Books

The major exhibition dedicated to Italo Calvino (Santiago de Las Vegas, Cuba 1923 – Siena 1985) was presented as a preview to the press and the public at the 35th edition of the Turin International Book Fair. The exhibition will open in Rome at the Scuderie del Quirinale in October 2023. Curated by Mario Barenghi, organised by Ales S.p.A./Scuderie del Quirinale in collaboration with the Electa publishing house, it is among the main events of the official program celebrating the centenary of the writer’s birth.

It is a ‘visual’ project, covering Calvino’s character and work, which will address both his admiring public and ‘new’ readers and young people, who are only now coming to his works. Particular attention will be paid to Calvino’s relationship with the arts, which curator Mario Barenghi and Marco Belpoliti spoke of today in a discussion planned for the Fair, introduced by Rosanna Cappelli, CEO of Electa and Matteo Lafranconi, the Scuderie Director.

The exhibition will be a journey through the life, the choices, the political and civil involvement, the places and above all the literary output and the working method of the writer that will run through the history across ten sections on the two floors of the Scuderie del Quirinale.

The Scuderie del Quirinale, together with Electa, are also once again collaborating with the Liguria Region, the city of Genoa and the Palazzo Ducale Foundation to celebrate Calvino’s centenary, the year that Genoa is Italy’s Book Capital. In October, the city and the Palazzo Ducale will pay tribute to Calvino, starting a site-specific project on the theme of fairy tales and the countryside, which will end in the spring of 2024 when the Roman exhibition travels to Genoa.

Electa will publish a guidebook for the exhibition designed by Studio Sonnoli and edited by Mario Barenghi, as well as a volume of the encyclopaedia series entitled Calvino A-Z, with numerous articles assigned to major specialists and the whole work curated by Marco Belpoliti, who has recently edited for Mondadori Italo Calvino. Take a look.

Mondadori Studios’ Originals catalogue, the Mondadori Group’s space for creating and producing original audio contents, is now further enhanced with Shelf. A book’s home.

Based on the idea that readers, books and bookstores are all concerned by a common space known as the shelf, the new podcast is an exclusive project aimed at reviewing and discovering the literary world and its protagonists through the voice of the poet and bookseller Alessandro Barbaglia and involvement of Chiara Sgarbi, a passionate reader known on Instagram as @chiara_sui_libri.

The bookshow conceived for all literature lovers consists of 8 episodes available for free on all major audio streaming platforms, including Speaker, Spotify, Apple Podcast and Google Podcast.

The podcast

The episodes of Shelf. A book’s home will be airing every Wednesday with special sections: such as Cover, consisting of Alessandro Barbaglia’s personal opinion on books or Novelty, dedicated to the presentation of new books to help listeners find their way among the many editorial offers.

And again, ad hoc Advice given by Chiara Sgarbi to help people find the right story to read or purchase for others. Or the not to be missed Interview, in which the writer Barbaglia discusses with a bookseller, writer or protagonist of the editorial world.

Whereas, the Where to read section, a space conceived to let listeners speak about where and what they read, will enrich each episode. Finally, End Credits to summarise all the readings mentioned at the end of each episode.

Other novelties from Mondadori Studios

The first season of Shelf. A book’s home will complete Mondadori Studios’ original podcast offer, including Elements, Digital Wars and Under the nails, whose executive coordination will be guided by Michele Dalai to cover topics such as science, geopolitics, philosophy and true stories through new and expert voices and accurate authorial direction. The podcast Looking up, seeing the stars, developed by the scientist Amalia Ercoli Finzi together with Randstad, is also among the newest projects available. A unique episode added to the very high quality original audio format catalogue produced by Mondadori Studios: from spin-offs and discussions on what goes on behind the scenes in the creation of successful books to great works of historic and scientific education, from narrative invention to political analysis.

