BAIAblog

An Interview with Dianne Hales, Author of "La Bella Lingua"

As an Italian I always loved my mother tongue. When I was a kid I believed Italian was the most musical, easy to write, and enjoyable among all the languages. My first experience as a student with French grammar was a confirmation of the indisputable superiority of Italian. Only later did I realize that any language, if approached with interest, perseverance, and curiosity, can be as enjoyable as my mother tongue and would reveal its own beauty. Over time Italian has become to me like an old friend. The sound of a well spoken Italian, or the words of a well written Italian book are among the pleasures of my life. Knowing how long has it taken for me to begin mastering English, despite living in the US, I felt surprised by the deep knowledge and "padronanza" Dianne Hales (blog) has for the Italian language. Her recent book "La Bella Lingua" is an incredible source of information not only for students approaching the Italian language, but also for Italians. She goes through words and expressions revealing fascinating details, connections, stories, and unexpected etymologies. Dianne's sparkling writing style keeps us on the page stimulating our curiosity and providing for a delightful read.  As I know Dianne personally, thanks to the ItaLingua school in San Francisco, I wanted to ask her a few questions about her new book and her love affair with the Italian language.

Dianne can you tell us a bit about yourself and your activities as a writer?

I’ve written thousands of articles and dozens of books, both for a general audience and for students, and I’ve served as a contributing editor for several national magazines in the U.S., including PARADE, Ladies Home Journal, and American Health. But nothing I’ve done has been related to Italy or Italian. This is brand-new territory for me—which makes it exciting.

The same features that make Italy and Italians so lovable and exciting can also be irritating. How did you manage to stay always so enthusiast about Italy (and Italians) while learning the Italian language?

Maybe we all feel the same mix of affection and irritation with our countrymen, perhaps because we see the best and the worst of ourselves in them. Italians always went out of their way to help me with my research and were so delighted that I was writing about their language that I never had any reason to feel irritated.

In Italy, dialects are very important in preserving local cultures. Dialects can also be an obstacle toward a more integrated and strong nation. What is your view on this topic? Should we dump our dialects and pursue English as the global language?

No, please! Dialects are the spices that make Italian such a delicious brew of a language. Isn’t it wonderful that different regions came up with so many different ways of saying the same thing and that you can still hear echoes of their individual histories in their dialects? If I were Italian (forse una Romana de Roma), I would be just as proud—and protective—of my dialect as of the national language.

Despite your brilliant writing skills, writing a successful book about a topic such as the Italian language can be a challenging goal. What motivated you in sharing your passion for this language in a book?

As a journalist, I know a great story when I see one, and the tale of how Italian became Italian—which even few native Italians know—has everything: drama, war, beautiful women, heroic men, art, humor, mystery, food, music, movies and, of course, love. My goal was to write a book worthy of the Italian language, and my greatest gratification has come from Italians who tell me that I have given them a new perspective on and appreciation for their language. At my book presentation here, Valeria della Valle of La Sapienza said that I wrote of “l’Italia e l’italiano che vorremmo,” the very best of the country and the language.

Italians seems to be obsessed with food (soccer and women also score very high). In your experience how do Italian food and Italian language mix and influence each other?

Italy’s food and language meld together as smoothly as “cacio sui maccheroni.” Both boast a rich and rollicking history dating back to ancient times. Both vary greatly from region to region. Both reflect centuries of invasion, assimilation and conquest. The very words for simple culinary techniques—rosolare for make golden, sbricciolare for crumble, or sciaquare for rinse—make my tongue tingle with delight. Of course, one pleasure always trumps reading about Italian cuisine: eating it!

While we can name several exceptional Italian writers, the Italian language seems to miss the extraordinary talent of a Shakespeare or a Pushkin. The most important Italian writers seem to be too old or too academic to excite the current generations. Is Italian language too big and multi-medial to fit comfortably in the pages of a book?

Franco, your countrymen, particularly Florentines, would be horrified! Only Shakespeare, with all his collected works, can even compare with Dante Alighieri. More than seven centuries after his birth, Dante still rocks—literally. Bruce Springsteen, Patty Smith, and bands like Radiohead and Nirvana cite him as an inspiration as did John Milton, William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Ezra Pound, and Sigmund Freud. Roberto Benigni is selling out his TuttoDante shows around the world. College professors in the U.S. tell me that students flock to their courses on Dante and Italian literature. Pushkin? That was the name I gave my first cat. Dante? Vive sempre.

You list many great reasons to start studying Italian. Almost all of them are about passion, art, music, and history. Can studying Italian make also sense from a business point of view?

Italian may not seem the obvious choice for business, but no other language embodies the ideals of Western culture and civilization. For many centuries knowing Italian was the mark of a well-bred, well-educated person. I believe the same can still be true. With Italian, you learn courtesy, respect, diplomacy, a deep appreciation for all dimensions of culture. No other language may be better at distinguishing the sfumature, the subtle nuances of a situation. As long as business involves people—unique, complex individuals with so much to express and communicate—Italian will be relevant.

Many of the people reading this interview are struggling, like me, with a similar experience: we are trying to improve our English language skills. Based on your experience, do you have any suggestions for us?

To my surprise, Italian followers of my blog, which focuses on Italian colloquial expressions, have told me that the posts have helped them learn idiomatic English. To me, that is the most difficult thing in any language. I would suggest reading English newspapers and magazines to pick up expressions that Americans use every day—such as “hit a home run” or “make a long shot”—that aren’t taught in language classes. How else would you know that our equivalent of “in bocca al lupo” is “break a leg”?

I would like to thank Dianne Hales for taking time for this interview. If you have a question for Dianne or for BAIA please feel free to contact us or leave a comment below. If you enjoyed Dianne's interview do not hesitate to order a copy of "La Bella Lingua". I promise you will not be disappointed! I also suggest to visit Dianne's blog for daily "pills" of Italian vocabulary and culture.

