of trucks driving past his office overlooking the N1 highway told him all he needed to know: Ivecos were few and far between.

“If you look at Iveco’s extra heavy performance globally, and particularly in Europe, we’re number one in a couple of markets and we tend to be at least in the top five,” Bob explains, describing his disbelief at what he was seeing.

“That’s really where we deserve to be with our current range:

number fifteen told me at the time that something was wrong with either the product, the network, or the people.”

As Bob came to discover, it was a mixture of all of the above, and he describes the process of reorienting Iveco South Africa as ‘starting from scratch’. So much so, in fact, that when he presented his strategy to Iveco’s global head office it was in the format of a five year action plan.

He wasn’t deterred, however. Bob describes himself as a ‘fairly hard task-master’, and his unique background encompasses not only a heritage of trucking - his father operated his own haulage company - but also diverse

experience within the sales organisation. An engineer by trade, Bob also has a business and economics degree from Manchester University. With considerable experience working in the after-sales sector in service and parts, Bob spent several years in the UK as Franchise Director, and ran the largest dealer in the country.

Clearly then his talents ran deep enough to untangle the Gordian knot that Iveco’s South African operation had become, and over the past year that’s exactly what he’s done. As an overview of his substantial accomplishments locally while as Bob terms it ‘putting my house in order’, see the accompanying check-list.

3. Secure End-User Finance “We have an alliance now with Standard Bank, and enduser financing is another fundamental in the sale of extra heavies.”

4. Improve After-Sales And Parts Reputation “There’s an old saying in the UK that sales sell the first vehicle and after-sales sell the second, third and fourth.

Honestly, that adage isn’t true anymore: if you have a bad reputation for service you won’t even sell the first vehicle.”

5. Improve The Dealer Network “When I arrived we didn’t have the best dealer network in terms of its footprint from a sales point of view, nor service. There’s a lot of work which is ongoing to upgrade the dealer network, both in terms of volume and capacity.”

6. Sell Trucks Into Their Mission “We had been selling almost any product to any customer. If you don’t have a product for a particular niche in the market, I’m a firm believer that you should be brave enough to walk away.”

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New JIMS, new Iveco There can be no doubt that the Johannesburg International Motor Show (JIMS) has become one of the showcase events for the South African motor industry, and Bob is frank in terms of the significant investment Iveco has pumped into their high-profile stand at the 2013 show.

“In hindsight we probably made a mistake as a company not participating in 2011. Many customers put two and two together - the fact that we weren’t at JIMS, combined with a poor declining sales performance - and reached the conclusion that we must be pulling out of the country,” he reflects. “I made the decision that for 2013 we were going to be present at JIMS, to repair the negative impact that not being there in 2011 had on the brand.”

Fortunately for Bob, the timing couldn’t be better. He had no fewer than three new products on the stand, one which was a linchpin for Iveco’s ongoing recovery in South Africa: the new Iveco Stralis Hi-Way 480, European Truck of the Year 2013.

“We lag the local competition in the Extra Heavy market,

and I’m hoping that our new Hi-Way model will give us the impetus to get into some of the big fleets that we’ve been chasing,” says Bob. “The new model has come at just the right time, because it offers many benefits over the old model in terms of safety, driver comfort and fuel consumption.”

With the intention being to cause a stir, it’s appropriate that Iveco launched the new Stralis in its premium 480 and 500 guise, while the 430 ‘fleet’ version will be left as the current version of Stralis, to be launched in South Africa in 2014.

Also set to grace the Iveco stand at JIMS was the off-road sister of the Hi-Way, the Trakker Hi-Land, replacing the current Trakker; and a Euro 4 derivative of the highly successful Daily. Even better news is that the fresh product introductions won’t end there.

“We’ve got new products on the drawing board that will be progressively released from JIMS right throughout 2014,” Bob reveals, adding that these include several models to be announced in the first quarter of 2014 which have been designed specifically for the South African market.

Iveco’s Local Future The current star in Iveco’s stable is undoubtedly the versatile Daily van, which enjoys Iveco’s strongest South African market positioning at third in a highly competitive segment.

Bob attributes its success to its robust design, built on a truck chassis, unlike competitors’ monocoque construction.

“Honestly I’m not happy with the performance of any of our vehicles,” Bob says. “Euro Cargo is a market leader in many markets in Europe, but again over here when I arrived it was languishing. My hope is that we get to the head of the European-type of product, which Euro Cargo is.”

Another ace up Bob’s sleeve is the joint-venture Iveco has struck with the Larimar Group: an independent Iveco assembly plant in Rosslyn, with a start of production scheduled for June 2014.

Not only will this plant bring with it the intangible benefit of selling trucks which are ‘made in South Africa’ - as the entire Iveco line-up excluding the Daily vans will be assembled there -

but it will cut out import duties and include locally-produced components. With the basics now in place, Iveco Southern Africa is in a position to start capitalising on the ongoing market growth. Bob notes projections for the commercial market which will see growth to the 30 000 threshold, and says that he is optimistic about accessing a share of that.

Another intriguing highlight to look out for in 2014 is the possible introduction of the Iveco Daily Electric or Natural Power (i.e. compressed natural gas) vans. Both are already available to the brand in right-hand drive, and are currently sold within the UK. “If we were number four or five in the volume rankings, I’d probably be pushing alternative fuels harder than we are. To be frank, there’s a lot of work that is still ongoing that needs to be done just to sell our mainstream products,” says Bob. “I’m focusing on putting my house in order at Iveco and getting the network resourced and up to speed. You’ll probably start to see those products in 2014” ◆

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Andrea Meneghelli and The Flying Lions The Formation Team operates five ex-military Harvards making headlines with its daring feats and magnificent aerial displays at air shows around South Africa.

The Italian Number Two pilot tells his story

T

he Flying Lions’ Formation Team, operating five ex-military Harvards, regularly makes headlines with its daring feats and magnificent aerial displays at air shows around South Africa.

The Italian national Andrea Meneghelli is the patron and Number Two pilot. The team consists of four other renowned pilots: Scully Levin (Number One pilot), Ellis Levin, Stew Lithgow and Sean Thackwray.

The Harvard is one of the most successful pilot trainers ever built, with more than 17.000 constructed between 1940 and 1954 alone. The South African Air Force had between 100 and 200 of them, which it started selling off into the civilian market in the year 2000. When an opportunity like that presented itself, Andrea Meneghelli, being an aviation enthusiast from childhood, bought five of them. Having

acquired a fleet of Harvards, Andrea was not exactly sure what he was going to do with them. After some thought, he decided to start a formation aerobatic team. It was going to be the “oldies” team. Older aircraft and older and more experienced pilots - well let us say more experienced pilots.

Slow and graceful aerobatics was the idea. Andrea, being of Venetian descent, decided to use the Lion of Venice as the team’s icon. The Lion of Venice is also the symbol of St Mark, the patron saint in Venice. The Flying Lions gave their first show at Howick in 1998 with a 3-ship formation.

With their inimitable magical sound and fitted smoke system to enhance the choreography of the display, the Harvards have huge spectator appeal and consistently draw considerable crowds at airshows. To use the words of Andrea Meneghelli “the Harvard is a big growly beast with its 550hp

P & W Wasp. It looks, sounds and smells like a real warbird, which is why it’s so popular. In a way it is a real warbird since some air forces did arm them with guns, bombs or rockets but its main heritage is that trained untold numbers of pilots to fly Spitfires, Mustangs, Thunderbolts - you name it.”

The team has five Harvards, but only four are displayed at airshows as the choreography and logistic become too complex and difficult to handle with five aircraft. The fifth aircraft is the most modern version and is kept as a spare for when one of the others is in for maintenance. The Flying Lions has probably flown some 540 formal displays over the past twelve years. The members of the team are a close-knit group of pilots who eat, drink, sleep and think flying. The pilots are tremendously dedicated in what they do and derive great pleasure and satisfaction from formation and display flying.

