The Italian aesthetic is an asset for the country’s economy
Interview with Antonio Calabrò
Culture, art and tourism are the fields most associated with Italy’s image in the pages of the foreign press. Indeed, outside issues relating strictly to current affairs, reports on matters of cultural interest continue to feature in large numbers in the pages of international newspapers. But is Italy’s great cultural tradition, which receives such extensive exposure in the foreign media, also an advantage for the country’s economy? Aspen Institute Italia’s Foreign Press team discussed this issue with Antonio Calabrò, CEO of the Fondazione Pirelli.
What stands out from foreign press coverage of Italy is the image of a country with an outstanding cultural tradition. Is this an asset for Italian firms?
In Italy, there is a very close link between business and culture – a culture that is “polytechnic” and has its origins in the marriage of science and humanism, embodied by the likes of Piero della Francesca, Leonardo da Vinci, and Galileo, but also by Carlo Cattaneo’s mid-19th-century review Il Politecnico, and by Elio Vittorini’s post-World War II weekly journal of the same name. Not forgetting, also, major industry magazines such as Civiltà delle Macchine and Pirelli, both enriched by the creativity of the so-called “engineer-poet” Leonardo Sinisgalli.
However, if the image of Italian culture is confined to historical heritage, then even though this documents a real phenomenon, a great opportunity is lost to capture the country’s culture in novel ways. The image that should instead be promoted is one that deepens the sense of a country of haute culture, where culture unquestionably encompasses art, literature, opera and great architecture, but also our manufacturing know-how. Indeed, underpinning Italian firms is a body of technical, production and artisanal skills – the real source of the quality products that Italy exports to the world. A design culture that translates into a product culture, combining design with quality. Looked at from this perspective, it is possible to say that “business forms part of culture”.
Is Italian industry aware of its cultural tradition?
Not always, and this is a problem. We need to invest in ensuring that firms become more aware of the high level of culture that permeates their activities, but we must also focus on training and education, so that the vast widespread heritage of manufacturing culture becomes increasingly more visible and accessible. By telling their own story, firms themselves can help to generate culture. Business associations are also proving adept at working with business history and culture. The next step – to be encouraged through tax incentives – is to raise awareness among small and medium-sized enterprises, so as to convince them that telling their story and sharing their successes are an investment in the future – both in theirs and in that of the entire country.
If the focus is solely on historical and cultural heritage, will the country’s other strong suits remain in the shadows?
There is a danger of this happening. And so we cannot take the risk of giving the impression that Italian heritage is at a standstill, of turning the country into a museum, or of reducing ourselves to a sort of Disneyland of art. We must act on a number of fronts: on the one hand, to preserve, restore and enhance existing heritage, and on the other, to invest so as to provide a boost to all that constitutes art today. We have to overcome the tunnel vision that associates innovation only with the Information Technology sector, and understand that innovation is both product and production process, but also new phraseology, and industrial and community relations that are in constant flux. Innovation, that is, as a culture of transformation and metamorphosis. Innovation is also, for example, about reclaiming old colors from items of Venetian manufacture, and making them a characteristic feature of furnishings that are popular and successful around the world. We Italians are very talented at doing this: just look at the old villages that have become centers of Italian production, or factories devised by famous architects, such as the Pirelli plant at Settimo Torinese designed by Renzo Piano, which is an attractive, eco-friendly and highly efficient factory. Working in pleasant surroundings increases the sense of belonging, commitment and, hence, productivity. Let’s put it this way: the Italian aesthetic applied to industry is a great asset for the country’s competitiveness.
So, are Italian businesses pivotal to promoting the country’s image abroad?
The country’s flagship companies in its top four industries – not just clothing, furnishings, and food and agriculture, but also mechanical automation, which is perhaps the most important sector – are great ambassadors of Italian quality. Without question, in the course of their operations, they run up against eternal contradictions such as bureaucracy, environmental degradation, corruption, organized crime, the lack of a market and merit-based culture, and other problems that undermine Italy’s image. Yet there is much potential in markets like China, Brazil and the United States, all countries where there is a growing awareness of Italian quality – not just via exports but also through direct investments by our leading firms. Companies are doing a lot and can do more, but the country’s institutions need to contribute to encourage a systemic push. After all, our firms have something of a head start, encapsulated perfectly in what Carlo Cipolla defined as the Italian ability to “produce beautiful things that the world likes”.