Franco Folini

An Interview with Nora Archambeau, Intern Placement Specialist

Internship in the US is for many people a life-changing experience; usually a very positive one. When young European men and women return home after a few months spent working in an American company they are changed. It's a difference many of them carry with them for the rest of their lives that makes them special and more valuable on the professional level as well as individuals. Some might find their own country too small to fit in as before, and feel a strong desire to explore more of the world. They are no longer Italian or French anymore, nor are they Americans. They have simply become citizens of the world -- a special category of open-minded, free-spirited, multi-cultural people. On the other hand, US companies hosting interns from Europe get exposure to a pool of fresh, determined, brilliant young talents. They get new ideas, enthusiasm, and the opportunity to test-drive some of their best future employees. In order for the two halves of the internship to meet successfully, both sides may need some help. Nora Archambeau with Intern Abroad USA, is one of the few people able to make the magic happen. Here is her interview.

Nora, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your professional activities?

I’m a native San Franciscan, born into a big French-Irish Catholic family of four sisters and one brother (poor guy!).  Exposure to different cultures began early on living in the Mission District, where Mexican-Americans, Italian-Americans, and Irish-Americans all shared the same neighborhood.  The family eventually moved to the East Bay where I completed schooling, then attended Holy Names University.  It was here that my passion for internationals grew since there was a school for English as a Second Language (ESL) on campus.  Meeting people from Italy, France, Brazil, Venezuela, Germany, Japan, etc. made my “little world” so much bigger and exciting!  Having a B.A. in Psychology and a Minor in French, I decided my 1st real career would be in International Education.  I also wanted to fulfill a dream and experience living in France.  It’s been a blessing that I’ve lived in both Paris and Dijon, have spent time in South India, and have traveled to several Eastern and Western countries. I have an M.A. in East-West Psychology and think it’s fun to be called an Indophile and a Francophile.  In this highly changeable world, many of us are pushed to and often have a thirst to fulfill many gifts.  One of these gifts is using the combination of business, education, and internationalism to find clients interns from Europe, and hopefully, later the world, through Intern Abroad USA!

Internships can be a great opportunity not only for young students but also for companies.  What are your recommendations for small companies looking to hire a few interns?

Here are a few of my recommendations: (a) Clarify your reasons for hiring an intern; (b) What are the primary goals you’d like to see fulfilled in 4, 6, or 9 months? (c) Which country would you be interested in hosting an intern for your business? (d) How can you best support bringing out the talents and gifts of a young professional? (e) What is there to learn from hiring and working with an intern? (f) Which service company can you trust and could offer the smoothest hiring process?

In a few words, can you tell a young European student why s/he should leave the comfort and beauty of a European city for an internship in Florida or California?

For the sheer adventure of doing it! The word ad-ven-ture is defined as: (1) an exciting or extraordinary event or series of events; (2) the participation or willingness to participate in things that involve uncertainty and risk; (3) to dare to go somewhere new or engage in something dodgy!
Adventure, newness, and risking all provide the ingredients that shape and mold us into strong, more capable, and creative individuals. Opening up to new experiences, new cultures and people, and exposure to different beauties expand and stretch our thinking, beliefs, and approaches to problem-solving.  If I hadn’t adventured out at night on the streets of Venezia and trusted I’d find my way back, well, I’d probably still be wondering around, living in basilicas here and there, having never again found my pensione in Dorsodoro!

Many interns come from Europe mainly to improve their English.  Which other, less evident, benefits can they receive working in a foreign country and a unique environment such as the San Francisco Bay area?

Some of the benefits they can receive are: (a) Learn to trust more in themselves and in others; (b) Hone their intuitive and intellectual abilities; (c) Build on adaptive and flexibility skills; (d) Increase culture-to-culture communication proficiency; (e) Add new conduits in the brain; (f) Willingness to accept a larger variety of ethnicities! (g) Know that there are differences working in SF and Silicon Valley.  SF offers warmth, friendliness, cultural variety, intuitive thinking, city excitement with a hometown feeling; Silicon Valley presents self-sufficiency, methodical thinking, high energy environments, and a constant production of innovative ideas.

Based on your experience, what are the most common realistic and unrealistic assumptions interns have about the San Francisco Bay area?

Realistic
(a) working in America can sometimes lead to a permanent job; (b) having a U.S. company listed on one’s  resume or CV may open more doors once having returned home; (c) their English will most definitely improve; (d) most Americans are sincerely friendly and helpful whenever possible.
Unrealistic
(e) working in America guarantees permanent employment; (f) the opportunities to advance economically are unlimited; (g) Americans have ALL the answers!
Last, You just may fall in love… with the City, with technology, with Noah’s Bagels… or maybe even with the love of your life!

As Europeans, we look to Silicon Valley as a reference model for business and technology.  When looking at Europe at large, what do you see that could be successfully imported to help Americans perform even better in the SF Bay area?

(a) To take a longer time to work on the product before it is launched to the market so that less recalls occur; (b) To cultivate the social side of a business relationship more before launching into potential business deals; (c) Communicating more from a cross-cultural perspective can lessen conflicts and allow for smoother decisions to be made, e.g., the EU; (d) To encourage Americans to increase their attention span from nano-seconds to minutes!
Franco, thank you for inviting me to be interviewed!

I would like to thank the Nora Archambeau for taking the time for this interview and for the important work she does every day with Intern Abroad USA promoting and supporting Euro-American internships. If you have a question for Nora or for BAIA please feel free to contact us or leave a comment below. Nora is also an active member of our online community BAIA Link where she can also be reached.