One of the Flying Lions unique displays is their night show, which is incredible to watch. As you might have guessed, a lot of practice is required. All pilots have to practice night formation before the display. As these pilots have flown together so often, they know each other’s every move. They know what references to look for on each other’s aircraft in the air and on the ground. Obviously they need a lot more radio communication at nigh, as they can’t see each other’s hand signals. The night display epitomises the efforts and sacrifices of the whole team. Teamwork is what makes it all happen. At the end of every air show Andrea Meneghelli says: “Please do not try this at home!”

The Flying Lions are also very involved in charity work, together with the “Reach for a Dream Foundation.” Every year, usually in November, they take children for flights using 5 Harvards

aircraft

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aircraft

and a Beechcraft Baron. They fly from Rand Airport and, rather appropriately, the children are given a meal at the Harvard CafĂŠ.

In addition a renowed company provides food hampers for the children to take home. The Flying Lions also participate at the Commemorative Ceremony in the Zonderwater Italian Military Cemetery (this year it took place on the 3rd of November), located in the area of the biggest detention camp built by

the Allies during World War II. The camp hosted, from April 1941 to January 1947, more than 100.000 Italian soldiers captured by the British on the North and East Africa fronts. The commemoration is a very emotional event and an important occasion to strengthen the friendship between Italian and South African people as many of the sons and grandchildren of the prisoners still today live in South Africa â—†

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I.C.E., the Trade Promotion Office of the Italian Embassy, in Johannesburg

W The Chancellery in Pretoria, in a period photo

An historical and cultural heritage

hat a fascinating journey it has been going through the history of the Italian Government’s properties in South Africa, and what a challenging but rewarding task is taking care of them, so as to utilize them at their best in the service to our Countries’ relations.

I love houses, and love to restore them the way they want to be restored; I try to listen to their murmurs, to the stories they keep inside their stones, and reveal only to the ones that are interested in them.

The research and reading of old local documents has not been without its share of sadness, but was nonetheless useful in reinforcing the consciousness of the brutal past of this magnificent and dramatic Country, and of the seemingly incredible yet real injustices perpetrated against the nonwhite people. Contained within the deeds of property transfers, as was mandatory for all during those times, one can find infamous clauses such as: “the said Erf or any portion thereof shall not be transferred, leased, or in any other manner assigned or disposed of to any Cape Malay, coloured person, aboriginal native or Asiatic, or Company the controlling interest wherein is held by Cape Malays, coloured person, aboriginal native or Asiatic other than the

The Italian Consulate and Embassy in Cape Town in a period photo

domestic servant of the registered owner or his tenant shall be permitted to reside thereon or in any other manner occupy the same” (deed of property transfer of the Chancellery in Pretoria, 1962) or “it is a condition of the sale that the land hereby sold may be not resold, alienated, disposed or leased in any way to any person of non-European extraction (sic!), and this condition shall be binding on all or any successors in title to the purchaser” (Residence in Cape Town, 1958).

Unjust, cruel and, above all, stupid…

Much, much more entertaining clauses can be found like the interdiction for “slaughter poles and cattle-kraals” (deed of property transfer, Pretoria’s Residence), together with the permission granted upon the new owner “ to keep a cow or cows on the property for the supply of milk for his own domestic purposes.” Indeed, a healthy and very green resolution, but I’m not sure that my good neighbor, the Ambassador of Spain, although a keen vegetable gardener like myself, would appreciate it. It is worth to note the we are allowed “to also keep horses on the property but in this such event shall be obliged to construct a stable for the housing of the same.”

But let’s have a quick look together at the buildings, starting with the offices.

in the service to our Countries’ relations the properties of the Italian Government in South Africa

by Vincenzo Schioppa, Ambassador of Italy to South Africa

The Chancellery in Pretoria, today

The Italian Consulate-general in Johannesburg

The Italian Consulate and Embassy in Cape Town, today

The Italian Ambassador’s Residence in Pretoria, with its typical chimneys

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H.E. Qedani Mashlangu, Minister for the Infrastructures in the Gauteng Government, is a very serious chef, and one of the many enthusiasts of pizza making Sunday mornings competitions

The garden is magic, like many in Pretoria, and every season has its own flowers.

Here is during the jacarandas blossoming, in November

The Chancellery, Italian Embassy, Pretoria The Chancellery in Pretoria is pretty, but small. Purchased by the Italian Government in 1962, the building sits in Arcadia, close to the Union Buildings, where by tradition many other Embassies are. It has a pleasant gabled façade and exudes an old charm, but has the limits of having been conceived for residential purposes. I’m glad that, even in time of budget constraints, and because of the importance that we attach to South Africa, I have been authorized to rent the opposite building, much bigger, where in 2014 we will reunite the Office of the Military Attaché, the Italian Institute of Culture, and the economic section of the Embassy.

The Consulate-General, Johannesburg In Johannesburg the large and dignified building of the Italian Consulate-General boasts a beautiful colonnade, and is an appreciated landmark of Houghton. Built in 1922, it was acquired by Italy in 1991.

The Pretoria’s Residence formal facet

The Trade Promotion Office, Johannesburg Also in Johannesburg, the I.C.E., Trade Promotion Office of the Italian Embassy, is another valuable property of the Italian Government. A familiar sight for the business community and the inhabitants of Parklands alike, the corner building, modern and functional, was bought in 1992. It is worth to mentioning that South Africa holds a special position in the history of our trade promotion institutions: in fact, it seems that Johannesburg was the first city in the world to host an office of our trade commissioners abroad, in 1935!

The Consulate and the Ambassador’s Office in Cape Town The building of the Consulate and the Embassy in Cape Town, in Grey’s Pass, close to the Gardens and the Parliament, is a small gem, whose story goes back to a remarkable episode of patronage and love for Italy. Built at the beginning of the XX century, in neo-classical style, it hosted the first Legation

and a more relaxed one. Bocce is a popular entertainment

of Italy to South Africa from 1929. Count Natale Labia was sent in 1916 as the Italian Consul in Johannesburg, where he married Ida Louise, daughter of the mining pioneer Sir J. B. Robinson. In 1928 he was appointed, as Minister Plenipotentiary, representing Italy to the South African Government. The Grey’s pass “palazzetto” was probably built by the Labia family at the same time as the well-known Casa Labia in Muizenberg, between 1928 and 1930. Proof of this are the ornate wooden ceiling panels of the second floor, in the Ambassador’s study (the building is used by the Ambassador and his aides during their stays in Cape Town to follow the Parliamentary works). The ceiling panels, in renaissance style, are the same as in Casa Labia, and were possibly imported from Italy or made in South Africa by an Italian artist, probably Angelo Zaniol.

In 1938, after the death of Natale Labia, the gentleman and civil servant who deeply cherished both Italy and South

Two almost Neapolitan “pizzaioli”, very professional

Africa, Ida Louise Labia decided to cede the property to the Italian Government “to honor the occasion of the opening of the first Italian Legation by her late beloved husband.”

The deed of transfer is touching, even with its bureaucratic style, and gives us all a taste of a bygone world.

The Residence of the Italian Ambassador, Pretoria We are now coming to know the most “private” properties (if houses intended mainly as tools for the social, economic and cultural outreach interaction of the Ambassador can be called private). We go back to Pretoria, the Capital of the Republic and home to the most enchanted gardens, with probably the most pleasant climate in the world, and definitely fantastic winters, sunny and dry, inviting one to outdoors’ socializing.

The Residence is again not very large, but is exquisitely designed and crafted, in a pure Cape Dutch style, not common at all in Gauteng. I am conducting some studies on

Fun is a serious affair - Ambassador Seokolo and his wife are rightly proud of a perfect “Margherita”

Cape Town’s Residence - The impressive south facade

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Cape Town’s Residence - A strong statement.