The Museo del Novecento museum and Palazzo Morando | Costume Moda Immagine palace, together with Liberty and our publishing house Electa, present the FuturLiberty Exhibition from April 5, 2023.

The exhibition, under the scientific curatorship of Ester Coen and artistic direction of Federico Forquet for the fabrics, delves into the history of the futurist movement in an unprecedented way, through a selection of paintings and applied arts exposed in the two seats of the Modern and Contemporary Art Museums of the Municipality of Milan. The works of the futurist movement’s protagonists, Giacomo Balla, Gino Severini, Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carrà and Fortunato Depero are harmoniously combined with the Vorticist paintings of contemporary English artists, such as Percy Wyndham Lewis and Christopher Nevinson, starting from the “Vital English Art” manifesto of 1914, signed by Europe’s avant-gardist, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. These artists in turn represented the source of inspiration that guided Federico Forquet and Liberty’s design team in the creation of two new collections.

The inspiring avant-gardes of Futurism and Vorticism express the transition from past practices through a sharp outlook towards the future, by influencing the culture expressed in traditions and in all forms of everyday routines. Strength, energy and dynamism all reflect the vitality of the forms that boosted the creativity of Liberty’s designers throughout the different eras.
Art life, leisure and identities are recombined into a futurist aesthetic, into a vision aimed at reshaping principles and traditions.

The project includes over 200 works in 2 seats. At the Museo del Novecento museum, the exhibition is focused on the interdisciplinarity of avant-garde movements. This unprecedented and fascinating journey is divided into 8 sections, varying from Futurism and Vorticism with essential works of the Museo del Novecento museum’s collection, of which 15 created by renowned authors such as Boccioni, Balla, Severini and Carrà, and others borrowed from prestigious Italian and international institutions, among which the MART of Rovereto, GAM of Turin, Banca d’Italia, Tate, British Council, Estorick Collection, Ben Uri Gallery and Museum, William Morris Gallery of London, Sainsbury Centre of Norwich; all there to be compared to the designs of the Liberty collections.

Moreover, images of Milan’s stylish buildings will be projected to further appreciate its Liberty-style architectures. This journey combines architecture and decorations with the designs of the prestigious London archive, thus highlighting the stylistic influence of floral and geometric patterns to reveal a close connection between these two cities.

In the Palazzo Morando | Costume Moda Immagine palace, the focus is instead oriented towards the extraordinary creativity which characterises Liberty’s story and its past and present designers. For the first time since the V&A of 1975, which celebrated its centenary, the paintings, drawings, tapestries, fabrics, clothes, furnishings, photographs and a wide selection of unpublished materials from the Liberty archive will be exhibited in 8 rooms, starting with a section dedicated to its partnership with William Morris.
The exhibition reveals the influences that most affected both the careers of some great masters, among which William Morris, Bernard Nevill and Federico Forquet, and the ideas that redesigned the future throughout the eras by glancing back at the past. The fabric connects the beginning and end of a journey through shapes, colours, patterns and refractions of light.

A guide of the Museo del Novecento museum and Palazzo Morando | Costume Moda Immagine palace leads visitors through this artistic journey, organized by Electa and curated by Ester Coen.

The Museo del Novecento museum houses the largest collection of works from the futurist movement, also thanks to the recent loan of some precious masterpieces of Boccioni, Balla, Severini, among others, from the Gianni Mattioli collection. The futurist gallery offers visitors a one of a kind opportunity to get acquainted with the most renowned Italian artistic movements worldwide, right in Milan, where the main historical events of this movement unwound. The exhibition, dedicated to the connection between Futurism and English Vorticism, thus finds its ideal seat at the Milanese institution.

The Palazzo Morando | Costume Moda Immagine palace: has the task of presenting, preserving and producing evidence of the changes that Milan embraced. The Art Gallery houses paintings, drawings and sculptures representative of the historic, urban and social evolution of the Milanese capital. Milan’s custom and fashion collection is exhibited alternately according to thematic exhibitions and continuously allows to reflect on the interdisciplinarity of decorative arts and design. This is the perfect setting for taking part in Futurliberty, whose focus is dedicated to the study of the connection between art and fashion through the works of great masters of Futurism and Vorticism.

