Italian Innovators

The father of Italian automobiles. The birth of Fiat (A presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD) * The 1898 exposition of Turin. The cradle of Italian photography and cinematography * The bicycle workshop of Ceirano, the new trend of "horseless coaches" and the "automobile club" of Caffè Burello * The creation of Italy's first #automobile company (Ceirano GB & Co) in 1898 and the release of Italy's firs...

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Simone Cinotto (professor, author, and food scholar at University of gastronomic sciences in Pollenzo, Italy) * Local and global. Italian and American. A clarification of terms and a brief history of culinary culture in Italy (3:10) * A cuisine of exchange, hybridization, and creativity (9:15) * The post-war Americanization of Italian cuisine. New mode...

What can a father give a child? The gift of Chicco (A presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD) * The fathers of great Italian innovators and artists (“like father like son” cases; the influence model; accidental gifts) * The gift of a chicco. Pietro Catelli’s gift to his son Enrico and the deeper meaning of “chicco” * How Chicco became the global leader in childcare products * An integrated approach. Bu...

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Jessica L. Harris (assistant professor of history at Saint John’s University, author, and scholar of African-American history, women’s history and modern Italy). * Italy in the aftermath of WWII. The Marshall Plan between aids and economic opportunity (1:15) * The emergence of Mrs. Consumer and the Americanization of Italy (4:10) * The American model i...

The Italian reinvention of coffee (A presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD) * A lost harvest and the start of an adventure. From #Turin to the world * 1895. The opening of the #Lavazza store * Importing and treating #coffee. The re-invention of coffee as a transformed good * The innovation & art of #blending and the design of #aroma * Packaging and sustainability. From Luigi Lavazza to the company tod...

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Emanuele Cappelli (Creative Director at Cappelli Identity Design and Professor in Brand and Graphic Design at the Rome University of Fine Arts) * The story of Cappelli Identity Design and the creative soil of its founder (1:27) * The complementary paths of #academia and #entrepreneurship in creating value (4:40) * Visual #design as effective communicat...

The creative foundation of Italian motorcycling (A presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD) * From #radio pioneer Adriano Cavalieri Ducati to the mass production of radio devices, cameras, projectors, and electrical razors. The early years of Ducati (1926-1944) * The WWII bombing and post-war reconstruction. The end of a #business story (1944-1945) * The unexpected success of Cucciolo and the start of t...

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Marina Puricelli (senior professor at SDA Bocconi University, author, and host at Il meglio del piccolo) * Small size, entrepreneurial organization, family ownership, vocation to craftsmanship. The Italian recipe for industrial success. (1:32) * The Italian entrepreneur and the Anglo-Saxon manager (6:00) * The relevance of the human factor in a hyper-t...

The birth of a commercial university (a presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD) * The drama of losing a son to war. Italian colonialism and the defeat of Adwa * The extraordinary ascent of a self-made man. From street vending to large-scale retail * The growing economic and political influence of Magazzini Bocconi * The death of Ferdinando’s firstborn Luigi and the idea of a university in his honor * A...

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Patrizio Cionfoli (Director of Design & Interaction at Studio Volpi) * What is the philosophy of Studio Volpi? (1:20) * Disegno and progetto. Italian design as an operative fusion of aesthetics and functionality (2:20) * The integrated design of experience. What's behind an interface? (6:12) * The culture and value of virtual reality #VR (11:35) * The...

What does the environment have to do with fashion? A presentation by Luca Cottini (PhD) * Oasi Zegna as a forward-looking sustainability project and value creator * At the roots of Zegna's success. The Biella valley as the cradle of the Italian wool industry * From sheep to shop. From fabric to style. Zegna's business model from the founder to today * The aesthetic and natural relationship between...

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Giovanna Bonomo-Blescia (international editor for Canada’s luxury magazine Preferred, and author of “Lost and found in Italy”) * Italian Studies as a resource in professional development * Italy as a luxury destination. The pursuit of a unique value * In search of Italy. The Italian journey as a form of self-discovery * The market of Italian travel. Fr...

What does philosophy have to do with management? A presentation by Luca Cottini (PhD) * Business as a network of transactions and a world of meaning * Industry as a shared venture. On virtue and entrepreneurship * From Istria to Abruzzo. From Abruzzo to Canada. Story of an exile immigrant * The impact of philosophical studies on Marchionne's leadership style * The biggest turnaround in the automot...