The wood staircase and the vast entrance Cape Town’s Residence - The impressive south facade

it, but I am reasonably sure that it is a small but significant work by Sir Herbert Baker, without any doubt the most prominent architect in the history of modern South Africa, and also in the history of the world’s architecture at the end of the XIX century-beginning of the XX (he was a prolific artist, and, apart from South Africa, he operated in India - where he was the shaper of New Delhi - the United Kingdom, Kenya, Australia and even France and Belgium).

Arriving in Cape Town in 1892, he was commissioned in 1893 by Cecil Rhodes to remodel Groote Schuur, Rhodes’ house on the slopes of Table Mountain. Rhodes supported Baker’s further education in Greece, Italy and Egypt, after which he returned to South Africa where he stayed for the next 20 years. In Gauteng, the Pretoria’s Union Buildings are the most prominent of his works, but he designed also quite a number of private properties (like Villa Arcadia in Johannesburg). One of his distinctive “signatures” were the typical chimneys en torsade. Like the ones of the Italian Residence, that we recently had restored. Another major feature of Baker’s influence, together with the gables, is the shape of the arches and columns of the entrance: Rust-enVrede is much bigger, of course, but there is a certain air de famille…

The interiors are very homely, and perfect for receiving in a warm and relaxed atmosphere, even if, when needed, they

Cape Town’s Residence - The quite romantic north facade

Cape Town’s Residence - The impressive mahogany dining table

Cape Town’s Residence - The quite romantic north facade

can boast a refined formal elegance. They accommodate the first, not-so-secret weapon of the Residence: my grand piano, around which guests gather frequently, sometimes for classic concerts, much more often for far less classic singing together.

Even the more timid, after a good Italian dinner, accompanied by stunning South African wines, and a lively conversation, found the voice and the inspiration to perform…

The other fatal weapon is highly technological, and perfectly inserted within the garden: one of the only two real Neapolitan pizza ovens in South Africa, and probably of all the sub-Saharan Africa. I’m glad that Italian sponsors immediately supported my request for a promotional tool that is a powerful social magnet.

It is necessary to know that a true Neapolitan pizza wood oven is built with very special bricks, able to keep the temperature at more than 450° C, and demands a lot of technical know-how.

We regularly organize informal gatherings around it celebrating the art or preparing the most globally known food, with the original recipes. These occasions are very much appreciated, especially by our South Africans friends. For honoring the local tradition we also have, of course, a proper “braai.”

I am proud to remember that the oven was inaugurated on the occasion of the 2012 Italian National Day celebration with several hundred guests, in the presence of Ministers of the South African central and local Governments, and of His

Cape Town’s Residence A strong statement. The wood staircase and the vast entrance

Majesty Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, the King of the Zulu Nation. Together with the heartening food, which facilitates cordial relations and friendship, the lawn of the garden is ideal for amicable, but very emotional, bocce competitions…

The Residence of the Italian Ambassador, Cape Town The Jewel in the Crown is beyond any doubt the truly magnificent Residence in Bishopscourt, Cape Town. Since my arrival in South Africa in November 2012, I made every effort to bring her back to her full pristine beauty, for the sake of the promotion of the Italian and South African cultures, economies and values. Thanks to the attention of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of sponsors, friends and collaborators, and to a lot of fantasy and saving oriented tricks, the mission -I am happy to say- has been accomplished.

“Highbury” (that was the name of the property) is now more than ever the place where South Africa and Italy meet. Like on the occasion of the exclusive charity “Cape Classic” concerts that, since 2012, are held at the Residence, along with a small number of beautiful historical properties of the Cape region such as Vergelegen, Morgenstern and the Mount Nelson Hotel, of the reception for the opening of the Parliament, and of the many community oriented events, like the Christmas regatta party for the disadvantaged youth of

Cape Town’s Residence - Different characters rooms

the Izuvunguvungu Music and Sailing school, or the charity Gala Party for the launching of the Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy.

The research that I made, supported by the deep knowledge and taste for conservation of the historical architects Trevor and Jacqui Thorold, show with little or no doubts that the stately house was designed in the first quarter of the XX century (probably 1922) by no less than William Hood Grant, the renowned inventor of the “Cape Mediterranean” eclectic architecture, where classic reminiscences, ornate Italianate loggias and some late Art and Crafts suggestions would melt with quite strikingly results.

He was very much linked to Muizenberg, the former whale station close to Cape Town, which by the beginning of the XX century became a cosmopolitan seaside resort, gifted with 35 kilometers of magnificent beach of which Rudyard Kipling sang the natural beauty: “white as the sands of Muizenberg, spun before the gale.”

Grant designed most of Muizenberg’s landmark buildings.

Amongst others the palatial home “Graceland”, now a Provincial Heritage site, and the immense second Pavilion, right on the beach. It was reported in the South African Railway Holiday brochure as “being able to accommodate 3000 bathers a day so that Muizenberg, besides being the best beach on our coast, could now offer every comfort and convenience.”

Cape Town’s Residence - Different characters rooms

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Cape Town’s Residence - An homage to the vanity of the House

The Residence was bought by the Italian Government in 1958. The deed of transfer of property, being from a trust, did not help me in finding the name of the family that inhabited it. The only think that I was able to know, from an old distinguished lady, is that the house was in the 50s the property of a very wealthy family with interest in banking, and with “a lot of children”. Feature that is confirmed by the long series of bedrooms on the second floor, all communicating with more or less concealed doors...

The house, as it was common in that period for notable properties, is far from the sea and its winds, and it is nestled at the foot of Table Mountain, at a stone’s throw from the world famous Botanical Garden of Kirstenbosch. It has two stunning facades, one of which would overlook the City and the Ocean from quite a distance, were it not for the exuberant vegetation. She has a double character: smiling and light on one side, serious and formal on the other.

The roof is of lovely Brosely tiles (of which, quite luckily, I have found a significant quantity buried in the gardens…),

the windows and doors are of the highest quality Burmese teak. The interiors are characterized by most beautiful and dramatic dark boiserie carved wood panels, by an alternation of formal and more intimate spaces, and by a magnificent wooden staircase to the first floor, where one can find the typically placed bedrooms and the private apartment. Some pleasant paintings of the late XVII and XVIII centuries Italian school ornate the formal dining room, with its immense mahogany table accommodating up to 32 guests, and the reception rooms.

The charm of the House is incommensurable, and I am sure that she is quite happy with herself, now even more so, with her repainted facades and restored roof. She is also a bit vain. That is why I asked my friend Jan Krijgsman, a young and talented painter, to paint for her, in an unused niche, a trompe l’oeil depicting the house looking at herself. That will be my homage to her beauty, and a token of thanks for the joy and the feelings of friendship that she is able to give to her guests, in the sign of the Italian tradition of hospitality ◆

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“Where there is quality, there is no compromise�

Morgenster, one of the gems of the Western Cape

by Alessia Cabib - ph Alain Proust

Wetland area in fron of the tasting room and the helderberg mountains

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Panorama

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iulio Bertrand, originally from the north of Italy, now in South Africa, has invested a lot of passion in his farm Morgenster in Somerset West just outside Cape Town and has become one of the important wine producers of the Cape and the leading olive oil producer in South Africa.

As he speaks to me, his calm voice reflects the surroundings and the time that slowly flows between the ancient oak trees.

When he arrived in the country in 1975 it had a closed economy. Much has changed since then, and in his opinion South Africa is one of the most interesting countries in the worldwide economic panorama. Being a textile entrepreneur in Italy, Bertrand opened two textile factories in the Eastern Cape which resulted in his travelling to South Africa four times a year. Fascinated by the beauty of the country, he decided in 1990 to look for a property in the Western Cape to escape the Italian winter - “those cold months where on the auto route between Milan and Biella, you always find the fog.�

Watch the birdlife in the wetland area infront of the tasting room

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The scallop design and ‘morning start’ from the front gable

16th century refractory table (fruit wood) from a monastary in south of France

The scallop design and ‘morning start’ from the front gable

Giulio Bertrand and Pierre Lurton

After a few years of research Bertrand came across Morgenster, a farm dating back to 1711 and featuring a Cape Dutch house in the original H-shaped structure, described in many architectural books as being one of the most beautiful and best conserved of that period.