Liberty is the avant-gardist of design and decorative arts since 1875. It is internationally renowned for its fabrics, in particular for its floral patterns, but also for a long history of experiments with bold geometric designs reminiscent of the shapes and colours of the early 20th-century’s avant-garde art, in particular of those created by Italian futurists and English Vorticists. The extraordinary archive of over 50.000 drawings and prints from the beginning to present day is a constant source of inspiration. For Liberty’s 150 years, the esteemed interior couturier and designer Federico Forquet has curated a striking new range of fabrics – the FuturLiberty collection – aimed at bringing Liberty’s creative legacy into our era. The collections are produced in the northern Italian plant, in Lombardy, using both innovative digital technologies and century-old techniques.

The Original projects by  Mondadori Studios

are created, strengthening Mondadori Group’s presence in the podcast market. A format that is making a name for itself in the consumption habits of an ever wider public – which also embraces younger generations – to which the Mondadori Group will be able to offer high quality audio content, written, developed and created by a dedicated team.

The Mondadori Studios project
Mondadori Studios is a new space for the creation and production of original audio content: from spin-offs and discussion of what goes on behind the scenes in the creation of successful books to great works of historic and scientific education, from narrative invention to political analysis.

Includes original podcasts created in collaboration with important authors and characters with a strong experience in the world of audio broadcasting. A portfolio of stories and insights that enrich the wide digital offer of the Group’s publishing houses, with a catalogue of over 20,000 e-books and about 1,700 audiobooks.

The transversal nature and wealth of content and authors of Mondadori Studios is accompanied by the very high level of the production phase, thanks to an excellent sound design capable of enhancing the big names who collaborate on the initiative, and a graphic project with a strong visual impact by Francesco Poroli, internationally appreciated graphic illustrator.

The Original podcasts

There are three podcasts that will open the Originals by Mondadori Studios, featuring a total of 15 episodes, dedicated to highly topical issues, such as the protection of the planet, digital security and domestic violence: they include Elements, Digital Wars and Under the nails, available free on all major audio streaming platforms and usable from any device.

Elements was based on an idea by Mariasole Bianco, scientist, naturalistic populariser and President of Worldrise Onlus, to celebrate nature through the work of women who embody its essence. Four elements for four episodes – Water, Earth, Air and Fire – plus a fifth episode that exalts the human being par excellence: The culture.
Voices of Elements are Mariasole Bianco herself together with zoologist Mia Canestrini, the meteorological physicist Serena Giacomin, the environmentalist and forager Valeria Margherita Mosca and the communication expert Chiara Sgarbi, creator of the social profile @chiara_sui_libri.
A podcast to feed sparks of hope and give the right boost to change to safeguard our planet.

Digital Wars. What it is and why we talk about it (Guerre digitali. Cosa sono e perché ne parliamo),conceived by Mariarosaria Taddeo, Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, over six episodes deals with the themes of IT security,cybernetic intelligence, and the use of artificial intelligence as a military advantage up to its moral implications.

Under the nails (Sotto le unghie) is a true story of Patience Manzumba Nyapasa, a drama of ordinary domestic violence. A simple adjective to describe the too many tragedies that are still present in the chronicle of modern society.
There are four episodes written and narrated by Giulia Muscatelli, an author linked to women’s issues, regarding gender and social inclusion. Under the nails is a story of pain, beauty and courage, a story like many others, but it’s precisely for this reason that it’s important to be told.

From books to podcasts

Four podcasts dedicated to successful books and narrated by as many famous authors of the Group’s publishing houses are already available on all digital platforms: Bruno Vespa, Sveva Casati Modignani, Giuliano Da Empoli and Federico Varese.

