No. 3 Decembre 1999

ITALIAN TECHNOLOGY

Edited by SEEKS ISRAELI PARTNERS The Italian Embassy in Tel Aviv

Italy is Israel's third largest trading partner. For Italian companies, ITALIAN TECHNOLOGY pg1 Israel is increasingly interesting not only as a market, but also SEEKS ISRAELI PARTNERS as a partner for industrial cooperation in hi-tech sectors. 'S WAY TO GLOBALISATION: pg2 The "Italian Technology Week" in Tel Aviv (6-9 December) LOCAL NETWORKS OF SME'S confirmed this. WEALTHY NORTH-WESTERN REGIONS pg3 VISIT ISRAEL t the beginning of December, forty Italian cooperation also emerged in the chemical and A manufacturers came to Tel Aviv to promote biotechnology sectors, as well as in areas related REGIONAL PROFILES: PIEDMONT, pg3 their products and look to environment such as water A CHAMPION IN R&D for Israeli partners. The and garbage treatment. delegation was led by GOVERNMENT PRIVATISES ELECTRICAL GIANT pg4 Professor Fabrizio Onida, Some of the main Italian Chairman of the Italian banking institutions also "NOT ONLY PRIVATISATION": pg5 Institute for Foreign Trade attended the meeting, such CHAIRMAN CHICCO TESTA I.C.E., who met with Dan as Monte dei Paschi di Siena, HIGHLIGHTS 'S STRATEGIES Gillermann, Chairman of Banca Nazionale del Lavoro the Federation of Israeli and Banca Commerciale ITALY IN ISRAEL pg6 Chambers of Commerce, Italiana, which indicates the and Amir Makov, growing involvement of ITALIAN PILOTS AT THE HATZOR BASE pg6 President of the Israel Italian financial institutions Export Institute. in the Israeli system. CULTURAL EVENTS IN ISRAEL pg7 The event was the first The Technology Week is EVENTS IN ITALY pg8 step in a joint programme bound to have a significant of initiatives and events follow-up next year. In May Embassy of Italy agreed upon by I.C.E., the Israel Export Institute, 2000 a Country Presentation of Israel will take 4, Weizman St. Tel Aviv the Manufacturers Association of Israel and the place in . Italian-Israeli workshops in Tel: 03-6964223/4/5 Fax: 03-6918428 Israeli Federation of Chambers of Commerce. specific technological fields will be organised E-mail:[email protected] The programme was aimed at strengthening in Israel. <> http://www.italian-embassy-israel.org.il ties between Israeli and Italian business. As shown in the table beside, trade between Israel and Italy is flourishing. Italians and Israelis are ITALIAN EXPORTS TO ISRAEL BY MAIN TRADING COUNTRIES aiming now to explore opportunities for industrial MAIN COMMODITY GROUP BY EXPORTS TO ISRAEL cooperation in the hi-tech sector. (MILLION US DOLLARRS) (MILLION US DOLLARRS) ITALIAN EXPORTS 1998 MAIN TRADING COUNTRIES 1998 Italy's strength in the production of consumer EXPORTS goods is well known, but the general public is Machinery, electrical equipment & their sometimes surprised to hear that the bulk of parts 481 United States 5,211 Italian exports lies in machinery and electrical Base metals and articles thereof 195 Germany 2,417 equipment. These are produced mainly by small and medium-sized enterprises organised in Textiles and textile articles 187 Italy 1,827 "industrial districts" (see page 2). For these producers, Israel's skill in hi-tech is likely to Miscellaneous manufactured articles 157 United Kindom 1,585 be very attractive, facilitating competition in Products of chemical or allied industry 139 France 1,125 global markets. Italian manufactures of mechanical and engineering products, machine tools, robots Total Italian Export 1,827 and automation and farm machinery were the (by the Central Bureau of Statistics) (by the Central Bureau of Statistics) most numerous business representatives in the - total excluding diamonds - - total excluding diamonds - delegation. Promising opportunities for