Franco Folini

An Interview with Francesca Gaspari, Director of Italingua

In a tall building in downtown San Francisco, facing the crowds on Market Street, there is a small but notable Italian school. Every day in the classrooms of this school passionate teachers engage students in the culture and language of Italy.  The school's name is ItaLingua, and it is led by Francesca Gaspari. Despite living in the Bay Area for several years, Francesca still has the freshness and enthusiasm of a newcomer who has just landed at SFO from Europe.  Francesca combines her passion for everything Italian with the skill and determination of an entrepreneur. I recently met Francesca and asked her a few questions to learn more about this important bastion of Italian culture which seems more known to non-Italians than to the Italian community itself.  Here are my questions and Francesca's responses.

Francesca can you tell us a bit about yourself and your professional activities?

I’m originally from Bergamo, a historical town in the north of Italy, and I moved here to California at the age of thirty following jazz and love. I hold a diploma as a clarinet player from the Conservatory of Bergamo.  I also spent three years studying acting. I have a passion for teaching. This is the background that supported me in working on my main project to create an Italian language school. As soon as I came here I started to look for opportunities to teach Italian. I was motivated by my passion for teaching and by the interest in our language I noticed from Americans and especially Italian-Americans who wanted to recreate a connection with their parents' or grand-parents' language. Among several other ventures, I created Salotto Italiano, a private Italian school I led from 1990 to 2000. In 1996 I began working with ItaLingua Institute, starting as part-time teacher to become in 2001 the school director. At ItaLingua I’ve done countless activities, from organizing cultural workshops to teaching classes. I love to combine the teaching of the Italian language with specific Italian culture topics based on my students’ interests.  Unlike other schools, I organize Italian classes about literature, opera, Italian music, and Italian cinema. For my students I also organize special events with important guests such as Italian cuisine chefs, opera singers, Italian journalists, and more.

ItaLingua is a popular Italian School in San Francisco. What motivates people to study the Italian language?

Our students have many reasons to join our classes. Some are planning trips to Italy; others have Italian relatives or are tracing their family history. Many are attracted by our language because they love Italian art, music, architecture, fashion, cooking, and wine. In every ItaLingua class, students are involved in a complete visual, emotional, and phonetic experience.  We try to bring language to life and let our students realize how beautiful, fun and sexy Italian is - so they keep studying it.

Many people don’t see the benefits of promoting the Italian language outside of Italy. Do you have any experience to share to help people understand the strategic value of your job?

Like Italian paintings or opera or literature, the Italian language is a work of art. Just as learning about Michelangelo or Verdi or Dante enriches anyone’s appreciation of beauty and its creators, learning Italian enriches appreciation of Italy and all things Italian. I believe that the promotion and teaching of the Italian language has an impact not only on the “diffusion” and appreciation of the Italian culture, but can have a positive effect also on the interaction between Americans and Italian businesses. For example, when a student of ItaLingua cooks a Barilla pasta plate, or drives a Vespa on the streets of San Francisco, or watches a Muccino movie, he/she will know the culture that generated those products and will experience some sort of positive connection.

Based on your experience, what are the major positive or negative stereotypes of Italians here in the Bay Area?

I am not really familiar with any negative ones. Our students admire Italians and want to learn our language to acquire Italians’ style, vivacity and joy in living. Those are not stereotypes; those are peculiar features and integral parts of our Italian culture.

What are the major differences between the ways Italian and other European languages and culture are presented and promoted in the US?

Spanish language is so widespread in the United States that people study it for practical reasons. The French government supports the Alliance Françoise and promotes the study of French language as a symbol of the culture. Chinese and Japanese are popular languages because California has close ties to Asia. I think Italian is unique because many people study it for the sheer love of the language and the fun of learning it. As a spoken language, Italian ranks about 19th—much lower than Spanish and French—yet it has become the fourth or fifth most widely studied language in the world. My hope is that Italian teachers abroad and the Italian government can “revitalize” the interest for our beautiful language.

You have been in San Francisco for some time. How has the Italian community changed over the years?

The Italian community has always played a significant role in the Bay Area. One major difference is that several decades ago many Italians were the children or grandchildren of Italian immigrants. Now many are fourth- or fifth-generation Americans, and their ties to Italy are not as strong. More interestingly, we are now seeing a new generation of Italians coming to the Bay Area. They are university students, entrepreneurs, researchers, and professionals. Those people are gradually changing the traditional perception of Italy and of Italian culture providing a more updated and modern image of our country. For the old Italians, as well for the new ones, the Italian language is vital in keeping their ethnic bond and preserving a sense of pride in our Italian heritage.

What can Italian associations like BAIA and Italian institutions like the Italian Consulate do to help promote the Italian language and culture?

I would love to see all of us working together to celebrate the language, for instance, during Italian Language Week in October.  I’d like to offer classes in conversation and culture in Italian-owned or Italian-associated businesses, do special events on the language of Italian food and wine at restaurants and wineries, and involve children and families in Italian traditions and folklore. Language is the lifeblood of a nation and a culture and by promoting the Italian language we are promoting the essence of Italy.

I would like to thank the Francesca Gaspari for taking the time for this interview and for the important work she is doing every day at ItaLingua supporting and promoting the Italian language and culture. If you have a question for Francesca or for BAIA please do not hesitate to contact us or to leave a comment below. Francesca is a member of our online community BAIA Link where she can also be reached.

Franco Folini

An Interview with Roberto Bonzio, Reuters Journalist

A couple of months ago I received an e-mail from Roberto Bonzio, asking for an interview. Roberto told me he was here in Silicon Valley for a few months on a project about Italians. After a few e-mails, we set up an appointment and a few days later we met at my office. We spoke for a couple of hours about my experiences here in the US and my company, Novedge. A couple of days later Roberto published the interview on his blog, Italiani di Frontiera. I read the interview and was amazed to discover how much Roberto was able to capture from our talk. Despite taking few notes during the interview, he understood all the details about our online system and strategies, as well as our company strengths and weaknesses. Impressed by Roberto's professional capabilities, I've become an avid reader of his blog and discovered a mine of interesting articles, stories, and people. Despite not being a journalist myself, I wanted to return Roberto's favor and so invited him to be interviewed for the BAIA blog. Here are my questions and his responses.