The Wizard of the Kremlin. Instructions for Use Giuliano Da Empoli takes the reader backstage at The Wizard of the Kremlin (Mondadori, 2022), returning a real “instruction manual” to understand the story of Vadim Baranov, Vladimir Putin’s spin doctor.
The great storm by Bruno Vespa recounts a century of Italian history, from the end of fascism to the birth of the Meloni government, retracing the pages of his homonymous book published for Mondadori (2022) in collaboration with Rai Libri.
Protagonist of the podcast Crime and Punishments in the age of Putin. Russia seen through four criminals the voice of Federico Varese. Taken from his book Russia seen through four criminals (Einaudi, 2022), talks about contemporary Russia through the lives of four criminals representing different eras and social groups.
Lastly, in Dear Sveva. Time and love – produced in collaboration with Sperling & Kupfer – the bestselling author Sveva Casati Modignani imagines writing four letters to the female protagonists of the history of literature to discuss immortal themes: time (of life, of relationships) and love.

Coming out in the next few weeks, linked to the publication of Enrico Camanni’s new book Se non dovessi tornare, edited by Mondadori, the podcast Gary Hemming. Story of an obsession. The story of the life of a truly unique character – a nonconformist and libertarian climber – becomes an opportunity to recall the birth of a new way of thinking about mountaineering and the mountains, against the backdrop of the wonderful utopia of the 60s.

Useful links

Stay updated on the Mondadori Studios podcasts via the Instagram page, the Telegram channel and the playlists available on the main platforms, including Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

“Each of us must ask himself if there are horizons in his life. Are there horizons? Many times, it happens that people cannot see them. And they feel a little bad because they do not observe, do not know how to look and search for those horizons. Observing the horizons of life, in this way, means looking at hope.”

Pope Francis

“Pope Francis really makes you feel like a person. He’s the Pope, of course. At the beginning there is a sense of expectation, the same as I felt as a child, the first time I met one of St. Peter’s successors. But then, without you even realising it, he makes you feel like an equal, with the understanding and authenticity of a man who loves you, and that’s all: he simply loves you, just as you are.”

Davide Banzato

If you suddenly had an unexpected opportunity to spend some time face to face with the Pope, what would you ask him?

This was the extraordinary experience of Davide Banzato, described in the pages of this book. In the Vatican for his television programme I viaggi del cuore, Father Davide never thought he would get a unique opportunity to chat with the Pope and ask him the questions that he, like many of us, had been wondering about. The result is a sincere, spontaneous dialogue, but also an enlightening reflection between a priest who has not been afraid to take risks, with a life full of light and shadows, and a Pope of great wisdom and, above all, unbounded humanity. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the papal ministry of Pope Francis, the Holy Father answered ten questions, in a discussion addressing existential and highly relevant issues: from solitude to indifference, from the crisis in faith to peace of the heart, from fear to poverty. All enriched with personal anecdotes and reflections on the times we live in, on the Pope’s documents and speeches, on burning issues such as abuse, war and economic crisis, in a discussion that speaks to everyone. Thus the Pope’s words take us on a true “voyage of the heart”: an intense walk, with obstacles and dark places of its own, but capable of showing us that it is always possible for each of us to cast the anchor of hope in the midst of the storm, to open a window and look out at the horizon of a more serene future.

Pope Francis

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, born in Buenos Aires in 1936, became the 266th Pope of the Catholic church on 13 March 2013. He chose the name of Saint Francis of Assisi, “a man of poverty, a man of peace”. Piemme also published his books Il nome di Dio è Misericordia. Una conversazione con Andrea Tornielli (2016, translated into 100 languages, published in English under the title The Name of God is Mercy), Dio è giovane (2018, published in English as God is Young), Ritorniamo a sognare (2020, published in English as Let us Dream) and Vi chiedo in nome di Dio (2022). And in the Battello a Vapore series: Laudato si’. L’enciclica raccontata ai ragazzi, Le più belle storie del Vangelo and A come Amore, B come Bambino.