1 mong the industrialized European THE LEADING 10 DISTRICTS BY TURNOVER A countries, Italy has three distinguishing District Region Product Turnover Companies Employees Export characteristics: a high number of companies, (bil. Lire) (no.) (no.) (bil. Lire) a strong preponderance of small and medium- Biella Piedmont Textile- 6,000 2,300 29,000 1,800 sized enterprises and a high per-capita value Clothing added, typical of a country without raw Prato Tuscany Textile- 5,150 11,850 48,000 2,575 materials and of an industrial system founded Clothing basically on transformation. Brianza Lombardy Furniture 5,000 9,100 30,000 900 The Italian economic growth model is based Como Lombardy Silk 4,300 1,800 17,300 1,800 on flexible strategy and the diffusion of a Sassuolo Emilia Ceramic 4,052 220 21,400 2,600 network of small, but highly profitable Romagna Tiles enterprises. The path of industrialization mapped out in recent years has enabled Italy Arzignano Veneto Hides 3,087 600 7,050 2,315 to achieve a goal which is enviable and unique Vicenza Veneto Jewellery 3,000 1,100 10,000 1,800 if compared with the production systems of Ascoli Marche Footwear 2,547 2,434 24,265 520 other European countries. Piceno The data leaves no room for doubt: of the Santa Croce Tuscany Hides 2,500 880 10,000 500 more than sixteen million enterprises in Carrara Tuscany Marble 2,300 1,200 9,000 1,800 Europe, 24% are located in Italy, 16.2% in (1 Euro is 1936 Lire) the United Kingdom, 15.2% in Spain and 14.1% in Germany. resources. Hence the possibility to avail ideas, forces, capital in which principal oneself of family ties and to continually companies and sub-suppliers develop economic In addition, 21.1% of Europe’s enterprises procure fresh local labor. One of the success transactions, collaboration and forms of with a workforce of less than 100 are to be factors of the industrial districts lies precisely vertical co-operation. Thus, a grid model in found in Italy. There are 68 enterprises every in this synergy of forces between territory, which affinities, collaboration and competition one thousand inhabitants. environment, community and family-run co-exist comes into being. enterprises. Moreover, the human scale of If we see the Italian economy as a temple, the structures fosters better labour relations Each area, in fact, specializes in products small and medium-sized enterprises are the as regards both quality and performance. The which are different and of differing complexity bricks in the building, while the industrial district model allows the employee a with different final use. Thus, for example, districts are its supporting columns. The most Prato in Tuscany is famous for textiles, recent report by the National Statistics Institute Sassuolo in Emilia Romagna for ceramic shows that industrial districts account for It is not widely known that tiles, Valtrompia in Lombardy for cutlery more than 80% of manufacturing systems in and Montegranaro in Marche for footwear. terms of both number and employment. the secret of Italy's economic success lies in the so-called As regards geographical distribution, the The latest report by Italy’s National Statistics north -east, with 32.7% of the districts identified Institute indicates that there are 784 districts "industrial districts": small has the greatest concentration of districts, (defined as local work systems and identified and medium-sized enterprises followed by the centre with 30.7%, the north- by the 1991 Census). Of these, 279 are defined west , where the density of industrial districts as manufacturing districts of which 199 are networking on a local basis. amounts to 29.6%, and the south with 7.5%. identified as fully-fledged "industrial districts". This is a modern reality which The textile industry’s most important districts Situated mainly in the north and in the center are concentrated in Piemonte, Veneto, Marche, of the country, the districts judiciously combine dates back to the tradition of Tuscany and Lombardy. The districts of the adaptability to demand fluctuations, a high the "Comuni" (Local mechanical engineering industry are propensity for technological innovation, concentrated mainly in northern Italy, in flexible production networks and a high Councils) in the Middle Ages. particular Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, degree of work-force mobility. Piedmont and Veneto. The north-east plays a fundamental role in furniture and in some An industrial district is basically a small area considerable degree of autonomy and room niche productions such as jewellery, ceramics, in which clusters of between one to three for self-management and more social mobility marble working and spectacles. In the food thousand enterprises operate, mostly with than in big companies. sector, Emilia Romagna, where film director less than twenty employees and which employ Federico Fellini was born, has more districts from ten to twenty thousand workers overall. These characteristics make the district a than the other regions. It should also be noted The districts have some characteristics in 'Laboratory', or rather, a series of laboratories that there is a proliferation of small and micro common. Firstly, a diffuse entrepreneurial of the Renaissance type, expressed by the agro-food firms throughout the spirit and the capacity to use social structures various functional areas which together form Mezzogiorno.<> which are highly suited to coordinating a network of operative poles. A source of