Roberto, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your professional activities?

I was born in Mestre Venezia, start working as a reporter in Venice newspaper Il Gazzettino, as my grandfather Roberto, my father Giovanni "Gibo" and today my brother Giampaolo. I moved to Milan in 1986 at national newspaper Il Giorno, joining Reuters Italian service in 2001, now in a 6 months leave of absence here in California. Be pro-positive and nonconformist have been often not helpful, working in Italy, in media too. I got some more opportunities in reportages around the world for magazines. Then I found in Reuters a fantastic chance for good journalism and international perspectives. And in the web the ideal environment for my unordered curiosity. That goes from movies (I graduated at Venice University in History of Cinema, dissertation about Harpo Marx), to music (I play a lot of instruments, you wouldn't believe how many and how badly), rugby. And new media.

What is your project "Italiani di Frontiera," and how you come up with this idea?

Less than a year ago, I was just trying to figure out how "to survive" to come as a freelance journalist in leave of absence in USA, with wife Pola Science teacher and kids (Alessandro 18, Francesca 16, now happy students at Gunn High School in Palo Alto). I knew few about Italians in the Bay. Three e-mails changed my mind (and hopefully my life): from Matteo Daste (BAIA) Jeff Capaccio (SVIEC) and Palo Marenco (Silicon Valley Italian Study Tour). I understood from their committed answers there was a big story waiting to be told. And this was the right moment (not only for Super-Euro), in a blooming of activities (Baia, Sviec, Mind the Bridge...), and commitment of US Embassy too. In Italiani di Frontiera I am interviewing entrepreneurs, researchers, engineers. Some young newcomers, some veterans with outstanding records, as Federico Faggin, Roberto Crea, Enzo Torresi. They are a mine of gold of memories, enterprises, challenges. Still more precious are their thoughts and critical comments about Italy, its qualities and its faults. Now a blog, then an interactive web site with videos, Italiani di Frontiera will be a book in Italy, sponsored by Centro Formazione Management del Terziario for FrancoAngeli Publisher. And more is still in my mind...

After spending some time in the Silicon Valley, how has your opinion of America and the American way of life changed?

I first came in USA 30 years ago as a young hitchhiker At that time this was an other world from Italy. Big cars and standardized behaviors impressed me more. Today cars are a bit smaller, I'm still impressed by standardization and predictability in daily life. Sometimes I find it funny or boring. But I realize these strict rules are fundamental ground for a multicultural and multi ethnic country. Meanwhile, Italy and Italians became more standardized and stereotyped, after years of flat consumerism and silly hedonism pumped by TV model over exposition. But they lack a ground standard of rules and civic commitment, quite strong here. We still have a sense of quality of life, in terms of friendship, food, beauty. While sometimes I had the feeling that a part of American way of life, in its pursuing of success, has still the goal to make money to show money and money symbols. And then... what else?

After interviewing so many "Italians," did you find some sort of common background or shared archetype?

Yes, absolutely. And much stronger than I expected. Perhaps we managed for centuries to survive with unpredictable as individuals. And our classic roots, deeper than we realize and remember, are the best background for an open mind. Italians graduated in averaged Italian Universities act wonderfully here. Many of them told me they feel to have a special capacity to solve problems out of the standard better than others. Somebody thinks too  you can recognize a software "made by Italians" for a particular touch of creativity an aesthetic...

Once you are back in Italy, do you think you will be able to communicate and share your experience?

If I'll fail, I'll be the only one to blame. Because I think contents and thoughts from Italiani di Frontiera are of extraordinary value, for what in my view is today Italy. So many outstanding goals achieved thank to Italians to remember, while the country dramatically lacks memory. And so many examples to study and pursue, in hard work, creativity, courage, challenge on a global competition, both in entrepreneurs and in corporations. Mainly  ignored in a country dulled by local argues and silly gossip. A country of emigrants, now pretending to isolate and protect itself, than better widely exploit its talents. Let's open doors and windows in Italy, to fresh air! More web, more English speaking. More good models for young people. More chances for inspired ideas. And more sights from abroad, from Italians in the Bay too!

The Italian community in California is very fragmented. Only now are Italians becoming aware of being part of a community and gaining a benefit from that. What can associations like BAIA and Italian institutions such as the Italian Consulate do in this direction?

They can act stronger, in building a powerful community here. But I really think that in this, meetings and networking must be supported by a strong cultural effort. This means first to know what other Italians are doing here around. Then be aware how strong can be their contribution and example non only each other but for their country. Business opportunities are not enough, we need a careful consideration. About qualities that let Italians here acting fantastically: open mind, improvisation, aesthetic taste etc. And a critical reflection on what obstacles the emerging of the same qualities in Italy in entrepreneurship. It is a cultural effort because from my work it emerges that bad habits, distorted traditions (for example family extensions in corporation management) are for Italy heavier chains than old infrastructure and lack of financing.

Will you come back to California with a new project?

Telling the truth, I'm just ready to stay... Kidding (not too much). At the end of July I have to go back to Reuters in Milan and finish my work on the project. For me and my family it would be a dream to come back to stay. There are a lot of subjects and links to work on, in media between Italy and the Bay. I could have ten more "start up" projects in my head, as a web radio, needing a venture capitalist I am afraid... because this adventure 'til now has been hardly self-financed. Good investment for me, my wife and mainly for my teen son and daughter, in their international open mind experience at Gunn High School (while Ale, soccer striker, scored 18 gols in 7 match with Stanford Earthquakes...). One new project is already a part of Italiani di Frontiera. I called "Italindiani" some outstanding Italians in the West, discovered by my friend Cesare Marino, anthropologist at Smithsonian Institution and one of most prominent experts of Native Americans. Nearly unknown both here and in Italy, they deserve a book for themselves, having in past centuries the same bold spirit of Italiani di Frontiera we all need to challenge the new 21th Century Global Fronter.