Morgenster means “Morning Star” in Dutch. It was originally part of Vergelegen, a farm owned by Willem Adriaan van der Stel during his period as governor (1700-1708). He was one of the series of governors appointed by the Dutch East India Company to manage the Cape of Good Hope colony as a refreshment station for its ships to and from India in the rich spice trade.

Bertrand’s first step on buying Morgenster was to preserve the beautiful historic buildings and restore the manor house.

One project was the careful uncovering in the entrance hall of layers of wall painting to display five different decorative periods.

Then he found that the farm’s terroir had the potential to produce wine and olives of extraordinary quality. He started planning from scratch and invited Pierre Lurton, MD of Château Cheval Blanc, a name synonymous with Bordeaux wines, to come to Morgenster and help establish vineyards and build a cellar. Lurton is still the consultant to the local winemaking team. “The idea was to produce a French-style wine that was elegant and could age nicely”, says Bertrand.

“South Africa has always been a producer of good wines but there was no culture of enhancing their value through the aging process.”

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Oil olives in the hopper

Hand harvesting of table olives

Nets used to gather the olives

But the real feather in the cap of Morgenster is the production of extra virgin olive oil. Bertrand explains: “When I first arrived in South Africa good quality extra virgin olive oil was not being produced locally, consumers were not used to it at all. We imported 17 different types of olive trees from Italy and started production; then we had to stimulate consumer awareness and demand.”

The Flos Olei Guides to the World’s best olive oils over years 2010-2013 awarded Morgenster’s oil 97/100 points, one of only seven olive oils in the world to achieve this score for four consecutive years.

The morning star, symbol of the property, is on the front gable of the manor house and on the packaging of all the wines and olive products that are produced on the farm.

“Whatever you want to do” maintains Bertrand, “oil, wine or something else, you can do it. You must have a professional approach though. And if your hobbies become your passions, then success is guaranteed.” Words of advice from a man who won the prestigious Giraglia Race and the Mediterranean Championship in 1961 on his yacht Arianna under Yacht Club Italiano burgees, and who sailed on the Cape to Rio race in 1996 with Bertie Reed ◆

Olives being crated for transportation to the olive cellar

Fresh olive oil

Barrel maturation cellar

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Once upon a time in Lussino...

There was a craftsman that founded the Giuricich Empire

by Alessia Cabib

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hat is now the Giuricich construction empire had its origin between the first and second World War, on the tiny island of Lussinpiccolo off the Italian portion of Istria, in the Adriatic Sea. Nicolò Giuricich, founder of Giuricich Brothers (Pty) Ltd,was born in Lussinpiccolo in 1910, after 4 years of experience in New York and 2 years with the Italian Navy, he decided to go and look for new opportunities in South Africa.

In 1935 he and his father, nonno Matteo, left by boat for South Africa and arrived in Cape Town on the 13th of June 1935. They made their way to Johannesburg to first work in the gold mines and later for several construction companies.

Shortly thereafter they were joined by Simone and Cesare, both younger siblings of Nicolò.

Singing in the Choir of the Catholic Cathedral of Johannesburg saved the family from the concentration camps after the outbreak of the second World War. The nephew of the parish priest was a Major in the South African Police and managed to find an active role for the family working for the South African Government. They worked as carpenters building aircraft hangers and other related jobs for the military and were not allowed to leave the immediate area of Johannesburg. On the

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island of Lussino the family had a wood working business and all the siblings and “Nonno” were accomplished craftsmen.

A big family with strong values like theirs brought them often to help Italian Prisoners in the Zonderwater Concentration camp, by bringing them food, clothing and trying to make a difference to their tough lives in prison.

In 1940 Giuricich Brothers was founded by Nonno Matteo, Nicolò Simone and Cesare. In 1942 Nicolò married Claudia Troainich also from Lussinpiccolo in Krugersdorp. They had 9 children and Claudia immediately immersed herself in assisting her husband in the day to day running of the newly formed business. Claudia was also very involved in the Italian Community right up to her passing in 2006.

Today the company is at the forefront of the Construction Industry in South Africa and is run and owned by the 6 sons of Nicolò: Edward, Adrian, Julian, Gerard, Leonard and Nicolò jnr (Nicky).

The company operates nationally and has its head office in Johannesburg and an office in Cape Town. The company carries out projects for many prestigious South African and International clients. It is proud to be involved in the development of the country and is a level 2 BEE company.

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It employs over 300 people and has its own construction division as well as a smaller property development arm.

The company provides assistance to the previously disadvantaged communities from where it sources many current staff members, is involved in a number of training initiatives and supports students in this regard with bursaries.

The Giuricich family has a close relationship with the Italian community and has not forgotten its roots. Every year most of them return to Lussino and Italy to try and keep the traditions of their parents alive especially for the younger generation.

Agostino Straulino

Giuricich Brothers Construction is grateful for what the country has offered them and will continue to evolve and expand as it believes that South Africa can offer opportunities going forward for all its peoples. “We will continue to strive and pass on to all the values of our parents and forefathers” ends Nicky emotionally, “we believe that from a small Island in the Adriatic great developments can be realized in the Southern most part of the sub Sahara Africa, after all that is why our parents came here in the first place!!” ◆

Agostino Straulino (October 10, 1914 - December 14, 2004) was born in Lussin Piccolo on the island of Lussino, now Croatia (at that time in the Austrian part of Austria-Hungary). In those years Lussino had a very important Naval Academy that gave light to many famous sailors, like Nicolò Rode and Agostino Straulino to name but a few!

The Italian sailor and sailboat racer Straulino, won one Olympic gold medal and one silver medal in the Star class, and eight consecutive European championships and two world championships in this class and was world champion in the 5.5m-class.

Straulino and Nicolò Giuricich were class mates and friends at school on the Island.

On the occasion of the first Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy, that is held in Cape Town in November 2013, Nicky Giuricich jr, in agreement with the Association of Giuliani in South Africa, that he chairs, as well as the Community of Lussinpiccolo in Trieste will give a trophy won by Straulino to the race as a first prize.

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CASA LABIA A PRICELESS ITALIAN TREASURE ON THE MUIZENBERG COAST

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erched above the turquoise Indian Ocean on Muizenberg’s historical mile, Casa Labia is a unique landmark with a rich and pertinent history. The former residence of the Count and Countess Natale Labia, it has been lovingly restored by the Labia family and deserves its reputation as one of South Africa’s foremost cultural centres.

Casa Labia was originally built in 1929 as a family home, and the official residence of the Italian Ambassador. The Count’s wish was to reflect the opulence of the Palazzo of his ancestors in Venice. Well-known Cape Town architect, the late Fred Glennie designed the buildings, while Venetian interior designer Angelo Zaniol was commissioned to create a true Italian ambience.

italian treasure

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By all accounts, Natale Labia led a noble and meaningful life. He was born in 1877 in the little town of Cerignola, near Foggia in Italy. In 1906 he joined the Italian Foreign Service and was transferred as Italian Consul to Johannesburg in 1916, where he was appointed in 1928, with the rank of Minister Plenipotentiary, as the head of the first Italian Legation to the Government of South Africa. He met and married Ida, daughter of the mining magnate Sir J.B. Robinson in Johannesburg in

1921, and a few years later they decided to build a home of their own in Muizenberg, on the former site of an old battery that was set up to protect False Bay from hostile and marauding ships. One of the first receptions held at their magnificent residence, which was then known as The Fort, was in honour of the birthday of the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III. Count Natale played a key role in promoting South Africa as a desirable destination for Italian emigration and creating a

thriving economic partnership with Italy. The house became a meeting place for statesmen, academics and businessmen from all over the country. Sadly, Mussolini’s invasion of Abyssinia and the South African threat of sanctions against Italy led to his passing from a stress-related heart attack in January 1936. The Government recognised the Count’s long association with South Africa and he was given a state funeral. Heartbroken, his widow, Ida took her two sons to live

at her erstwhile family home in Wynberg, and for many years refused to set foot in what is today known as Casa Labia.