2 WEALTHY NORTH-WESTERN REGIONS VISIT ISRAEL

TALY'S interest in strengthening I economic ties with Israel is also seen by the visit of two regional delegations from Italy's highly industrialized North-West. At the end of October, Alberto Zorzoli, Vice- President of Lombardy, came to Israel with a delegation of businessmen, followed by Enzo Ghigo, President of Piedmont, on 21- 23 November. The importance that both Italian and Israeli partners attached to the visits is shown by such official events as the meeting between Mr. Ghigo and Mr. Masalha, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the meeting between Mr. Zorzoli and Mr. Goldschmidt, President of the Financial Committee of the Knesset.

Some figures highlight the economic weight of both regions. Lombardy alone accounts for 20% of Italy's GDP, Piedmont for about 8,5%. Taken together, their economic size terms of export capacity. Lombardy accounts promoting industrial cooperation with Israel, equals that of the . Their importance for 28% of Italian exports and Piedmont for therefore, is likely to have a significant impact within Italy is even more considerable in 13%. Lombardy's and Piedmont's interest in on the economic links between Italy and

REGIONAL PROFILES: PIEDMONT, A CHAMPION IN R&D. (http://www.regione.piemonte.it). SIZE kms. 25.398,94 (1.209 municipalities) POPULATION: 4.288.866 inhabitants. With its 338,000 businesses, corresponding than 91 public and private institutes with to 8% of the national total, the production over 9,000 specialist employees, make this system of Piedmont achieves levels of region a centre of excellence for the equipment excellence in large, small and medium and consistency of the research organisations, dimensions. The distinguishing features as well as a vital link in the chain of scientific- are the tendency towards technological technical relations between Italy and the rest innovation and a vocational model linked of the world. closely with the metal-mechanical industry Alongside the many departments of Turin’s and transport sectors in which more than University and Technical College, various 30% of Piedmont's industrial enterprises centres are affiliated to the CNR (National are involved. However, it is impossible to Research Council): these include the Galileo ignore the importance of other areas, such Ferraris Technical Institute and the Colonnetti as the textile-clothing sector, of which the Metrology Institute. Also of particular Biella district is one of the most important importance are the activities of the CSELT international centres of production; the food The "Mole Antonelliana": Turin's symbol (STET) in the telecommunications field, the sector with the fundamental role of the In Piedmont, interest in state-of-the-art RAI Research Centre in the radio and television Cuneo "food valley", and the wood-furniture technologies represents the most authentic sector, the Fiat Research Centre in the sector. The efficiency of the whole system and deep-rooted regional vocation. The automotive sector, the RTM (Mechanical is made apparent by an economic index as biggest national share of investments in Research and Technologies) in the mechanics simple as it is flattering: as mentioned above, research and development (30% of the total, sector, and the Donegani Institute of Novara, Piedmont's exports account for 13% of the equalling approximately 3,000 billion lire the main chemical research centre in Italy.<> national total. per annum), and the presence of no fewer