I would like to thank the Roberto Bonzio for taking the time for this interview and for the incredible work he has done in such a short time exploring the local Italian community and exposing the  unexpectedly long list of entrepreneurs, researchers, and influential people. If you have a question for Roberto or for BAIA please do not hesitate to contact us or to leave a comment below. Roberto is also a member of our online community BAIA Link where he can also be reached.

Franco Folini

An Interview with Fabrizio Marcelli, the New Consul General in San Francisco

Last week I received an e-mail from the Italian Consulate asking for my availability to answer a set of questions from a questionnaire. The questions were part of a survey of Italian companies in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley. I was pleasantly surprised. This was the first “business” contact with the Consulate my company had ever had. The person behind this change of style is the new Consul General Fabrizio Marcelli. He came to San Francisco just a few weeks ago and the Italian community is already noticing the difference. People who went to the Italian Consulate offices on Pacific Heights are now sharing stories of efficiency, organization, and a service-oriented approach. The old jokes about the Italian Consulate that have been circulating among Italians for decades are becoming suddenly obsolete. I personally asked the new Consul for an interview in order to get to know him and to facilitate a direct dialog with the Italian business community. Here is the interview. Thank you Consul.

Fabrizio, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your professional experience?

I have served in various capacities in the Italian Diplomatic Service. This in San Francisco is my first assignment in the United States. My previous posts abroad have been in Argentina (twice), Madagascar and Germany.  In particular, my consular expertise is based on my professional experiences both as head of a Consulate and as coordinator of a major national consular network.

Do you have some information or data you can share that would give us a better picture of the Italian community under your jurisdiction?

The impression I have gathered in this first month in San Francisco is that although Italians in the Bay Area are not as numerous as in other parts of the United States, they nonetheless are a major component of the cultural identity of the Bay Area. There are 12,780 Italian citizens registered with our consulate (our district includes seven states of the Pacific Northwest and a large part of California). Of these, over 9,000 reside in the 48 California counties that fall within our jurisdiction. Besides the San Francisco Bay Area, the Italian community in California is concentrated in the Sacramento area.

What are the major problems you currently face at the Consulate and what are your plans to address them?

My very first priority is to reorganize the Consulate. We have massive arrears in many areas. Also, due to a protracted lack of personnel, we have several hundreds applications for citizenship by descendants of Italian immigrants in the US waiting to be analyzed and sent to Italy for registration. The same applies to certificates relating to vital statistics (DATA). The visa, legal and passport sections are up to date. In addition, we are also striving to “resuscitate” the commercial office.

As the youngest Italian Consul to come to San Francisco, your presence raises large expectations from the Italian community. What changes can be reasonably expected from the Consulate?

Thank you for considering me still young at 47. I hope not to disappoint our community. Their high expectations are justified by the arrival of a new Consul General.  Mi initial effort will focus in reviewing the procedures used by consular personnel in order to find all possible ways of improving our processes and turn around time. I also involved in promoting the image of the Consulate through contacts with local entrepreneurs, authorities and organizations. I hope that the Consulate will become a full protagonist in the life of San Francisco and of the Bay Area. To this end, the Italian Cultural Institute, whose acting director is the capable and dynamic Valeria Rumori, can play a very important role.

In the local Italian community there is always a sort of unexpressed desire to give back to the motherland. What can the Consulate and the Italian community do to facilitate this flow of ideas, experiences, and business toward Italy?

There is much that they can contribute.  As I said before, the “high-added value” of the Italians living in and around San Francisco requires a special attention by the Consulate in terms of efficiency and rapidity of services that we usually provide. I hope that those who use are consular services and are also involved with advanced technologies and software will be willing to give us their suggestions to improve our services and the interactive services available in our web page.

You mentioned a few times that California and San Francisco are not getting the attention they deserve in the relationship between Italy and US. What can be done to change that?

When I arrived in San Francisco, I was surprised by the large number of Italian entrepreneurs, researchers and University professors who settled in the Bay Area in these last years.  It is my intention to have this community adequately represented in Italy.  The first opportunity to do so is offered by the visit to San Francisco of the Italian Ambassador in Washington, Giovanni Castellaneta. We have organized for him an entire day dedicated to visiting UC Berkeley and the Silicon Valley, with a meeting including all researchers and entrepreneurs active in high tech sectors in this region. I also hope that a journalist will be willing to report on the history of the Italian presence in the Silicon Valley, starting with the important contributions given by the pioneers, many of whom were originally Olivetti employees, to the significant influx of young engineers in most recent years.

I would like to thank the Italian Consul General in San Francisco Fabrizio Marcelli for taking the time for this interview and introducing himself to the Italian community this way. If you would like to share your ideas, experiences, and opinions with the Consulate, you are encouraged to visit BAIA Link, the online BAIA community, where we have a section of our forum dedicated to this dialog.

Franco Folini

An interview with Andrea Gumina, Italian Economist and Entrepreneur

On April 18, 2008 Andrea Gumina led a delegation of Italian angel investors and professionals to Silicon Valley. BAIA had the pleasure to meet with Andrea and the other visitors and exchange some ideas. I asked Andrea a few questions after he returned to Italy. Here is the complete interview.