Davide Banzato

Born in Padua in 1981, Father Banzato works with disadvantaged youth in Nuovi Orizzonti, the community founded by Chiara Amirante. He writes for a number of newspapers, presents the television programme I viaggi del cuore for broadcaster Mediaset, and has appeared in a series commenting on the gospels on Rai1 as well as a number of radio broadcasts. Piemme published his bestseller Tutto ma prete mai (2021).

Daisy Jones & The Six is back in the bookstores on the occasion of the March 3rd arrival, on Prime Video, of the long-awaited TV series based on the novel: 13 episodes produced by Amazon Studios and Reese Witherspoon, starring Riley Keough and Sam Claflin. 

The book, published in Italy by Sperling & Kupfer, has been a global success: a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, independent American booksellers’ book of the month and book of the year according to major international publications.

“The rock novel of the year” tells the story of the dizzying rise to success of an iconic ’70s rock group, revealing the mystery behind their notorious break-up.

“Reading this story, told in first person by the people who appear in it, is like watching an amazing series of documentaries about an icon of rock music. A novel overflowing with style and energy.”

– The New York Times

The author

Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote Carrie Soto Is Back, Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones & The Six and The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo, all New York Times bestsellers. She started out with the novels: One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter. taylorjenkinsreid.com

The plot

Daisy Jones & The Six: a rock group becomes a legend. Their concerts have packed stadiums all over the world, and their songs have inflamed a whole generation. Their legend is the fairy-tale of the dizzying rise from their first performances in underground clubs to world-wide stardom. It’s the incarnation of a time when sex, drugs and rock’n’roll went hand in hand. The story is one of a perfect alchemy: the unique magnetism between Billy Dunne – the band’s charismatic, tormented frontman – and Daisy Jones, the splendid cover girl and singer with a natural talent and a free, elusive spirit. Yet on 12 July 1979, at the end of a memorable concert, the group split up forever. Nobody has ever known why… Until now.
The former band musicians and managers, reporters and family members were all witnesses to the event, and now, forty years later, they are finally ready to tell the truth. But each of them has his or her own version of the events. What is brought back in their words is a story of a bunch of twenty-year-old friends and lovers, brothers and rivals; idols on the stage, fragile souls when the lights go down. A story of crazy nights and lost dawns, of dreams too big to be seized and demons too strong to be defeated, passions that ignited the blood in their veins. Because a song is never just a song. There’s life, in music. And it’s impossible to say where one ends and the other begins.

Electa presents Oilà, the new series, edited by Chiara Alessi, that tells the stories of twentieth-century female figures who distinguished themselves in the Italian and international creative setting (from design to fashion, architecture to music, illustrations to graphics, photography to literature) by practising disciplines and professions that had always been considered part of the male universe. The graphics are developed by Studio Sonnoli.

The first three titles, which will be simultaneously released on March 8, are dedicated to Elsa Schiaparelli, Lisetta Carmi and Vanessa Bell: three protagonists, three characters, three stories, three individuals stories that transformed the way of interpreting art, design, photography and fashion and that contributed to the social and artistic emancipation of women. The stories take place in the midst of wars, displacements and social revolutions, in a world, or profession, not considered suitable for women.

The books

The books, intended to be read aloud from beginning to end in forty-five minutes – a short journey –  detail the stories of people’s biographies, jobs, private situations and public achievements. Small in format, with a defined layout and special cover for each individual title, the texts were entrusted to scholars, experts, writers and professionals. Each series begins with a story or anecdote on the life and profession of these women, digging into their childhood, family or sentimental relationships, based on the correspondence and diaries preserved in the archives, or on unpublished and unknown projects, to free women from preconceptions only aimed as seeing them as daughters, wives or sisters (such as Vanessa for Virginia Woolf).