3 GOVERNMENT PRIVATISES ELECTRICAL GIANT Privatisation of State companies brought the Italian Comments from the international press about the privatization of ENEL Treasury 42 bn. Euro in five years Financial Times, 1st November 1999 market. The proceeds of the sale will go "Italy’s Enel launch is world’s largest toward paying down the national debt". IPO" st he Italian Treasury Ministry has successfully The Wall Street Journal Europe, 1 T started to privatise ENEL S.p.A., by far "Italy’s stock market launch of ENEL, with November 1999 the largest Italian Electric Power Company. This the sale of $19.3bn worth of shares became "Enel IPO becomes world’s largest": is a step in a plan of privatisation of public the world’s largest initial public offering. "The blockbuster demand for ENEL shares companies which, over the last five years, has Following huge demand from international has made it one of the most successful involved such sectors as energy, telecommunications, fund managers and the Italian public, the privatizations ever undertaken in Europe. banks and insurance and goes hand in hand with government decided to sell 34.5 per cent of The demand was so strong that the market liberalisation. Since 1994 earnings from its 100 per cent stake in Enel. government decided to raise the size of privatisation amounted to 42 billion Euro. In The Treasury fixed the offer price for Enel the tranche from 23% to 35%. 1998 alone the privatisation revenue reached 10,5 shares at Lst. 4.3. This gives Enel a market In spite of the success, some investors were billion Euro, i.e. 1% of Italy's GDP. capitalisation of Lst. 52.14bn and the receipts disappointed at the price, which at Lst 4.30 from the sale will ensure that Italy fulfils came at the top of the range set out by the ENEL Societa' per Azioni is the third largest its pledge to its European partners. electrical utility in the world, with 56,000 Megawatts Treasury earlier this month. of installed power, 29 million customers and a Some 3.8m Italians took part in the domestic The placement was an impressive one and 20 billion Euro turnover. Established in 1962 by retail share offer, the largest number yet in with the 3.8 million requests for shares, nationalising over 1,200 regional electrical an Italian privatisation". Enel is second in Europe only to the placement companies, ENEL was aimed at ensuring an by France Telecom, which drew 3.9 million extensive and homogenous distribution of electric The Herald Tribune, 25th October 1999 applications. power in Italy. As the electric power market is "Enel sale marks full circle for Chairman" Enel’s placement will also have a strong being gradually liberalised according to new "Mr. Testa, formerly Head of the Lega per impact on the Milan stock market. European legislation - 20% before August 2000 l'Ambiente, Italy's environmental group, is The partial privatisation represents the - ENEL is being converted into a privatised now the Chairman of the Board of Enel. culmination of a series of changes to one holding company, in order to face the new scenario The transition from being an idealist with of the world’s largest electrical utilities. of the European electric power market and to a philosophy degree to a manager charged exploit new opportunities for growth. Franco Tato, arrived in 1996 with the goal with "creating shareholder value" is part of transforming Enel "from a charity into The privatisation of ENEL is estimated to be of a larger dialectic Mr. Testa. a company", by first of all cutting the staff worth 40 to 50 billion Euro. The first emission More explicitly, ENEL has insisted on by more than 15,000 took place last October and the first transaction obtaining environmental certification for on the Stock Exchange of Milan and New York all its plants, a process in which the company The Wall Street Journal Europe, 3rd at the beginning of November. The Treasury is ahead of most of its European peers. November 1999 Ministry will hold a so- called "golden share" of Mr. Testa, together with Mr. Tato, were "Enel shares change little from IPO": ENEL's capital, i.e. keep special rights, for a appointed to prepare ENEL for the stock "Enel’s shares were priced at the top end period of five years. <> of the range. Apart from the high initial price, the Italian Treasury’s decision last weekend to increase ITALY'S MAIN PRIVATISATIONS 1994-1998 the sale’s size to 34.5%, from the originally planned 23%, eliminated much of the pent- Privatized Treasury up demand. Company Sector Year Share (%) Revenues in Next step for the electricity company, Mr. billion Euro Tato said, would be to improve efficiency INA Insurance 1994 49,45 2,2 and offset the regulatory changes that will eat into profits and sales. ENI Energy 1995 15,05 3,1 In the meantime Enel is planning to seal ENI Energy 1996 16,19 4,4 its agreement to buy 30% of pay-TV Telepiú and to close the acquisition of state-owned ENI Energy 1997 18,21 6,6 water companies. Furthermore Enel owns 1997 51% of Wind Spa, Italy’s third largest TELECOM ITALIA Telecommunication 39,54 11,4 cellular-phone company. The Treasury ENI Energy 1998 14,21 6,5 executives would like Enel to sell its stake in Wind in a maximum of two years, while BNL Banking 1998 67,85 3,4 Enel insists on five years".<> (http://www.enel.it; for information about the privatisation plan, see http://www.tesoro.it)

