Sustainable Growing Areas

Vittorio Sgarbi

Born in Ferrara in 1952, Vittorio Sgarbi obtained his degree at the University of Bologna, with specialized studies in art history, after previous work in philosophy and literature first at the secondary level and then on a scholarship at the Fondazione Longhi in Florence. As an art historian, he began his career in the Veneto within the Cultural Assets Ministry, serving initially as inspector and director, then in 2010, directing the Soprintendenza Speciale for Venice. He also occupied the post of professor at Bologna, Udine, and, more recently, at Perugia, where he currently teaches. He served as a Deputy in the Italian Parliament for five legislative terms (1992-2006-2018) and in the European Parliament for one (1999-2001), as Undersecretary for Cultural Assets (2001-2002), Councillor for the Region of Sardinia (1994), Mayor of San Severino Marche (1992-1994, Salemi (2008-2012), and Sutri (from 2018), Cultural Assessor for the communes of Milan (2006-2008), Urbino ( from 2014), and Cosenza (from 2016). Serving since 2003 as president of the Accademia di Belle Arti of Urbino, he was also High Commissioner for the Protection of Villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina (2005-2012), Curator of the Italian Pavilion at the 2011 Biennale di Venezia, and Ambassador for the Fine Arts at the 2015 Expo in Milan. In his many newspaper articles and, above all, in the frequent appearances on television that have made him a well-known figure, Sgarbi has become, without doubt, the most famous art critic ever in Italy. He has introduced communication paradigms in radical contrast to the ossified, narrowly-respectable norms that held sway before him. He has imbued the traditional figure of the art historian with new meaning and stature and placed that innovator within the context of an unprecedently-vast audience, with the primary mission of furthering the broadest possible education in Italy’s cultural heritage through his unique intellectual ability to comprehend every possible area of opinion. He has curated more than 100 art exhibitions, including Giotto and His Times (2000), Giorgio De Chirico. Works, 1909-1973 (2002), Parmigianino (2003), Mattia Preti (2013), in addition to authoring some one hundred monographs on art subjects, such as Carpaccio (1979, 1994), Palladio and Mannerism (1980), The Dream of Painting (1985), Face to Face with the Image (1989), Italy of the Meraviglie (2008), Filled with Grace (2011), and various volumes of the Il tesoro d’Italia (2012-19), in which he demonstrated equal abilities in the field of science as in that of education, as evidenced in many of his most well-known publications.

Caroline Corbetta

Caroline Corbetta, a determinedly freelance curator, has two obsessions: to spread appreciation of contemporary art among the general public, or to inspire a “mass avant-garde,” and to uncover emerging new talents. With the advantage of her transverse and all-inclusive artistic gaze, Corbetta passes with unforced ease from artistic direction of an international pavilion such as Expo Gate, at the Expo Milano 2015, to that of the IL CREPACCIO INSTAGRAM SHOW @ilcrepaccio, the Milan-based Instagram showcase for young artists. In addition to her curation of exhibitions and projects for international institutions such as the Moderna Museet in Stockholm and Performa New York, and for private organisations, she contributes to exhibition catalogues and writes for a diverse range of publications, including Vogue Italia, Domus, and L’Officiel. She served as a member of the Directors’ Council of the Permanente di Milano.

Francesco Morace

Sociologist and essayist Francesco Morace has worked for over 30 years in the social and market research area. Founder and President of Future Concept Lab, he consults for Italian and international companies and institutions. As one of the foremost experts in social trends, he served as professor of Social Innovation at the Politecnico of Milan and of Culture & Lifestyle at the University of Trent. Since 2015, he has organised and directed the Festival of Growth, a peripatetic annual showcase that introduces creative people, institutions, and businesses, both students and professionals. He appears as a regular collaborator on Radio24’s “Essere e Avere” program, as well as in the pages of La Repubblica’s Business & Finance section, Mark Up, and Millionaire.