She passed on in 1961, and after some years, the house was leased first to the Canadian Government as its Cape Town embassy, and after that also to the Argentine Government.

After 20 years as a satellite museum of the South African National Gallery, in 2008 Count Luccio Labia (son of Count Natale Labia) regained ownership of Casa Labia, and the

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family set out to restore the property to its former glory.

Open to the public, today it is home to a contemporary South African art gallery, the afro-chic CasBah Design Boutique, and the celebrated Italian cafĂŠ and terrace. A much desired venue

for weddings and private functions, here one may drink in the passionate spirit of Italy, along with the glorious sea views â—† www.casalabia.co.za

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The fairytale of Pretty Yende, from South Africa to the lyric’s Olympus A certain 27-years-old soprano who graduated from the Scala’s Academy in Milan, is being met with critical acclaim worldwide from all and every plaudit

by Lorenzo Simoncelli, Freelance foreign correspondent @lionreporter

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outh Africa is a “singing nation” however it’s not common having the chance to perform at the New York Metropolitan Opera House, which is the most important lyric theatre in the world. Especially if you are a 27 year old and come from South Africa, a country not renown for its tradition in song.

Nonetheless, Ms. Pretty Yende, a young soprano from the Mpumalanga province, who has been making waves all across Europe. Also, she is enormously talented along with lots of fortune and remains driven to the end. Regardless of current success and natural talent which has been sweeping up several top prizes at competitions, less than one month before the opening night of Rossini’s Comte Ory at the New York Metropolitan Opera House, Ms. Yende’s cellphone started ringing. Nino Machaidze, the soprano who had been scheduled to sing Adèle felt ill and the 27-years-old from

Piet Retief, a small town in Mpumalanga province, had been choosen to replace her. «I had never heard the opera before» - she said in an interview to the New Tork Times - «so when I got the call, I said, how can I say yes? But when I looked at the score, I thought, ah. It’s not like a Susanna, where you have many recitatives. It’s ensemble work. And it’s beautiful music, which got into my ear quite quickly. At that moment I knew that I could do it.” «Singing at the Metropolitan Opera House» - Ms. Yende concludes - «takes a lot of courage, but also a lot of humility, because people come from all over the world just to hear you.”

Once passed the test with flying colours, Ms. Yende’s careers took a crucial turn thanks to her voice, which allows her to power both her clarion top notes and her outstandingly rich low register. This talent brought about worldwide acclaim and resulted in performances at various opera theaters for

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ph Rudi Amisano De Lespin

the months which lay ahead. As John Allison of UK The Telegraph said «she is possessed of diamanté tone and a megawatt smile, the young South African soprano Pretty Yende seems to take charge of the stage wherever she goes.”

However the 27-year-old soprano didn’t forget her roots and has just concluded a tour comprising of 2 tours in her homeland. Accompanied by Professor Kamal Khan on piano and the harpist Jane Theron, Pretty Yende performed at the Teatro Montecasino (Johannesburg) and at the Artscape Opera House (Cape Town) with an Italian recital programme

including La Promessa by Rossini, La Ricordanza by Bellini and L’amor funesto by Donizetti.

Ms. Yende’s career is strongly linked with Italy and she already speaks an accent-free Italian, which she learned over the past three years while studying at La Scala’s Academy of Lyric Opera in Milan. Ilias Tzempetonidis, the casting manager of La Scala, discovered her in 2009 at the Belvedere Singing Competition in Vienna. «All of us in the jury realized that there was a diamond there» - he explained from Milan - «when Ms. Yende joined the Academy at La Scala she

closely followed her development and I was impressed with her dedication. In three years, she attended every rehearsal in the opera house, watching and listening.”

She made her debut at La Scala theatre in 2010 as Berenice in Rossini’s L’Occasione fa il Ladro and has since also appeared as Norina in Don Pasquale and in the autumn of 2012 as Musetta in La Boheme.

This is a remarkable feat for a young singer who only heard about opera ten years ago, quite by chance, when she heard the Lakmé duet playing as background music to a British

Airways television commercial, and there and then it was a life-changing moments Pretty knew that she wanted to learn.

Interestingly, at the time she didn’t know what beautiful music was. It was only after asking one of her teachers about the duet that she heard the word “opera”, and from then on, opera singing became pivotal in her life. Challenges in life for this young international acclaimed South African soprano have just started, however Pretty Yende’s career seems to have a bright future, especially if she remains so determinated and focused ◆

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art

Cianfanelli

a matter of perspectives The 43-years-old artist has left a remarkable impact locally and worldwide through his artworks, shuffling mosaics, paintings and digital image techniques in a mixed South African-Italian style

by Lorenzo Simoncelli, Freelance foreign correspondent @lionreporter

Marco Cianfanell's picture bio

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eing well known in South Africa as the artist who sculptured two artworks of Nelson Mandela, gives him free access to the Rainbow Nation’s hall of fame. Even if his blood is not 50% South African. Marco Cianfanelli, as his surname suggest, is half Italian, from the father’s side and half German, from the mother’s side, but was born and bred in South Africa. The 43-years-old artist graduated, with a distinction in Fine Arts, from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, has had seven solo exhibitions and has won numerous awards including the prestigious Absa Atelier in 2002. He is fascinated by the act of romanticizing space and what the inverse effect of that act might be. For this reason, most of his artworks change perspective according to the specific viewpoint from where you see them. One of the most astonishing Cianfanelli’s peculiarity is the ability to work with different materials, from dried grass, to mielie skins

Sculpture Capture in prospective

Sculpture Shadow Boxing maquete

and steal’s paper. A combination that allows him to produce such as different kind of artworks, a sculptured sea sand, till mosaics, one of his cup of tea.

However his popularity increased locally and worldwide, in 2012, when he unveiled “Capture” and “Shadow boxing”, the two sculptures representing Nelson Mandela’s life. The first piece of art uses 50 steel columns - each between 6.5 and 9.5 meters tall - that viewed collectively create a portrait of Madiba. The artwork is located approximately three kilometers outside Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, where in 1962, on 5 August, the apartheid police captured Nelson Mandela after he had spent months on the run. «The 50 columns represent the 50 years since his capture», comments Cianfanelli, «but they also suggest the idea of “many making the whole of solidarity.” The approach to the site, which has been designed by Jeremy Rose of Mashabane Rose Architects, leads one down to a path toward the sculpture where, at a

Detail steel column - Sculpture Capture

distance of 35 meters, a portrait of Nelson Mandela, looking west, comes into focus and the 50 linear vertical units lining up to create the illusion of a flat image. Marco Cianfanelli’s second sculpture of Mandela is “Shadow boxing”, almost six meters of layers of painted metal sheets, placed between Chancellor House and the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court.

The artwork represents Nelson Mandela while is boxing, one of his biggest passions, and the metal pieces makes shadow on the figure, creating a 3-D effect. In the decision to built this kind of sculpture, the South African artist was inspired by the image captured by Drum photographer Bob Gosani in 1952, while Nelson Mandela was sparring with Jerry Moloi on the rooftop of the South African associated Newspapers Building in downtown Johannesburg. The sculpture stands atop a base with his words etched across it: «in the ring, rank, age, color, and wealth are irrelevant.” «The uniqueness of the piece, the character of the boxer rather than the political

Mosaic Dying slave on The Spier Wine Estate

Detail artwork Seed inside Standard Bank building in Rosebank - Johannesburg

figure, which was also part of his person, has made me very proud», says Cianfanelli.