4 NOT ONLY PRIVATISATION: CHAIRMAN CHICCO TESTA HIGHLIGHTS ENEL'S STRATEGIES

ENEL wants to meet the challenges resulting from the new competitive environment by transforming the company's structure, pursuing diversification and improving its competitive edge.

n January 1997 Enel adopted a new the establishment of WIND, a company in signed for a combined cycle plant in the I organisation based on the unbundling which ENEL holds a 51% stake, while UK. In August it signed an agreement with of all its activities and made up of a corporate Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom hold Exxon Power to develop power projects in head office, three divisions and a limited 24,5% each. the Mediterranean area and in Eastern Europe number of business units. ENELPOWER has recently won a bid for In October 1999 this organisation was ENEL aims at maximising the value of its the construction of a 130 MW thermal power transformed into a holding structure which fixed and mobile networks created in the plant in Saudi Arabia, and it is also active established all the division and business past for the needs of its electrical system. in South America units as joint stock companies. The following central companies were Other steps recently taken by ENEL created: towards diversification, still under negotiation, include the acquisition ● Generation: Enel Produzione of a 30% stake in Telepiú, a (thermoelectric and hydroelectric generation), predominant Italian Pay-TV operator Erga (renewable sources), three generating and the acquisition of Acquedotto companies (Eurogen, Elettrogen, Interpower) Pugliese, the major player in integrated water business in Italy and one of ● Transmission: Tema (operation, the biggest in Europe maintenance and development) Enel has just started to move into ● Distribution: Enel Distribuzione the gas sector, negotiating the (distribution to non- eligible customers), acquisition of Colombo Gas, a Enel Trade (sales to eligible customers) distribution company operating in northern Italy. Enel is transforming itself from a one- product company into a diversified, multi- As regards improvement service industrial group. competitiveness, ENEL has Chicco Testa significantly raised the level of The main diversification sectors are: efficiency and economic performance in the last three years. ● telecommunications (Wind) In March 1999 WIND started providing This is essentially due to: ● waste management (Ismes) convergent fixed and mobile services for - a reduction in operating costs, and particularly ● waste to energy (Elettroambiente) residential customers. Currently the total labour cost; ● engineering ( Enelpower) number of customers is over 1.7 million - a fall in financial cost thanks to the strong ● "beyond the meter" services ( Se.m.e.) reduction of debt. ● public lighting (So.l.e.) ENELPOWER, our new engineering and construction company, recently achieved (European Electricity Conference, Telecommunications is the first and most some important results in the international 29-30 November 1999.) <> important diversification underway, with market. Last July the first contract was