Andrea, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

Well, basically I am an Economist of Innovation. After a degree in Economics at Luiss Guido Carli, I started working on e-Government: in the beginning at the Italian Cabinet Office, then at my Department. After a MA in Ethics, in 2006 I earned a Ph.D. in History of Economic Development and then started working at several projects in the area of Angel and Start-Up Capital. Among them, Start-Up Meetings, a joint-program setup with the Roman Committee of the Italian Young Entrepreneurs and Luiss Alumni Association, gave life to renewed focus on investments on knowledge-based enterprise. Besides this, after having funded (and left) two companies, actually I’m also CEO at NexttLab, an academic spin-off working as a consultancy and as a developer of cutting-edge ICT-enabled organizational tools.

What prompted your recent April 2008 trip to Silicon Valley?

Since I met Richard Boly of the US Embassy in Rome, in March 2007, and he introduced me – and my colleagues – Ambassador Spogli’s P4G, we tried to setup several common initiatives. In September, I worked with Richard to promote a trip at Kauffman and Marquette, in order to understand how angel investing worked in US: coming back, some of the participants promoted Italian Angels for Growth. Then, it came January study tour in Silicon Valley – that I missed, due to my Honey Moon. After several months, April 2008 trip in Silicon Valley (and then in New York and Boston), was aimed at making some qualified Italian investors meet potential US partners, in order to start co-investment in Italian-US based companies. We think it’s not just a matter of business: it’s also our way to help our Country to change instead of wasting talent and competitiveness.

What did you find most interesting during your trip in relation to your early stage investing objectives?

Silicon Valley opened our mind with several brand new ideas: first of all, we fully understood what Ambassador Spogli means with “ecosystem”, and we found out that it is so unique, that it will be very difficult to replicate it abroad. Besides this, one the greatest success of our mission has been to successfully test our co-investment model. We find out how interesting is for US investors to foster qualified linkages with Italian ones, and we also confirmed our idea about how much room is there for global start-ups, operating in hi-tech context. Definitely, having understood that “we can do that” represent the most amazing follow-up of our trip.

What future plans do you have now?

As I told you, now we are ready to start our Seed / Venture Fund operating for high-potential Italian companies who wish to be co-invested by Italian and US operators. Furthermore, as we deeply think that “global entrepreneurship” represents an important challenge for our Country, we are going to promote, together with other key people and institutions, a not-for-profit Foundation which will act as a hub for the innovation process’ stakeholders. We started a negotiation with some Italian- and US-based lobbying, educational, entrepreneurial and institutional groups, and I very optimistic about this operation. Finally, I’m setting up my next company, which will be thought to be based in Italy and Silicon Valley.

Tell us how/if BAIA helped and how the BAIA Network could be of greater value to Italian entrepreneurs and investors.

BAIA represents an interesting and very valuable Network of qualified people: I guess there is a significant chance for us to collaborate in order to foster linkages among professionals, investors and “global-born” start-ups. We surely look for having you joining the Board of our Foundation, because we believe it will add greater value to the projects we are designing. Helping us in understanding how US businesses go and move will certainly be of some help for fostering our new ventures’ perspectives.

I would like to thank Andrea Gumina for the taking the time to share this information. May others follow his example and lead! If any reader wishes to open a dialog on these issues, you are encouraged to also visit the BAIA Link and open a forum there.

Matteo Daste

An Interview with Luca Foresti Winner of the First Edition of Mind The Bridge

A few weeks ago the first edition of "Mind-the-Bridge" final event  was held here in San Francisco. Thanks to the determination of Marco Marinucci, the extensive support of BAIA, and the hard work of the businessmen involved in the selection and tutoring process, the the entire competition was a great success.
Now, a few weeks after the final event, it's time to analyze the first results and check how the protagonists are doing and in which ways this experience is affecting their business and mostly important their entrepreneurial mindset. Who can help us with this analysis better than the winner of the competition Luca Foresti? I asked Luca a few questions. Here is the complete interview.

Luca, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your entrepreneurial activities?

I studied Physics as first degree in Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, then Financial Mathematics; therefore I have a scientific and modelistic approach to life. My first step in the productive world was in a company developing micro-finance institutions in developing countries. There I learn how to manage large groups of people and how to make things happen with no-nonsense and excuses. During the last two years in the company I moved towards  the management of ICT departments. I basically learn about technology during the nights, deciding about contracts, people and strategies during the day. It was fun and it helped me a lot in developing a basic trust in the possibility of learning fast in areas where you are not a professional at the beginning. In practice this is the main skill if you want to be an entrepreneur.
Since February 2006 I am the CEO of Econoetica and I live in Bologna. Our company is based on a concept: only people fully engaged can create a long-term competitive advantage. Therefore we look for entrepreneurs that are not aware or ready to do the big step and put them under a lot of pressure. Those that survive and are able to take responsibilities are then shareholders. We have at present three divisions: Arianna (Multimedia mobile guides for cities), Noody (Wifi infrastructure and services), E-consulting (B2B ICT complex projects).

How was your experience with the Mind-The-Bridge business competition, and what is the next step?

It was a very good possibility for us. In practice was the first time we could translate our idea of Silicon Valley in real people, companies, time spent together with exceptional leaders.  The quality of people  that organized it (Marco Marinucci as main player, in our case Luigi Orsi Carbone as mentor, but many others helped us a lot), the centrality of the location, Silicon Valley, in the ICT world, are few reasons for being absolutely satisfied with the experience. The next step is to prepare ourselves to transforms all the opportunities created and the network developed in facts. Our initial aim was to look for Business Angels or VCs. The reality is that we should enter into a process where we prepare the ground for achieving our initial goals. Today we understand this is normal, when we started we were quite naive about it.

Do you have any recommendations for young Italian entrepreneurs wishing to compete next year in Mind-The-Bridge?

Two main recommendations. Write a Business Plan that has numbers interesting for investors; don't write small plans. In Italy we are used to think small. Silicon Valley is a place where everyone thinks big and expect everyone else to do the same. The real challenge is to forget for a while the Italian way to think about business and enter into the American way. Second, If you win, think about who you want to meet there and prepare yourself before flying in Silicon Valley. I know that this is difficult, but with the help of the mentor and with a bit of ability you may transform an interesting trip in a big possibility for you and your company. This suggestion translates in what everyone there call "homework"; and it's a lot of work.