Through these sculptures he has linked forever his name to South Africa and his artworks, “Shadow boxing” and “Capture”, will stand always as an eternal reminder of the fight for justice for the South African people.

However, the desire of this sophisticated artist to innovate and leave a mark in the art scenario, pushed Cianfanelli forward; he recently unveiled his two latest gems. “Seed” is gracing the atrium of the new Standard Bank building in Rosebank and represents the whole African continent within a spherical form. “Dying slave”, created on The Spier Wine Estate, consists of flatly rectangular columns that coalesce to depict an image of a dying slave. The subject matter was inspired by Michelangelo’s work that holds the same title, to underline that this eclectic South African artist never lost his Italian spirit ◆

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Encountering Boetti

by Kim Lieberman

Ishi

sitting cultures III

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remember it clearly. I first spotted Boetti’s work in 1997 at a ‘fringe’ exhibition of the Venice Biennale. One small quiet postal work consisting of a few yellow and green postal envelopes.

The work struck a resounding chord in me as I was due to have my second solo exhibition a month later in Cape Town - it consisted of the entire gallery being wall papered with red and blue airmail envelopes that I had sent to every place I had ever slept a night.

The visual similarity between the two works was a bit of a shock - a good shock though, as I immediately felt a kinship which has lead me down a path of investigation. For some odd reason I didn’t take a photo of this small Boetti, although I was certainly aware immediately that it was relevant to me.

It therefore sits in my minds eye, and although I scan the net looking for an image of it it has not yet come up.

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Pushing the Envelope

From this initial private and personal encounter I started researching Boetti’s postal work which I found both then (1997-2001), and still now (2013), was lesser known than his other more glamorous colourful works. As I said in my Masters dissertation entitled Alighiero e Boetti’s Postal Art “Little attention has been paid to the postal work of Boetti’s as distinctive in its own right, as well as the light it throws on his work as a whole”... which I now find actually suits me.

My work at the time dovetailed both conceptually and visually with Boetti’s. And the more I discovered the more I was pushed in an alternate direction, as having an artist who was so known and revered as Boetti having done similar things was quite inconvenient to my own emerging artist status.

So I moved on to delving into the detail of postal elements.

This peaked when I had blank HS8 quality stamp paper perforated through the South African government philatelic services. It was a coup, and I don’t think they quite understood

how it happened - a young artist organised, with permission, to have stamps printed and perforated through a legal stampmaking source. I am sure Boetti would have approved.

Now, I sit here 16 years later, and am still intrigued with how my path crosses Boetti’s and Italy in general. Last night at a dinner held by my friend Genoveva, the Spanish Ambassador to South Africa’s wife I met the Italian Abassador, Vincenzo Schioppa, and I quickly told him the plan I have been hatching for years. Vincenzo knowing Boetti, Arte Povera, and my context, immediately grasped and liked this odd relationship between a South African and Italian artist. For him, the Italian Ambassador to South Africa it makes wry sense.

What I hope to be heading towards is an exhibition of Boetti’s postal work in conjunction with my own, showing how works from across the world separated by decades can be so similar in visual. And ironically how this spurned a different direction for me. It was the opposite of being influenced by an artist ◆

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Francesco Rastrelli, Roberta Roccati

COMMON OBJECTIVES, THE LIGHT AN ACCOMPLICE

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alent is an extraordinary gift, which allows you to transfer an empathetic feeling and emotion in the hearts of others. To create works that lead to intellectual arrangements which are unpredictable in their immediacy. Melodies, paintings, photographs: spiritual binders, revealing the genius of the author. Facing a shot of Francesco Rastrelli, who collaborates with the most prestigious international agencies, superbly supported by Roberta Roccati, companion in life and adventure, means to psychologically tackle its descriptive power. Maybe feel moved in front of an implicit representation of dignity, through the working hands of his sea people. Swollen fingers, grasping small fish like silver pens to fill the pages of their diary with fatigue and storms, like needles stuck in the mesh of the torn nets. Perhaps, marvel in front of the portrait which redeems a ferryman, reminiscent of Dante’s words: the “old hoary with the hair”, suddenly wonderful and reassuring even in his name, Clement, in a twenty-first century version.

But it is worth enduring a scratch to the soul, just not to miss the intensity of the vibrations coming one’s way.

Francesco, does it really take just two seconds for the realization of a perfect picture?

“One second, naturalness. Two, technique. You have to decide quickly. I’m going on intuition. It can be risky, but I try to act in accordance with the subject in question, trying not to let momentum break down that wall of distrust. I am discreet though, to think of it, I steal“ - he smiles.

interview

by Carlotta Miceli Picardi - ph © Francesco & Roberta Rastrelli

Sort of an image gentleman-thief in a way.

“Yeah, with a set plan for the heist: my experience as artdirector leads me to compose while following rigorous graphic methodology. Applying it equally throughout my work, may it be witnessing the solemnity of a wedding ceremony, or the dramatic excitement of a slaughter. I construct the documentary or chapters of the story I want to tell with all the pathos, all the strength that washes over me.

Roberta is my narrative voice on the field, tireless.”

What does your feminine sensibility add to the art of Francesco?

Roberta: “The way certain details are framed, with an eye halfway between photographer and client. That sense of ‘out of place‘ that the male mind sometimes misses: an untidy lapel of a jacket one fold too many or rather the expression of a woman caught in a moment in which I know she would not want to see herself. He’s volcanic creativity, flair. I am pragmatism and organization. After all, the different areas of photography in which we specialize (not just yachting and diving, but also rallies of vintage cars , events and happenings, industrial and architectural photos, as well as advertising) require different sensibilities and points of view which are now the added value of our team and are highly treasured by our customers. The very relationship with the client, often being international, and boasting a certain prestige, is affected and, dare I say, benefits from our “complementary” approach, tailored according to his needs.

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You gave up a career as a lawyer in the blink of an eye, your position working for Fiat, leaving Turin to move to Naples: what leap of faith! What kind of love leads to having so much courage?

Roberta: “Passionate love, for a person whom you discover to be special and matching. Able to find a detail invisible to many, the very essence of what he is observing. The ability to

use light as a tool of expression and writing to explain their feelings emphasizing the need to share them. If it sweeps you away, no decision seems reckless.”

When does an amateur picture become beautiful?

Francesco: “When, while looking at it, you clearly perceive the relationship between the energy, culture and poetry of the person who created it.”

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Is there poetry even in the digital photography?

Francesco: “There is less preparation, less magic. It’s missing the inevitability of the acid stain. If I were not constrained by pressing delivery deadlines, a roll of film and a subject, without wide-angle lens would suffice. I would go back towards what I want to ‘capture‘. Digital composition represents the darkroom of days past. Today, the market dictates the need for technology, for sublimation. Naturally, it is the answer to what are otherwise practically impossible present-day conditions.”

Tell me about a significant experience you had due to professional needs.

Francesco: “Imagine a boat fishing for swordfish buffeted by gusts of Libeccio (South-Western Mediterranean Wind), at

the mercy of the currents dueling in the waters of the Strait of Messina: a combination of elements ideal for realizing evocative photos. I therefore excitedly ask one of the fishermen to let me occupy a position which I think ideal, in truth very dangerous, and get an abrupt and peremptory ‘no‘. I immediately realize that I acted somewhat conceitedly, ignoring the sacredness of the context, its rituals. Shortly thereafter, I change my form of communication and I say: - It seems that the wind has died down, should I go? - Getting a nod. I knock three times on the iron, then make the sign of the Cross, feeling like one of them.”

Did you ever consider yourself inadequate?

“Years ago, I had a terrible crisis during an expo following the exhibition of Francesco Zizola in the same location. I caught

the devastation of ‘his‘ wars as opposed to the serenity of my seabed images and I was shocked: I thought I was useless. Truth be told I think I still give my personal contribution; be it when I realize exhibitions such as those on the Military Divers of the Arsenale della Spezia, who still dive with nineteenth century diving suits and that, being the last remaining in Italy, will continue to exist in our culture thanks to my images, or when, through my images I contribute to the worldwide appreciation

and popularity of our clients such as Riva, Lamborghini, Fendi, Officine Panerai, Siad, Vhernier etc....”