5 at the Susanne Dellal Theatre from the 8th to the 15th of December 1999. Petrassi, Theatre and Dance: a display of ITALY IN ISRAEL designs, models, photographs of stage sets, affiches, scores and other material for theatrical works produced by important Italian artists and stage designers: Afro, Italy in Israel" is a project that took Gesualdo da Venosa, whose tormented Mario Mafai, Lele Luzzati, Corrado Cagli, " place from the 28th of November to compositional style, full of dissonance, Toti Scialoja, Elio Sciola, Antonietta the 14th of December 1999 in Tel Aviv and reveals early traces of contemporary Gambaro, Carlo Savi, Lorenzo Ghiglia, Jerusalem. It was promoted by the Italian sensitivity. Lucio Fontana, Manzú, Felice Casorati, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry The focus of attention in Jerusalem was Giulio Coltellacci. for Cultural Heritage within the framework the study of the manuscripts of the Italian of a larger cultural program to explore the Genizáh ( and Florence) and the Ballet: at the Susanne Dellal Theatre on heritage of the Mediterranean area. musical ethnological research of Leo Levi. the 8th of December 1999 The rediscovery of our historical and (Two programmes - Claude Debussy and cultural phenomena gave particular attention TEL AVIV Goffredo Petrassi) In Syrinx and Prélude, to a few principal areas. The projects were interludes et paraphrase finale pour L'aprés- centered on four main themes: the Journey The festival was presented in collaboration midi d'un faune of Claude Debussy and of Faith, the Journey of Peoples, the Journey with the Art Museum of Tel Aviv, the Felicia Estri of Goffredo Petrassi. in Heritage and the Journey in Written Blumental Music Center and Library and Recollection. The program for Israel, was the Suzanne Dellal Theatre. Other Events made possible by the collaboration of the Petrassi Library: at the Felicia Blumental local authorities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem A Homage to Arnold Schoenberg: a concert Music Center and Library from the 8th to and was based on two of these fundamental at the Felicia Blumental Music Center and the 15th of December. subjects. Library on the 28th of November 1999. Listening to and Watching Petrassi: at the The programme planned for Tel Aviv was Music by Anton Webern, Alban Berg and Felicia Blumental Music Center and Library linked to cultural heritage and was intended Arnold Shoenberg. (Antonio Ballista - on the 8th to the 15th of December 1999. as a documented homage to contemporary conductor and piano). creativity, symbolically represented by JERUSALEM two great composers of our century: Goffredo Goffredo Petrassi and Gesualdo da Venosa: Petrassi and Arnold Schoenberg. Not only a choral concert at the Tel Aviv Museum The meeting was organized by the concerts but also exhibitions, ballet and on the 2nd of December 1999. Music by Municipality of Bologna and the Jewish theatrical performances combined to Goffredo Petrassi, Gesualdo da Venosa Communities of Florence and Bologna, in portray these two outstanding figures in and Salomone Rossi. (Cappella Ducale collaboration with the Municipality of the musical panorama of the twentieth Venetia - conductor Livio Picotti.) Jerusalem, the National Library and the century. In addition Petrassi's Motets for U. Nahon Museum of Italian Jewish Art the Passion was compared with the works A Homage to Goffredo Petrassi - A Master - Centro Studi sull'Ebraismo Italiano. of a master of the late Renaissance, Carlo of the Twentieth Century Italy: an exhibition Meetings, exhibitions, musical recitals Hebraic music, Christian music in popular culture preserved through oral tradition.

The Italian Genizáh - The manuscripts ITALIAN PILOTS AT THE HATZOR BASE of the Bolognese and Italian Genizáh: an exhibition at the National Library from the 12th of December 1999 to the 12th of January rom 8th to 11th November 1999 important step towards more concrete 2000. F four "AM - XT" aircraft from the co-operation and development. Towards a "European Genizáh" - from the Italian Air Force Base at Amendola The Italian pilots were warmly welcomed discoveries at Bologna to those at Girona and two Tornado from Gioia del Colle by Brig. Gen. Avner Naveh and their (Spain): a meeting at the National Library were received by the Israeli Air Force Israeli colleagues. <> on the 13th of December. at Hatzor. This visit was the The figure of Leo Levi (1912-1982): a result of joint meeting at the U. Nahon Museum of Italian Jewish Art - Centro studi sull’ebraismo projects undertaken th this year by the italiano, Italian Synagogue on the 14 of December 1999. Italian and Israeli Air Forces. Concert of Live and Recorded Music: This improvement (based on Leo Levi’s research) a concert in relations at the U. Nahon Museum of Italian Jewish represents an Art - Centro studi sull’ebraismo italiano, Italian Synagogue on December 14 1999.<>