And so, the series, or collection, of monographic readings based on the characters’ personal stories was created in the form of notebooks.

The title

The playful title of the series, Oilà, was taken from the famous verses of the socialist song La Lega [The League], which then became part of common italian women workers’ life. “Although we’re women, we’re not afraid, we have beautiful and nice mouths to defend ourselves. A oilì oilì oilà and our league will grow.”

Oilà is also a way to greet someone unexpected, the sound of someone caught by surprise. This series represents the voice and work of women.

Rossella Locatelli

The future, whatever it may hold. Elsa Schiaparelli

Elsa Schiaparelli’s circumstances seem like an ongoing struggle in the name of small freedoms. Alongside other women sharing this feeling. Fashion comes from instinct, revenge, necessity. Hers is a quick and absolutely spontaneous revolution. Although ironical or cruel at times, Schiap’s vision of fashion is closely linked to women’s obsessions and manias, or to a profound desire of independence. And… She is never alone in her fury.

Anna Toscano

With love and friendship. Lisetta Carmi

The hands, eyes and heart. Initially, Lisetta Carmi’s fingers run up and down the black and white keys of a piano, her eyes follow the keyboard from left to right, and her heart beats to the rhythm of a well-tempered harpsichord. Then, Lisetta Carmi’s fingers record and write the life of others through pictures. Pictures of people, streets, harbours, theatres, hospitals and cemeteries. Pictures of death and sex: of humanity Eyes and hearts to help her understand both others and herself. With love and friendship.

Luca Scarlini

Life is terrible and fun. Vanessa Bell

Vanessa Bell is always available for others: her husband, Clive Bell, despite his betrayals and critical mindset towards the artist’s life; Duncan Grant, the love of her life and colleague, who is however attracted by men; Omega Worshop, which according to its founder and financier, Roger Fry, wants to suppress the cult personality of her representatives; her sister, Virginia Woolf, through whom her work as an artist, graphic designer, decorator and illustrator is always interpreted. Vanessa Bell is there for others, those close to her have never jeopardised her art, on the contrary, they’ve fed it.

Rizzoli Education reinforces its commitment to gender equality and inclusiveness with the launch of the Glow UP empowerment campaign for its sales network.

The initiative has two key goals. The first is to continue interpreting and concretely implementing the Manifesto for gender equality and plurality launched in 2021, promoting the values of multiculturalism and the coexistence of different generations; principles the publishing house has always supported, inspiring not only its editorial and educational offering but its work environment.

The second main goal is boosting self-confidence among the people forming the Rizzoli Education team: highly qualified professionals with certified know-how whose work provides teachers with top-level assistance every day.

With Glow Up, the Mondadori Group publishing house wants to “add glow” to the value of the people in its sales network and establish the conditions for casting light on these people’s “unique”, specific talent, boosting their sense of belonging and fidelity.

In addition, the company wishes to develop an increasingly inclusive workplace where everyone can express their own qualities in the best possible way, creating a system capable of attracting the new generations, who are increasingly sensitive to these issues.

Rizzoli Education’s empowerment campaign will begin with a series of events focusing on women, promoting the affirmation of an increasingly feminine and inclusive leadership style in its sales network. The pillars of this process, which will be the focus of a series of webinars, meetings and events, are three keywords:  education, to generate awareness of one’s own value, flexibility, to support women making important life choices, and confidence for development of personal skills.

The first event – intended for women in the publishing house’s sales network – featured Francesca Rigolio, Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Human Resources in Trade Education Books for the Mondadori Group, with Alessandra Andriani, partner and general manager of the consulting firm MCA, and Annalisa Aceti, Rizzoli Education Sales Manager. The themes discussed at this inspirational meeting included career, power, language and stereotypes that can represent obstacles for gender equality.

Rizzoli Education‘s Glow Up campaign will continue throughout the year 2023 with monthly initiatives for the entire sales network to boost self-confidence and the ability of members of the publisher’s sales staff to respond to the new challenges of the market.