Antonia Klugmann

Born in 1979 in Trieste, Antonia Klugmann is chef and owner of the L’Argine restaurant in Vencò. Following her maturità in classics, she studied at the Legal Studies Department at the Statale in Milan, which she left just before her degree to plunge into the world of cookery. After a four-year apprenticeship spent in working and studying to lay a solid professional foundation, she was forced by a car accident to remain at home for 12 months. Moving to the countryside to convalesce, she focused on creating a kitchen garden and taking long walks in the surrounding woods. She studied history and botany, and continued to cook “in her head,” acquiring a new respect for the raw ingredients growing around her. Aware that only by becoming a chef would she be able to fully express her creativity, she began planning to open a restaurant of her own. In 2006, now able to work again, she opened Antico Foledor Conte Lovaria in a historic villa in the province of Udine. Eager to create an establishment that would uncompromisingly embody her ideas, in 2010 she purchased land in the Collio Friulano area. During the four years of its construction, she worked in Venice as first chef at Il Ridotto and later at Michelin-starred Venissa.

In late 2014, she finally opened L’Argine in Vencò, near Dolegna del Collio in the province of Gorizia, a few kilometres from the Slovenian border. Set out in the countryside and surrounded by vineyards, L’Argine received a Michelin star in 2015, just a few months after its opening, and Gambero Rosso’s Guide named it “New Entry of the Year.” In 2016, the Identità Golose Gide named Antonia “Cook of the Year,” and in the following year, L’Espresso’s Guide did the same. The same Guide, in its 2018 edition, awarded its highest Three Hats tribute to L’Argine.

In recent years, Antonia has been continually invited to events in Italy and abroad to illustrate her cuisine and the border province it reflects. Her work draws its inspiration from the beauty and history of the surrounding countryside. Acutely conscious of the centrality of ecological questions and of the considerable labour required to produce the raw ingredients used in her cooking, she strives constantly for greater sustainability, eliminating waste and utilising every individual component of the ingredients she uses.

Antonia has also appeared as a guest on television shows, such as A Mind of a Chef and Master of Photography and has served as the fourth judge in the seventh season of Masterchef Italia. Finally, she published “Di cuore di coraggio” (Giunti Editore), in which she tells her story and offers a selection of her most representative recipes.

Giovanni Anversa

Journalist, television author and RAI Director, current Vice-Director of RAI3, Giovanni Anversa has worked for 30 years in public radio and television, putting his professional stamp on socially-themed, such as “Il coraggio di vivere”, “La cronaca in diretta”, “Ho bisogno di te”, “Diversi,” “Sotto la tenda”, “La giornata particolare”, and “Perché”. Before serving as director for current affairs on the third channel, he crate and directed, on RAI3, “Racconti di vita” and “Paesereale”. His books include “Scelte, storie di vite cambiate” (2004) and “La tv in mano” (2008).

Mario Tozzi

Born in Rome December 13, 1959, he received his maturità in classics, university degree in Geology (summa cum laude), and his Ph.D. in Earth Sciences; he currently serves as Primary Researcher for the National Research Council (Institute of Environmental Geology and Geo-Engineering).   He has authored dozens of scientific publications for Italian and international journal, geology guides, and university course textbooks.

From 2006 through 2011, he served as President of the oversight body for the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago, and from 2013 as President of the Appia Antica Park. He is a member of the Scientific Council of the WWF and f the Festival of Science in Genoa. He is a Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana.

Since 2019, he has been the host of RAI3’s “Sapiens, A Single Planet” series and he hosted “Out of Place” on Rai1 (2014-2017), after hosting “Atlantis”, “Alarm for Italy” (2011-2012) e “The Joyous Science” with the Medusa Trio (2009-2010) on La7. The many TV programmes he has hosted and documentaries he has created include, on RAI3, “Third Planet” (2007-2008); “Gaia – the Living Planet” (2000-2007); “King-Kong”, as special correspondent (1999-2000); in addition to ten 30-minute documentaries, “The Via Francigena” for Rai Giubileo-RaiTre.

He collaborated on “Kilimangiaro” (Rai3) and on “Che fuori tempo che fa” (Rai1). He also hosted for RAI International a series of 120 15-minute documentaries in the “What a Beautiful Italy” series about Italy’s cities and people, and 8 45-minute documentaries on great Italian cities. He collaborated on “Geo & Geo” on Rai3 (1996-2004), hosted the radio programme Tellus on RadioDueRai (with Federica Cifola), and collaborated with the Radio-Radio broadcaster.