6 CULTURAL EVENTS IN ISRAEL all original, unique, non-commercial signed works of art. Throughout the history of jewelry design, one ENNIO MARCHETTO . can find references to jewelry created by famous According to Antonio Florio, director of the artists, usually for specific purposes, such as Superb paper costumes, great music and ingenious Cappella, "It’s very interesting to hear in these gifts, or as a special request commissioned by on-stage transformations from the Mona Lisa works the beginning of the Italian opera buffa. a patron. At times, artists have created jewelry to the Simpsons. Ennio Marchetto fell in love They clearly anticipate what came much later as an experiment in miniaturization of another with theatre as a child in , making costumes in a very special way. And later on, one also art form. in paper and plastic for the Carnival of Venice. discovers that opera music is also clearly The futuristic movement in the early part of He was immediately successful and began reflected in the instrumental works written at the 20th century gave legitimacy to creative developing more each year until the first of his the time" decoration, in the form of textiles, household paper characters emerged - Marilyn Monroe. Although composers such as Leonardo Vinci, objects and jewelry, as viable artistic forms. He worked at the Teatro dell’Arte making masks Leonardo Leo, Domenico Auletta or Giovanni However, as in all other art forms, the creativity before moving to France to attend a workshop Battista Mele might not be familiar names, of a piece of jewelry is not guaranteed by the with Linsay Kemp. Following this experience, listening to their music clearly explains how preciousness of the materials employed, but he decided to perform his own work full time. the opera buffa started and makes us realize entrusted to the capacity for formal inventiveness In 1990 he launched his highly developed show how it achieved its heights many years later. which the artist succeeds in expressing through of living cartoons at the Edinburgh Festival and the free choice of the materials. it was a runaway success. He has performed all The exhibition focuses on the construction of JEWELRY BY ARTISTS IN ITALY 1945-1995

This exhibition opened on Friday the 19th of November at the Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum in Ramat Gan, Rehov Jabotinsky 1, will continue untill the 20th of March 2000. Jewelry by Artists in Italy is a travelling exhibition of the Museum for Jewelry and Contemporary Ornaments of the Sartirana Art Foundation, sponsored by the Italian Cultural Institute and made possible through the generous assistance of Dr. Giorgio Forni, President of the Sartirana Art Foundation and curator of the exhibition. The exhibition is composed of over 200 pieces of art jewelry created by 33 artists and designers, among them famous painters and sculptors, who have chosen to use jewelry as a medium to express their creative ideas. By transposing their familiar materials, such as oil on canvas an art object using different materials, from over the world and has achieved a huge profile or stone sculpture, into elements such as gold, precious stones and metals to "non-precious" internationally, with a repertoire of over 100 silver and precious stones, these versatile artists ones. While some of the artists try to express characters. have taken jewelry out of their traditional beauty in simple designs using simple materials, Ennio Marchetto performed in the Sherover "decorative" context into an exciting new art others rely on the beauty and richness of precious Theatre of Jerusalem, on the 21st of November, form. The jewelry pieces in the exhibition are gems and metals to create their jewelry. <> in the Municipality Theatre of Haifa on the 22nd of November and in Habima Theatre of Tel Aviv rd on the 23 of November. FROM ORFEO TO TURANDOT LA CAPPELLA DELLA PIETA' DEI TURCHINI La Cappella dei Turchini is a unique ensemble Learn Italian through the Opera comprised of 16 members performing a program of musical treasures from baroque Naples. Their Course of History of Lyrical Music name comes from one of the four conservatories of Naples, where they used to wear blue (Turchini) for advanced students clothes on big celebrations. Thanks to the research work of this ensemble, From 25 February 2000 many composers of that period have been One lesson per week rediscovered by the public, in all their musical richness, revealing the influence of several 32 hours on the whole cultures: Italian, Greek, Spanish, French, Arabic. The concert took place in Jaffa, Noga Theatre Jaffo, Rehov Shimon Ben Shatach 9 on November 18th. Cappella dei Turchini performed Registrations from 23 January to 13 February a variety of Neapolitan songs and instrumental works, with a major focus on the development Tel. 03-5187966 Fax 03-5187968 of the opera buffa in the first part of 18th century