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Luca Vullo (actor, director, performer, author, speaker, and communication coach) * From Sicily to the world. Discovering a professional path (1:57) * Gestures as a key feature of the Italian flair and entrepreneurial success (7:20) * The grammar of the body. Non-verbal communication and team building (11:42) * From theatre to social media. The applica...

Airplanes are splendid dreams. A presentation by Luca Cottini (PhD) * March 15, 1909. W. Wright completes in Rome the first ever engine-operated flight on Italian soil * The birth of Italian aviation (1909). The Montichiari circuit and the Italian aviation society * The path of an outsider Gianni Caproni. From Munich & Liege to Milan * From Taliedo to Cascina Malpensa. The birth of military aviati...

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Filippo Poletti (Top Voice LinkedIn influencer, Digital Product Communications Manager at Fiera Milano, journalist, author, host of the "New Normal" live show on LinkedIn). * From music to journalism. The humanities as a key factor in the industry (1:20) * Fiera Milano as a key site of Italian industrialism (6:00) * Internal communication. From the hum...

What's in a stiletto heel? A presentation by Luca Cottini (PhD) * The story of heels. From a male to a female item * From heels to stilettos. The Ferragamo factor and the steel factor * The story of Casadei. From Romagna and Rimini to Hollywood * The architecture and the aesthetics of a stiletto shoe * On heels and entrepreneurship Visit the official webpage at www.italianinnovators.com to find ou...

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Gabriele Caprotti (global sales director at Zanotta) * The Italian leadership in design furniture * Aurelio Zanotta and the making of a legendary company * Heritage and Innovation. Art museums, experimentation, and the contemporary market * What's in a chair? The obsession of Italian designers Visit the official webpage at www.italianinnovators.com to...

Every object is a work of art. A presentation by Luca Cottini (PhD) * The encounter of Carlo Bugatti and Giovanni Segantini at the art academy of Brera * Milan's scapigliati ("disheveled") and the attempt at a new modern Italian art * Bugatti's mastery in furniture design. The triumph at the 1902 exposition of decorative arts in Turin * Turning objects into art pieces: the impact of a father on hi...

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Paolo Taticchi, Professor of Strategy & Sustainability at University College of London, Entrepreneur, Consultant, Speaker, and Innovator * From father to son. The craft of scholarship & teaching * Italians as trend-setters. What is the Italian influence? * Innovative approaches to sustainability in the Italian industry * The sustainability of education...

A modern Sicilian Renaissance. A presentation by Luca Cottini (PhD) * The opening of the Suez Canal at the origin of Italian colonialism & the Southern question * The ascent of Sicily in the 1880s and the Florio business (tuna, sulfur, navigation, etc) * Ignazio Florio, the national exposition of Palermo (1891-1892), and Sicilian Liberty * Franca Florio. A master of style, fashion, elegance, and i...

Innovation as perfection in pasta-making. A presentation by Luca Cottini (PhD) * How a young manufacturer from Abruzzo won the gold medal of excellence for his pasta at the Columbian exposition of Chicago in 1893 * Pasta diplomacy? The diplomatic stall between Italy and the United States (1891-1893) * The story of Filippo De Cecco. From milling wheat to pasta making * An innovative change. The met...

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Ale Gambini (chef and food ambassador in Los Angeles, writer, award-winning host in online food programs, recipe developer, blogger, and cook instructor) * From Milan to Los Angeles. From music to cooking * Innovating tradition. How to "develop" the Italian repertoire * Italian food and the question of authenticity * The variety of Italian culinary tra...

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Cinzia Zuffada (associate chief scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA, and president of the Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation; ISSNAF). * An Italian woman at NASA. The path from Pavia to America (1:50) * Observing our human questions from the external perspective of space (6:10) * Agencies, universities, and the p...

The living spring of creativity (a presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD) * A lively approach to creativity. Humanistic studies and practical training * A Roman family story. From Delia's Roman atelier to Laura's company * The 1972 fashion show at Palazzo Pitti and the evolution of Biagiotti's style * Laura's extraordinary missions to Beijing and Moscow. Fashion and cultural diplomacy * On motherhood...