A 100-year-old Italian woman has recovered from the coronavirus in a Messina hospital and is being hailed as a symbol of hope and a medical miracle in the battle against the Covid19 virus. The medical staff applauded Concetta Lenzi as she left the Sicilian city’s Policlinico Martino Hospital. She had spent several weeks in the hospital and actually turned 100 while under the hospital’s care. “When she arrived and we learned of her age,” said hospital coordinator Antonio Versace, “it was a challenge within a challenge for us, but today it is a beautiful day!”
Genoa Bridge Milestone
A ceremony attended by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte marked the placement of the last structural piece of Genoa’s new road bridge announcing, “The State is with Genoa and we are stitching up a wound.” On August 14, 2018, a portion of the previous structure collapsed with the loss of 43 lives. “Never again must there be tragedies like this,” the Premier added. Reconstruction Commissioner and Genoa Mayor Marco Bucci said, “The bridge is not finished, but today we celebrate the reconnection of the two parts of the valley. Today I can say this band of steel finally links the two parts of the valley in Ponente and Levante.” Liguria Governor Giovanni Toti said the new bridge was a “symbol of the Italy that is restarting” after the coronavirus lockdown. The structural phase of the construction has been completed in record time, in just seven months. The bridge designed by Genoa native Renzo Piano, will feature sails, yet to be built, that reflect the northwestern port city’s maritime heritage.
A View from 1962
This illustration art along with a caption appeared in Italian weekly newspaper La Domenica del Corriere, which ran from 1899 to 1989. It was the back cover of the newspaper’s December 16, 1962 edition showing a prediction of life in 2022. Its caption translates, “Will we go around cities like this? Here’s how the problem of traffic in cities could be lightened, if not completely solved: tiny single-seater cars that occupy a small area…” The compact vehicles in the illustration are four-wheeled and scooter-like, where the rider can stand upright and has a semi-circular transparent dome to protect the rider from the weather. It is somewhat prophetic, as the group of people are traveling privately in a small, enclosed vehicle and maintaining some distance between each other. Although the context of the illustrative art was related to something quite different, it has recently struck a chord on social media during this pandemic.
Turin Book Fair Online
Although many businesses in Italy are still closed, the Turin Book Fair has conducted an online edition of the popular show, dedicating it to the COVID-19 victims and frontline health workers. The organizers were pleased to announce that it had almost five million visitors on Facebook and YouTube and the four-day event racked up some 1,216,642 views of the content offered. The edition saw 140 guests take part in over 60 meetings. Among the most popular events were the inaugural reading by Alessandro Barbero and the final evening, with guests including Levante, Mariangela Gualtieri, Alessandro Baricco, Roberto Saviano and Father Enzo Bianchi.
Ferrante Novel to Become Series
Elena Ferrante’s new novel ‘La Vita Bugiarda degli Adulti’ (The Lying Life of Adults) is to become a new Netflix serial. The novel was released in Italy in November to great acclaim and is set to come out in 25 countries around the world on September 1st. The new Netflix series, for which singer Emma Marrone has already made a teaser trailer, follows the worldwide success of the first two adaptations of the author’s Neapolitan novels, the My Brilliant Friend series. Recently, RAI and HBO announced an adaptation of the third part of the tetralogy, A History of Those Who Flee and Those Who Stay. Production and release dates for this part of the series have not yet been made available.
Armani Ditches Paris
Giorgio Armani has been a great supporter of the medical workers on the front line in northern Italy throughout this pandemic crisis. His was one of the first businesses to pledge support to provide funding for additional hospital facilities in the stricken Lombardy region. Armani has now engaged in another move to ‘place Italy first.’ The famed fashion designer has announced that he has moved his next show from Paris to Milan to help the local economy recover from the coronavirus. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala thanked the Milan-born designer saying, “I want to thank a great Milanese, Giorgio Armani, King Giorgio as many call him, for announcing that the next show of Armani Privé will take place in Milan rather than Paris. That’s the way to do it, thanks Giorgio!” We could not have said it better!