7 EVENTS IN ITALY

EXHIBITIONS THE VENICE ROMAN BAROQUE PAINTINGS CARNIVAL IS WHERE AND WHEN? Ariccia (Rome) APPROACHING Palazzo Chigi Piazza della Repubblica 14 Tel. +39-06-9330053 February is coming up and that From the 19th of November to the 12th of March means getting ready for the IN BRIEF Carnival. The most famous Italian The collection of Maurizio Fagioli dell’Arco was presented Carnival is the one in Venice, to the Municipality of Ariccia on the occasion of the which will take place from 25 opening of the Museum of the Seventeenth Century in February to 7 March 2000. But the spectacular Palazzo Chigi, in the section of the Roman the Venice Carnival is only one Castles. of the many colorful and happy celebrations throughout the Country. VENICE 1950-59 No matter where you are, you will The Revival of Painting in Italy see children and even adults in WHERE AND WHEN? costume and you may be the Venice spectator or the object of practical Palazzo dei Diamanti th th jokes: "a Carnevale ogni scherzo Useful web sites: From the 26 of September 1999 to the 9 of January www.comune.venezia.it/turismo 2000 vale," Italians say: at Carnival time every joke is fair. www.best-of-italy.com IN BRIEF www.meetingeurope.com This exhibition, as others already devoted to Rome and Information at phone number www.ballodeldoge.com Milan of the same period, continues the series exploring +39-041-770599 www.tragicomica.it the revival of Italian figurative art during the Fifties. MILAN CAPITAL OF THE EUROPEAN THEATRE

The Festival "Teatro d’Europa", devoted to the us to understand that we are all human beings memory of Giorgio Strehler, was held throughout who think and feel the same, when we succeed central Milan from the 9th of November to the in breaking the illusionary wall behind which 23rd of December. The Festival included plays, all of us believe we are safe, but that on the exhibitions, concerts, shows, conferences and contrary creates only the most profound and films from 10 countries: Lithuania, France, icy loneliness. Switzerland, Russia, Sweden, China, Hungary, Forty-six days of theatre, with 21 shows, 16 Spain, Germany and Italy. companies from 12 countries, 1300 actors, 180 Not a window neither a review. Not a panoramic hours of performance. view of the theatre in Europe, but a festival Out of this abundance, let us mention Italy’s, focusing on research into identity and Ornella Vanoni with her underworld songs and confrontation, although respecting the dissimilarity. Giorgio Strehler Ferruccio Soleri, alias Arlecchino, the mask he The aim was to show a living theatre and not has made alive for 36 years. a theatre museum. And all this is happening in from all over Europe. Ferruccio Soleri continues his symbiotic life Milan, European city, crossroad of different The idea of a European theatre originated long with the mask of Arlecchino, and after so many cultures and projects. Milan, the city of the ago, as a development of the long tours of the years we wonder who plays whom. "I had a Piccolo Teatro and of Giorgio Strehler, to whom Commedia dell’Arte companies, namely "Gli period of crisis at the beginning of the seventies, the festival is dedicated with the affection and Uniti" (The United), "Gli Ardenti" (The Ardent), I felt trapped" remembers Soleri - "Strehler told gratitude that only theatre people can feel, but "I Fedeli" (The Faithful): the names themselves me, O.K., we’ll do something else. But in the also "with the consciousness that we must go stood for a strenuous will and an enormous end I understood that he was right, it’s incredible on, beyond the life of the great maestri that love. what the public gives me every evening" came before us and who laid the foundation of The Europe of those days and of today is beautiful Arlecchino has changed with the passing of our present identity" These are the words of because it is full of contradictions, because it time. He now represents the peak of the theatrical Luca Ronconi, artistic director of the Piccolo is made up of different voices and sounds, each aesthetics of Strehler, a naive adult with a child Teatro di Milano, which is currently the centre one filling the empty space left by the other. spirit who also succeeds in moving today’s of intense theatrical activity, with participants The same language on the same stage can help society, based on power and compromise. <>

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