Your business idea leverages a simple and relatively inexpensive device such as a PDA that customers are supposed to rent or buy. Do you have any plan to also approach the more common mobile phone platforms?

That was exactly the plan we presented at Mind-the-Bridge. Develop a downloadable software  for mobile phones, with a back-office platform for creating personalized guides. In the next 5 years almost every piece of software will go mobile. Smartphone will be smarter and smarter, connectivity will increase and finally multimedia contents will start winning over written contents. These are the trends we aim to surf for making our Arianna the best Multimedia city guide people can have. User generated contents can integrate professional contents, creating a mass-customized guide for a city. The portal is the place where people choose and manage the contents they really want and the mobile user interface is adapted to the conditions in which people really use the product. The main asset users have today is time: and it is a scarce resource. Therefore we spend a lot of time and effort in having a very user friendly product.

As an entrepreneur you have been exposed to the Silicon Valley way of doing business. Which aspect of the Silicon Valley model do you think can be successfully adapted to the Italian economic system and culture?

In the world of the economy every model that works spread in any areas where there are no barriers of entrance and no cultural clash. Italy is full of both. Therefore a very honest answer to your question is: none. First we have to destroy our barriers! Then there are many ideas, models and opportunities to be copied and implemented in Italy if those barriers disappears. Most likely the most important change we need are all those decisions that enhance meritocracy in our society. The creation of an ecosystem that can sustain an high tech industry in the long run is something very difficult to do. We need entrepreneurial spirit, and this is not something you can study in books. I have the feeling that first we have to send our people abroad for a while and then, when they come back, they will have a different mindset.

With the new BAIA LINK online community we are now trying to create a connection between Italy and the Italian community in Silicon Valley. What can this community do for Italian entrepreneurs like you?

BAIA Link can help us to find the right connections to spend a few months or even a year working there, with successful companies and creating a strong network that can be then used in developing companies in Italy. Another way could be to have there a company that commercialize services and products developed by Italian start-ups.

I would like to thank Luca Foresti for taking the time to speak with me today. If you have any questions for Luca or for BAIA, please leave a comment below or contact Luca or me on BAIA Link and we will be glad to answer.

Franco Folini

Farewell Notes of Departing BAIA Executive Director Giorgio Ghersi

Tonight BAIA held its 15th event at the 631 O’Farrell Street in San Francisco. The topic of the event was a little bit outside BAIA tradition, but nevertheless very interesting: Italian Education as a Business: the Rise of Italian schools in the Bay Area.The event has been very successful and has shown one more time the key role BAIA is playing in creating contacts and networking opportunities for the Italian-American business community. Tonight is a special night also for a different reason: it is the last night for Giorgio Ghersi as Executive Director of the Association.

When the three founders (Giorgio, Michele and Matteo) started BAIA, they set up a few internal rules to ensure the association stays healthy, fresh, and open. One of the rules states that a new Executive Director has to be elected every two years by the Board. A few weeks ago, the Board has elected Matteo Fabiano as the new Executive Director to continue the great job done by Giorgio. While welcoming the new director, I believe it is important to give some additional visibility to the speech Giorgio gave tonight. Here are his words:

Giorgio Speech

Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening, and welcome to this BAIA event number 15 since our first in April 2006. Thank you for filling this room with such characteristic Italian warmth. With this event BAIA is completing its second year cycle of networking, presentations, and development of the Italian business community in the Bay Area.

BAIA, which stands for Business Association Italy America, was founded with the goal of becoming an open networking platform for businesses and professionals operating in the United States and in Italy. Through the means of an independent, nonprofit, member- and volunteer-based network, we aimed to create a professional forum through which information, knowledge and opportunities could openly, and effectively, be exchanged among entrepreneurs, managers and professionals in the United States and in Italy.

Tonight, thanks to our sponsors, Elliot & Mayock immigration law in San Francisco, C’era Una Volta restaurant in Alameda and Al Mare gelato italiano in Berkely, we are going to present the first panel related to “Italian Education as a business venture”.

From what I’m hearing, and as I can see myself tonight, this is a topic of great interest to our community, and this event may be only the first of a dedicated series.

BAIA tries to cover 360 degrees topics of interest to all of our membership and supporters, as it should be, given that it is the only independent Italian business association in the Bay Area, and we believe the community needs it.

Tonight I’m personally closing another cycle, which is two years of my Directorship of the Governance of this non-profit organization.

It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve BAIA in this role.

Many thanks to my Co-Founders, Matteo Daste and Michele Ursino, without whom BAIA would have never existed, and to all the other Directors and the whole Governance, with a word of particular sympathy for all the ones that started as volunteers or interns, as Sabrina, Alberto, Federico, or Flavio -in Italy- and stick at it, becoming active part of the Governance.

During these two years BAIA has risen to a role of great importance, with multiple chapters, international presence and relations, and institutional recognition.

I am confident that, under the new leadership of Matteo Fabiano, our next Executive Director, BAIA will continue to deliver, and grow further, thanks to its open governance structure, and to a common foundation of strong ethics and moral character among its founders and members.

Therefore, in the name of BAIA, I want to thank the entire community, and the institutional representatives present here tonight for their support, and wishes that such support and cooperation among all those who share the vision of a united, permanent, modern and transparent business association for Italians in the Bay Area will continue to grow and strengthen in 2008.

Thank you very much.

Giorgio Ghersi

I would like to express the gratitude of the Board and of all the BAIA members to Giorgio for the exceptional job he has done for the Association in the last two years and for the values he has been able to "inject" in the BAIA DNA: openness, honesty, and a sincere and profound sense of community.