Salman Rushdie, one of the most important advocates of contemporary international culture, returns to bookstores with a new novel published by Mondadori: Victory City. The story speaks of the creation and development of Bisnaga (literally “Victory City” in 14th century India) by the will of the Goddess Pampa Kampana, who revealed herself to a young orphan bearing her name; but, above all, the story emphasises the most important goal: that of ensuring equal power to women in a patriarchal world.

Synopsis

In 14th century India, following a bloody battle between two long-forgotten kingdoms, a nine-year-old girl makes a divine encounter bound to change the course of history.

The very young Pampa Kampana, overwhelmed with pain since her mother’s death, becomes a medium for her homonymous Goddess, who not only begins speaking through her, but who also grants her huge powers, thus revealing her role will be determinant for the birth of a great city called Bisnaga (literally “Victory City”).

Over the following 250 years, Pampa Kampana’s life is deeply intertwined with that of Bisnaga: from its creation, which was made possible thanks to a bag of magical seeds, to its tragic destruction, which was caused by the arrogance of the powerful. The story, whispered through the words our heroine, gradually gives life to Bisnaga and its citizens in the attempt to fulfil the task entrusted to her by the Goddess: ensuring equal power to women in a patriarchal world. However, all stories have a way of becoming independent from their creator, and Bisnaga is no exception. Over the years, following a succession of rulers, battles won and others lost, the fabric of Bisnaga continues to assume an increasingly more complex pattern, at the centre of which our heroine endures. Brilliantly structured like the translation of an ancient epic, Victory City is a saga of love, adventure, myth and a confirmation of the power of storytelling.

The author

Salman Rushdie, born in Mumbai, in 1945, moved to London at the age of fourteen and studied at King’s College, in Cambridge. Not only has he written novels such as Shame, Midnight’s Children, The Moor’s Last Sigh, Shalimar The Clown, The Enchantress of Florence, Quichotte, but also news stories and many essays. Following the 1988 publication of his novel, The Satanic Verses, he became subject of various serious threats and was forced to lead a semi-clandestine life under police protection. On August 12th 2022, he was severely stabbed at a literary event near New York. He is unanimously considered one of the most important advocates of contemporary international culture.

D Scuola, one of the leading Italian scholastic publishers with the Deascuola editorial line, and the Bracco Foundation present the first edition of “Le 100 esperte STEM vanno a scuola.”

The new training programme was studied to introduce the perspectives and opportunities of the technical and scientific disciplines to students and teachers with a specific outlook on gender equality and guidance, in line with the most recent ministerial guidelines on developing, as a national educational priority, the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) in schools.

As also demonstrated by the recent data provided by She Figures and Almalaurea, obstacles and stereotypes still currently exist and influence students’ educational path, especially for girls. This at a time during which businesses and institutions are increasingly searching for technical-scientific figures, as the same are necessary for better being able to address future transitions and challenges.

“The Bracco Foundation has always regarded women’s empowerment and gender equality as priorities,” states Diana Bracco, President of this important reality, which was founded in 2010 as a result of the values acquired and matured by the Bracco Family and Group in their over 95 years of history. “Among the many initiatives we support, 100donne contro gli stereotipi has thus become particularly relevant. The project is very complex and also aims at involving schools by involving female role models.
With D Scuola, we now promote a webinar cycle to put scientists and experts in contact with teachers and students nationwide. I’m certain that the professional and private stories of these amazing women of science will serve as a source of inspiration for many girls.”

“Le 100 esperte STEM vanno a scuola, developed together with the Bracco Foundation, aims to emphasise both the importance of science in education and the opportunities offered within the STEM context, in particular for the younger generations of women.