Roberta, do you recognize yourself emotionally in Francesco’s choices?

“Our synergy surprises me: him, from Sorrento, impulsive, irrepressible (with the face of an Irishman, though) - laughs - Me, from Piedmont, thoughtful, meticulous. He prefers to

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photograph boats, I prefer cars... but we still go in the same direction! “

What is the determining factor in a couple’s professional and intimate relationship?

Roberta: “The enthusiasm, which sometimes turns into a sort of complicity in the process, daring or playful it may be.

Sharing. For example, we just bought a beautiful almond milk loaf: I am sure that Francesco cannot wait to run off to melt it and taste it together. And every drop spilling from the glass of the mixer, will be a source of inspiration, trust me!“ - She concludes with joy.

Francesco, what would you lock away in your virtual safe?

“The photo of a magical moment that I lost” ◆

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“For the lanscape, art and nature.

Forever, for everyone”

VILLA GREGORIANA

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ocated in a scenic spot at the foot of the Roman Acropolis at Tivoli, this suggestive Park boasts considerable naturalistic value, as well as historical and artistic significance.

In 2002, it was given to the FAI by the State as a gratuitous loan, so that the former might carry out a project for its restoration.

This is a difficult work of enhancement, both in terms of the vegetation and the structures (paths, railings, retaining walls), as well as the ancient remains, seriously decayed during the prolonged period of abandonment, which, over time, had reduced the Park to an open-air dumping site.

It was Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) who gave the “Villa” its current aspect, with the large-scale deviation of the torrent Aniene, in order to avoid the scenic, but often disastrous floods that the stream was prone to, at the point where, near the walls of the citadel, it was forced to make a sharp turn through a narrows and then drop many metres. An impressive sight - a gorge, or orrido as poets and artists called it. Although lauded since antiquity, this spot reached its maximum glory between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when - thanks to the

ph © Luca Simoncello

construction of paths and lookout points - it became a mustsee stop on the post-university Grand Tour. In 1826, following an especially destructive flood, which flattened much of the old city and took many lives, the Vatican government was forced to resolve the thorny question once and for all. The project, carried out between 1832 and 1835, was designed and directed by Clemente Folchi, engineer, who decided to deviate the course of the stream by digging a double tunnel into Mount Catillo. The waters, thus channelled, were tamed, and artificially augmented, they created the new Great Falls, 120 metres high.

Following the indications of Cardinal Agostino Rivarola, the old abandoned gorge was restored with several species of plants, naturally arranged, and a system of steep pathways was installed, leading up from the valley floor. The paths wind through archaeological remains, grottoes and tunnels, providing breathtaking views from strategically placed lookout points. After years of complete abandonment, therefore, this extraordinary Park, designed for “the delight of the community”, has finally been restored and given back

ph © Maurizio Conti

to the public, which can now enjoy all its unique beauty by following the itinerary suggested by the FAI. And so we find ourselves admiring the spectacle of the Falls from the suggestive terrace known as the “horseshoe”, with its turbulent mass of water emerging from the artificial cuts in the rock. Then we can descend until Neptune’s Grotto and the Siren’s Cave, full of stalactites, where the stream is swallowed by the rocks. If we climb the path to the other side, we find a small tunnel, dug in 1809 by the French general Sextius Miollis (at the time, Governor of the Roman States under Napoleon), from whose openings we can enjoy a splendid view of the underlying ravine. The luxuriant greenery also contains interesting objects from past eras, most of which came to light during the massive restoration effort. These are mostly stone pieces and have been subjected to a careful cleaning and cataloguing operation. Among these, the remains of the villa of the Roman Consul Manlio Vopisco, a sumptuous residence celebrated by the Latin poet Horace, stand out.

High on the Acropolis, finally, one can visit the Temples of Vesta (dedicated to the Tiburtine Sibyl) and of Tiburnus,

ph © Luca Simoncello

dating to the second century B.C., which are part of the Park’s archaeological legacy. It was in this area that the ancient entry was repaired and enhanced, thanks to the renovation of a former school, built following World War II, which was transformed into a modern service centre for visitors to the Park.

A unique opportunity, already acclaimed by those on the Grand Tour, often illustrious exponents of European nobility, whose passing is noted by the many tombstones scattered among the vegetation ◆

Villa Gregoriana - rome Phone: 0774 332650 faigregoriana@fondoambiente.it - www.fondoambiente.it Opening hours March, November, December 10.00am - 4.00pm April - October 10.00am - 6.30pm

CINQUE TERRE NATIONAL PARK SUSPENDED BETWEEN THE SEA AND MOUNTAINS AND BORDERED BY THE WAY OF LOVE CROSSING HIS FIVE VILLAGES, THE NATIONAL PARK OF THE CINQUE TERRE HAS BEEN DECLARED ‘CULTURAL LANDSCAPE’ AND CLASSIFIED AS ONE OF UNESCO’S HUMANITY WORLD HERITAGE SITES SINCE 1997

over the centuries. Characterized by its rural settlements and terraces supported by dry stone walls, every town in the National Park of Cinque Terre is a small and unique jewel.

Starting from the West, we come upon Monterosso with a picturesque medieval center whose first historical records date back to 1201, when the Lagneto family, owners of the castle of which only a few ruins remain today, entered into a concession agreement with Genoa which, in 1214, founded the community of the same name and began to fortify its walls

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onterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore are the five villages that make up the National Park of Cinque Terre along a jagged coastline that climbs up to the ridges of the mountains, between paths and terraces overlooking the sea, making this eastern part of the Riviera one of the most sought-after destinations in the world. A cultural landscape of exceptional value, the Cinque Terre represents the settled harmonious interaction between man and nature

Monterosso

by Alessandra Vittoria Fanelli

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La Francesca Small gem on the sea

A Monesteroli, spectacular staircase perched upon a sheer drop onto the sea

Vernazza

to protect it from the incursions of the Saracens. The result, was the most powerful defence system of the Cinque Terre.

Much loved by the poet Eugenio Montale, Nobel Prize winner for Literature in 1975, who spent the summer in his liberty villa and loved to write surrounded by the “rocky and austere landscape, home of fishermen and farmers...’, nowadays Monterosso is an elegant holiday destination boasting the famous beach resort of Fagina, a meeting place of the intellighentia of Lombardy and Piedmont.

First mentions of Vernazza date back to circa year 1000, a wonderful village perched on a majestic cliff and its harbor, nestled between two mountain ridges, was a likely point of departure and landing for the naval forces deployed to fight the Saracen threat. With its narrow streets magical and mysteriously enclosed between softly colored homesteads, it is ranked among the top hundred most beautiful villages of Italy, and getting there by sea is an experience that has left countless of its visitors breathless!

The emblem of Corniglia is the deer pictured in the center hole of the canopy, created in 1351 in white Carrara marble which adorns the façade of St. Peter, the Gothic-Genoese church and most important monument of the village.

Corniglia is also the only village of the Cinque Terre not in direct contact with the coast, rising up on a rocky promontory.

The true heart of the village is the small main square with the Oratorio dei Disciplinati, which features a breathtaking view of the sea. Manarola on the other hand, originates from the displacement of populations from the Val di Vara, who moved

Riomaggiore

towards the sea to exploit its resources. Set on a promontory high above the coastline, the town expanded into the gorge that descends to the water blow, enclosed between two rocky outcrops, hosting a small landing where houses are clumped all around overlooking the main street, created following the coverage of the watercourse and therefore nicknamed U Cana’ (The Waterway) by its inhabitants.