He currently writes for Turin’s La Stampa, Qui Touring, and Le Frecce. He has collaborated with National Geographic, Newton, Natura, Oasis, and Consumatori Coop. He wrote “The Geological Manual for Planetary Survival,” (Theoria, 1996), “Dynamics of the Earth” (CUEN, 1997), “Annus Horribilis” (CUEN, 1998), and textbooks on earth science for secondary schools (Principato Editore). He has written manuals and books for children for Motta Editore and for Edizioni Panini. He has worked with UTET (2004-2009), Treccani (2011), and for De Agostini with “Gaia, a Single Planet” (2009), “Answers from Earth Sciences” (2010), and “Journey to Italy” (2010). He has written “In the Name of the Park” (Effequ, 2010), “The Future of Energy” (with Valerio Rossi Albertini, Edizioni Ambiente, 2011) and “hy Volcanoes Awake” (with Federico Taddia, Giunti, 2011). He published, with Rizzoli “Gaia. Journey into the Heart of Italy”(2004); “Catastrophies” (2005); “Italy on Empty” (2006), “The Secret Italy” (2009) and “Planet Earth, Third Act” (2012), and with Einaudi “Tecno-Baroque” (2015) and “Fears Out of Place” (2017). He has recently published “Italy Intact” (Mondadori, 2018) and “How Italy Came To Be” (Mondadori 2019).

He also works closely some Italian artistic figures: with Niccolò Fabi: Sustainable Music (music and text); with Giobbe Covatta: Evolution Forges On (theatre show); with Enzo Favata: The Birth of Myth (musical show and text); and with Dario Vergassola: Intatta Tour.

He gives lectures and workshops throughout Italy.

Paolo Corvo

Paolo Corvo is Associate Professor at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, where he teaches the cultures of journeying and social dynamics for the 3-year degree programme. He works in the areas of food and consumption patterns, sustainable oenogastronomic tourism, and indicators related to quality life-style, well-being, and happiness. He has carried out research and professional training for public and private bodies on subjects relating to tourism and socioeconomic development of local areas, the processes of globalisation, and civic society. He has published numerous essays and articles, including “When Food Becomes Well-being. Food and Quality of Life” (edited with Gianpaolo Fassino), FrancoAngeli, Milan.

Luca Zanini

Luca Zanini, a journalist since 1980, has worked with Corriere della Sera for 30 years, in charge of the online edition of 7, Corriere’s magazine. Hid interests range through the environment, new technologies, and culture, but also include a never-sated passion for traveling and for foraging in the wild. Over the course of his career, he has devoted increasing attention to eco-compatible traveling, experiences with sustainable agriculture, projects and concrete instances of environmental protection and green practices. After a considerable period spent following subjects pertaining to hydro-geological imbalance, he directed for six years Corriere’s online Rome edition, then the international press review of Digital Edition.  He has always been intrigued with botany, loves to explore the countryside and woods in search of edible wild herbs, which he then delights in incorporating into his cooking.

Tony Chambers

Tony Chambers is a creative director, design consultant, and editor.
He is the founder the TC & Friends studio, a multi-discipline, creative agency that collaborates with a wide range of professionals. He is also Co-Chair of Brainstorm Design, Fortune Magazine’s annual design and business conference held in Singapore. From 2003 to 2018, he served as Brand and Content Director, Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director of Wallpaper* Magazine, for which he still contributes. He has also served as Artistic Director for British GQ and Artistic Editor for the Sunday Times Magazine. Thanks to Tony’s stewardship, Wallpaper* magazine was transformed into an incredibly-successful global brand. He introduced, in fact, a series of over 100 pocket City Guides, a pioneering internet site and social media platform, an in-house creative agency, an interior design service, and the online WallpaperSTORE*. He is also the creator of Wallpaper*Handmade, an annual exhibition at Salone del Mobile which brings together the designers, craftsmen and manufacturers to collaborate on one-of-a-kind pieces. He has worked with creative luminaries such as Jean Nouvel, Philippe Starck, Louise Bourgeois, Karl Lagerfeld, Hedi Slimane, Christian Marclay, Thomas Heatherwick, and Zaha Hadid. He has twice been named the Professional Publishers Association’s Designer of Year, and twice Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors. In 2015, he received the Mark Boxer Award for “Outstanding Lifelong Services to the Magazine Industry,” the most prestigious award in the British publishing industry.