We believe this initiative can provide concrete guidance tips to teachers and students, thanks to the direct stories, experiences and testimonials of prominent experts, and become a precious source of inspiration used to better prepare even the youngest to face tomorrow’s challenges. We are very proud of this project, which will become part of the “Educating for the Future” programme, a broader path D Scuola is undertaking with the aim of developing topics such as inclusion, gender equality, sustainability and civic and digital education,” stated Gian Luca Pulvirenti, President of D Scuola.

The initiative, which is due to start on January 26, includes four free afternoon meetings for teachers, one for each of the letters composing the acronym STEM, and two morning meetings dedicated to students.

Each appointment will be held by the female scientists selected from the “100donne contro gli stereotipi ” portal. The project was founded as a result of the partnership with the Observatory of Pavia and Giulia Giornaliste and developed with the Bracco Foundation to give space and visibility to female experts specialised in different fields, thus highlighting the role of professionals adapted to become points of reference for the current generations and media.

During the meetings, the experts will both share their educational background, current projects, difficulties, decisions, mistakes, successes and professional advantages and provide useful tools and tips that can be used in the classroom to guide the decisions of students.

MEETING CALENDAR

S OF SCIENCE

The first of the four webinars of “Le 100 esperte STEM vanno a scuola” for teachers will be held on January 26, from 17:00 to 18:30, a few days following International Education Day. The session aims to provide insight on topics more closely linked to medical sciences, such as medical statistics and neurolinguistics. Among the participants, Sara Gandini, Head of the “Molecular and Pharmaco-Epidemiology” ward of IEO’s Experimental Oncology Department; Valentina Bambini, Full Professor of Linguistics at the IUSS of Pavia; Luisa Torsi, Full Professor of Chemistry at the University of Bari and at the Albo Academy University of Finland.

T OF TECHNOLOGY

The second meeting will be held on February 7, from 17:00 to 18:30, before International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11). The same will be dedicated to topics such as robotics for neuroscience and international cooperation in the aerospace context. Among the participants, Monica Gori, Head of a research group at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Simonetta Di Pippo, Professor of Space Economics and Director of the Space Economy Evolution Lab (SEE Lab) at the Bocconi University School of Management of Milan.

E OF ENGINEERING

The third appointment is scheduled on March 13, from 17:00 to 18:30, and will focus on the E of Engineering, by covering topics such as management and aerospace engineering. Among the participants, Bianca Maria Colosimo, Full Professor of Processing Technologies and Systems at the Polytechnic Institute of Milan, and Elisabetta Lamboglia, Aerospace Engineer at the European Space Agency (ESA).  

M OF MATHEMATICS

The last meeting with teachers – M of Mathematics – will be held on Thursday, April 20, from 17:00 to 18:30 – Maria Grazia Speranza, Full Professor of Operations Research at the University of Brescia, will discuss with young mathematicians of different fields, covering the various steps involved from research to corporate application.

The recordings of the webinars will be available at the end of each meeting on both D Scuola and the Bracco Foundation’s websites.

The first meeting with the primary and lower and upper secondary school students is scheduled on February 28, from 11:00 for 12:00, and will focus on Science and Technology. Among the participants, Paola Santini, Researcher at the INAF Astronomical Observatory of Rome, and Giulia Grancini, Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry and at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Pavia.
The second appointment– Engineering and Mathematics – will be held on April 28, from 11:00 to 12:00 and is an opportunity to meet and interact with Lucia Cattani, Researcher and Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Pavia, and Isabella Nova, Full Professor of Industrial Chemistry and Technology at the Polytechnic University of Milan.
Both meetings will be moderated by the climatological physicist Serena Giacomin.

Click here for the complete programme of “ Le 100 esperte STEM vanno a scuola:”https://l.deascuola.it/100esperte/index.html

^[1] Deascuola is an editorial brand of D Scuola.

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For information: 

Media Relations Gruppo Mondadori
pressoffice@mondadori.it

Ufficio Stampa Fondazione Bracco
Carolina Elefante
carolina.elefante@bracco.com
333.4263484, 02.21772279
www.100esperte.it