Finally there is Riomaggiore, a village climbing along the ridges overlooking the sea, its stone houses featuring colorful facades and sloping slate roofs. Its origins tracing back to the VIII century, Riomaggiore became independent in 1343, later absorbing Manarola and Torre Guardiola during the Napoleonic era. Now a naturalistic park and Environmental Education Center, it can be reached via a path that starts from within the residential area and from where you can admire a magnificent view of the coast.

Along these splendid views it is possible to carry out in the month of March the ‘Maritime Walking Festival’ guided tours promoted by the Cinque Terre National Park (in collaboration with Tuscany, Corsica and Sardinia) to discover the surrounding area, a festival to walk in this protected marine oasis and discover the unique places and the most suggestive locations, through vineyards and Mediterranean scents that lead from the mountains to the sea; taste the famous fish fritters accompanied by local wines of the Cinque Terre (Sciacchetra’, Costa da Campu and Aquamarina) in a riot of flavors, smells and colors of fragrant and intense basil ◆ www.parconazionalecinqueterre.it

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djacent to the National Park of Cinque Terre, in an area of ​​strong contrast and a natural color palette that unfolds, flounced into the sea, perpetually roaring against the rocks, we find in Bonassola Il Villaggio La Francesca, an ideal place to enjoy a different kind of stay in direct contact with nature.

Created over fifty years ago in this slice of Ligurian coast of the Levant, rugged and steep overhanging the sea, a small jewel indeed among resorts and well ahead of its time, it is characterized by a series of mini bungalows spread along the promontory of Punta Mesco.

Open all year round, it is a great starting point to visit the vineyards of the villages of the Cinque Terre National Park (also clearly visible by boat), or to discover the shrines scattered along the panoramic paths.

Walking along the several kilometers of dry stone walls that ‘mark’ the terraces used for the cultivation of vines (many DOC wines can be found here), leads one to Lerici and Portovenere in the Gulf of La Spezia, also known as ‘the Gulf of poets’ due to the renowned romantic English writers, such as Shelley, his wife Mary and even the famous Lord Byron, who used to reside here.

Upon heading back, while viewing the wonderful sunset on the beach and holding a glass of Schiacchetrà (in dialect refursa’), the well-known golden wine praised by the poet Montale, enjoying freshly caught fish of the local specialties (including the famous anchovies) and browsing the traditional crafts all around, one can fully appreciate the value of this picturesque village, slotted harmoniously within the National Park of Cinque Terre ◆ www.lafrancesca.it A.V.F.

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A JEWEL ON THE COASTLINE Villa Cimbrone and its gardens overlooking the sea, a fascinating corner of Ravello, witness to centuries of history

resort

by Laura Di Cosimo

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hen a cultured traveler - or a simple tourist driven by curiosity - visits the magical place of the Amalfi Coast, he is greeted by a continuous crescendo of emotions. In fact, everything here is rich of history, breath-taking views, stunning coves. It’s in the very air one breathes, filled with scents of flowers and plants, a synergy of scenery bathed in the Mediterranean sun , every corner looking different, original, waiting to be discovered among the stunning paths and towns along the way.

Boulevard of The Immense

Tourist Attractions renowned throughout the world such as Amalfi, Positano, Ravello, all the way to Vietri sul Mare, flow one after another other along the slopes of the coast of Campania , overlooking the Gulf of Salerno, south of the Sorrento peninsula. Among these locations, each a true and unique “jewel”, Ravello stands out for its refined beauty, especially with its nobility’s villas and mansions, most notably the Villa Cimbrone and its extraordinary gardens.

This elegant mansion, with its centuries-old park, extends for

six hectares and is located right at the top of the promontory. It can be reached by going up the well-known stone steps of the town of Ravello, through the narrow streets, while admiring orchards, gardens and lemon groves, churches, cloisters and other splendid views. Upon entering the enchanting Villa Cimbrone, praised by poets, musicians and writers for its powerfully inspiring atmosphere, full of historical echoes, one is easily moved by the poignant harmony of the natural landscape that stands out - looking like the bow of a ship -

onto the sea of the Amalfi Coast, so as to leave any visitor literally gasping upon seeing this incomparable view.

Its historical origins are found in archival documents dating back to the eleventh century, linking the name “Cimbronium” to the vast farmland found upon the promontory, where the villa was built. Throughout the centuries, Villa Cimbrone was a large estate, belonging to some of the most important noble families of the area such as the Acconciojoco. From the 14th century to the half of the 19th century the Villa was owned by

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Cloister

the Fusco Family, a wealthy family of Ravello, who boasted family ties with both the Pitti of Florence and the D’Angiò of Naples. Thanks to this noble and powerful family, the villa’s structure was enlarged and its interior halls and lounges embellished with elegant décor and frescoes.

During the nineteenth century, the villa went through a period of abandonment.

In 1904, a learned English traveler, Ernest William Beckett, later Lord Grimthorpe, fell in love with Villa Cimbrone and became its new owner. With the help of the Nicola Mansi, he renewed the ancient splendor of the dwelling, transforming the main building , with its magnificent park, in an extraordinary place that became one of the most important models of the Romantic period, a tribute to Anglo-Saxon landscaping and botanic culture in the south of Europe.

The villa has since changed its appearance, becoming a successful mix between different styles and eras, with harmonious input of cultural elements and exotic influences, transforming into a truly magical place, a source of inspiration for famous writers and painters, meeting point for aristocrats, famous politicians and even the prestigious London-based group of intellectuals: Bloomsbury.

Ceres

Belvedere of Infinity

Taking inspiration from the classic style while pursuing the reinterpretation of the Roman Villa model, numerous fine decorative elements were included in the luxurious gardens of Villa Cimbrone, hailing from different parts of the world, such as statues, fountains, temples, pavilions, nymphs and epigraphs, beautifully designed to emphasize the emotional relationship bestowed upon visitors by the spectacular beauty of the surrounding Nature.

The lush garden of the villa, back then largely redesigned by popular English landscape artist Vita Sackville-West, was made even more precious by artistic elements, along with

natural caves, ravines and above all, by its rich and fine variety of plants, so as to represent to this day a spectacular fusion between the English landscape culture and the renowned harmony of the Italian garden.

Surely, one of the most intense visual impacts (and there are many!) is found at the end of the long central boulevard, the shady Viale dell’Immenso (Boulevard of the Immense), which reaches its climax in the Terrazzo dell’Infinito (Terrace of Infinity) a scenic belvedere overhanging the sea, adorned with eighteenth century busts, from which you can admire the view that Gore Vidal defined as “the most beautiful in the world.”

Today Villa Cimbrone is an exclusive hotel, among the finest, welcoming its privileged guests with reserved refinement, owned by the family Vuilleumier, with an historical tradition in the hospitality business, who personally handle the management.

Counting Only nineteen rooms, including bedrooms and suites, furnished with simple elegance and antique furnishings of the ‘600 and ‘700, some with stone fireplaces and antique majolica tiles floors, others with vaulted ceilings decorated with frescoes, each so unique and all remarkable.

Even the gastronomic factor adds to the incomparable atmosphere, from the delicious breakfasts in the morning (served maybe by the pool) to a real gourmet experience in evening waiting for you in the scenic Il Flauto di Pan (The Flute of Pan), award-winning restaurant of the hotel, thanks to the culinary touch of chef Giovanni De Vivo, striving to prepare creative Mediterranean cuisine with genuine passion ◆

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VILLA CIMBRONE HOTEL

Via Santa Chiara, 26 - 84010 Ravello (SA) Phone +39 089 857459 - +39 089 858072 Fax +39 089 857777 info@villacimbrone.com - www.villacimbrone.com * Exclusive transfer service with private Helipad available on request.

The Villa Cimbrone Gardens are open to the public every day of the year, from 9 am until sunset. The cost of the ticket for entry is 7 euro. Discounts are available for children under the age of 12 years, groups and tours

Sout h Africa

Year 1 •

Number 0 •

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November 2013