Thank you Giorgio!

Franco Folini

An Interview with Gaetano Pellicano on Venture-Capital Reform in Italy

On February 19, 2008 I had the pleasure to be invited to speak at the Italian Parliament for an event on Venture Capital reform organized by Gaetano Pellicano, the President of BAIA Italy. Since the inception of BAIA Italy last year, Gaetano has been working on connecting the business communities gathered by BAIA in Italy and California, leveraging his experience to promote the exchange of knowledge, especially in the venture capital area.

Gaetano, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your professional activities?

Since 2001 I have been a political advisor of the U.S. State Department at the U.S. Embassy in Rome. I work with American companies and institutions in Italy and advise the U.S. government with respect to policies in Italy and the EU. I focus also on job creation policies and have taught public administration at the Scuola Superiore della Pubblica Amministrazione. After meeting BAIA founders Matteo Daste and Giorgio Ghersi in San Francisco and seeing what BAIA is doing, I espoused the idea and in 2007 I promoted the launch of a BAIA Rome Chapter, that I am currently presiding.

How relevant of a topic is promoting venture capital investment in Italy today?

Low level of investment by risk capitals hinders the capability of boosting an ecosystem which favors innovation. Either big corporations or the research sector call for a stronger network between different actors, including venture funds, in order to improve their competitiveness, to establish cooperation with international players, and to bring new ideas, products and service to the market.

How did BAIA Italy play a role in organizing the February 19 event?

BAIA had been working in close cooperation with the Partnership for Growth of the U.S. Embassy in Rome that promoted a network between serial entrepreneurs, business angels and venture capitals. We proposed to work with this group of players to strengthen the links with Californian counterparts and to consolidate a package of proposals of improvements of the legal system along with most interested policy makers. Decidere.net and Competere appreciated our initiative and decided to cosponsor it.

What possible benefits could come out of these activities for Italy?

Our aims are to improve the ecosystem, to increase its dynamism and to help Italian innovators willing to establish joint ventures and other forms of cooperation with American colleagues. We will submit the package to the new parliament and the new government by September.

What's the outlook for BAIA Italy?

We are structuring our organization concentrating our energies on few events which might allow us to involve new members. Volunteerism is less common in Italy than in the States, but with a strategic vision we hope to stimulate the participation of a significant group of innovators interested in our unique initiative.

I would like to thank again Gaetano for his contribution. It is hoped that initiatives like the one promoted by BAIA Italy will be a welcome addition to the Italian economic panorama and will not only contribute to promoting knowledge of California models in Italy, but will also give a fresh  perspective on venture capital to leaders and entrepreneurs in Italy.

Matteo Daste

A Call for Energetic Optimism

Today, and in the months ahead, we must think and act with keen optimism and determination.

While I was traveling back home during the holidays, in my native Torino – which is also the 2008 World Design Capital – I witnessed the usual warmth and cheerfulness of familiar faces in an atmosphere fueled by the holiday spirit.

At the same time, I had the chance to browse through some of that more casual and disparate holiday reading material, ranging from the history book found at home, to the arts catalogs in the bookstore of the Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art to some mundane magazines which tend to materialize in your laps at the airport or at the hair dresser’s. Among tales of beauty, technology gadgets (I especially like the 500-shaped USB I received from my Dad), and daily happenings, a common theme was surfacing across the press:  the need for optimism.

Usually, when a state of mind is summoned by multiple parties, it means there has been a lack of it, or lackluster presence at least.  So I sniffed around for supporting data.

An article I came across in one of my “holiday magazines”, (A) by Giancarlo Bruno, manager of Banking and Capital Marketing for the World Economic Forum, was reporting data about Italy’s classification among the world economies, based on overall competitiveness (World Economic Forum competitiveness index). The current ranking: 46; down from 42 and 38 in the previous years.  By digging in a little deeper, it shows business competitiveness (ranking: 42) is more favorable in terms of “Sophistication of company operations and strategy”(32) rather than “Quality of the national business environment” (45) (link).

Given that Italy should be among the top five or six world economies, a 46th overall place sounds very much like the C series.  Or, with a different cultural metaphor, if you are an A student it is a shame to get anything less than a B, just because you can so easily do better. Two years ago, I attended a business breakfast where an economist from BNP Paribas stated: “Italy is dying” (he also mentioned oil prices were not going to rise ...). At the end of the presentation I raised my proud Italian hand and clarified that, thank you for the concern, but Italy was alive and well, despite aggressive competition in certain sectors, from high-growth emerging economies.  A few weeks later I flew to Torino to witness first-hand the sparkling beauty of the Olympic Torch and the rebirth on the world stage of the first capitol of Italy.  My country still looked very much alive.  Today we should not be in 46th place and, most important, we should be competitive, jostling for the top 5, top 10 positions.  Not for sake of the ranking per se, but because that’s a sign of the dreams, work and achievements that lie beneath the digits.  Hence my urge to blog on the topic.

Two weeks ago a business delegation with the Partnership for Growth program, accompanied by US Ambassador Ronald Spogli, visited the Bay Area.  There was much enthusiasm and no shortness of energy among the Italian visitors, eager to absorb information and to interact constructively, to build on their ideas.  Matteo Fabiano of BAIA opened his introductory note on BAIA, during a lunch session at Stanford (sponsored by YourTrumanShow), exactly on the topic of optimism, and on how it pervades the business climate of Silicon Valley. It was nice to see the light shining in the eyes of the audience, they grasped the message!

So, let’s capitalize on our talent, passion for quality, business acumen and scientific skills, to invigorate our country’s competitiveness and to keep our ability to dream alive. Dreams become reality when you believe in them and work hard toward their achievement. Optimism is not just a word, but the positive attitude and energetic drive required to move forward in spite of temporary obstacles and challenging circumstances.

Lucia Panini