A LIFE OF HONOR. Aimone di Savoia Aosta, 6th Duke of Aosta, was born in Florence in 1967. After studying at the Naval College in Venice and beginning his professional life in London, he moved to Russia in the early 1990s. He later joined the Pirelli Group and more recently returned to Italy after many years abroad. He has also served as Ambassador of the Order of Malta to Russia. "Italian History does not  begin in 1946, but March the 17th 1861, in Turin! " "The title of Duke of Puglia was given to me by Umberto II and this grant was part of the tradition of the House of Savoy" "I believe Europeans should make a greater effort to stop the war" https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/aimone-di-savoia-aosta

THE MASTER OF ECLECTIC DESIGN. Jacques Grange is a world-famous French interior designer, renowned for his eclectic style, high-profile celebrity clientele, and classical training. Born on June 27, 1944, in France, Jacques studied at the École Boulle and the École Camondo in Paris. He worked under legendary designer Henri Samuel, assisting on major restorations like the Grand Trianon at Versailles. Jacques opened his own Paris-based design firm in 1970. Known for seamlessly blending traditional and contemporary tastes, he combines high art, antiques from the 18th and 19th centuries, and modern statement pieces with a touch of wit. "A room should never be entirely predictable. If everything is perfect, it becomes boring." "I have never believed that everything should come from the same century." "I don't separate my life from my work." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/jacques-grange/

TALKING ABOUT A LOST WORLD. Ralph Toledano is an art historian and a writer. He recently published La Lune dans le Tourbillon, the fourth volume of a series of novels that explores the lives, questions of identity and spirituality, failures and hopes of members of the Sephardic elite of Moroccan origin: Un Prince à Casablanca, Revoir Tanger, Le Retour du Phénix were the previous ones. "Forgiveness is the key to hope and to reconstruction." "One has to take the best of the past and project it in the future, because the future is hope of bettering life as a whole, and not only for oneself." "A collapse is sometimes necessary for a rebirth" https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/ralph-toledano

IN LOVE WITH LITERATURE. Caroline Michel is since 2007 both the CEO of literary agency Peters Fraser and Dunlop (PFD) and has served as Chair and previously Trustee of Hay Literary Festival. She is a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), a high-ranking official award that is the female equivalent of a knighthood and given by the British monarch to women for major national service. Among Dame Caroline's many appointments, she is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Vice President of the London Library and a Trustee of Historic Royal Palaces, as well as having been a member of the Booker Prize Advisory Committee. "People see truth and authenticity in a book and they love the object." "The cultural power of language and books from anywhere in the world is very exciting" "Now, as an agent, you work alongside the publisher the whole way to make sure that the process doesn't slip off everybody's attention." www.alainelkanninterviews.com/caroline-michel/

MANAGER OF A MASSIVE CULTURAL LEGACY. Barbara Jatta is an Italian art historian and the Director of the Vatican Museums. Appointed by Pope Francis in 2017, she made history as the first woman ever to lead the prestigious institution. A highly respected expert in the history of drawing, engraving, and graphic arts, before her directorship she built a long career at the Vatican, notably serving as the head of the prints department at the Vatican Apostolic Library. As Director, she manages a massive cultural legacy that spans 7 miles of exhibit space, including the Sistine Chapel and a huge collection of artifacts. Her leadership focuses heavily on conservation, education, and modernising visitor experiences across the Vatican's various museums and galleries. "While the Vatican Museums are the museums of Popes and of the present Pope, we take care of worldwide and universal collections and it is our responsibility to share them with our visitors." "We have tried to make people understand that the Vatican Museums have so much more to offer beyond Raphael and Michelangelo." "It is extremely important to offer our visitors a journey to the collections which is not only artistical or historical but also spiritual." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/barbara-jatta/

PATTI SMITH – WORKER. Patti Smith was born in Chicago in 1946. In the 1970s the American poet, songwriter, singer, and visual artist blazed a trail for punk rock artists, especially women. Patti Smith earned herself such titles as "godmother of punk" and "punk's poet laureate" with her androgynous appearance, intense live performances, and penchant for writing lyrics that often blend poetry with subversive themes, She retreated from public view in the 1980s but made a successful return to performing in the 1990s. Following her comeback, she has published several acclaimed memoirs about her life and career as one of rock's most avant-garde artists. "I don't want to be rich and famous. I want to be great." "I'm for children. That is my number one concern." "Have I earned all this adulation?" https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/patti-smith

PIONEER OF VIDEO ART AND CULTURE. Marco Brambilla is a leading figure in contemporary video art, internationally recognised for his pioneering use of digital imaging technologies and immersive moving image installations. The Italian-born Canadian artist and film director is best known for work that re-contextualizes archival imagery into visually elaborate, often satirical spectacles that explore the excesses of contemporary culture. His work has been exhibited at major global institutions. "In the 1980s Francis Coppola famously said that at some point he would be able to dictate his films and out will come Lawrence of Arabia." "I thought it was appropriate to imagine a world which is not chronological, not geographic, but could only exist in the mind of a machine." "If you make things that can be broadcast, that can be projected, that can be re-performed, people are very well versed, and there's a thirst for this right now." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/marco-brambilla/

AN INDEFINABLE PERSONALITY. Patrick Kinmonth is an Anglo-Irish opera director and designer, film maker, writer, painter, interior designer, art editor, creative director and exhibition curator. He is widely known for his many stage, costume, interior and architectural designs and recognised internationally for the breadth and depth of his creative interests. His many collaborations have yielded landmark opera, ballet and dance productions, books and exhibitions. Kinmonth's earlier role as arts editor at British Vogue included creative direction for fashion and portraiture shoots. He is perhaps "one of the most indefinable personalities of contemporary art". "Something happened that was like a key turning in a lock, where I realised, 'yes! this particular story, for whatever reason, I can make really exciting in the theatre', and it proved to be the case." "David Hockney draws a line which travels and which is not always anatomically accurate, but which traces precisely the feeling of David as he drew the person." "You have to decide in your life what brings joy." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/patrick-kinmonth-2

AN ODE TO CRAFTSMANSHIP AND AUTHENTICITY. Gabriella Cortese made her mark on the fashion universe when she founded Antik Batik in 1992. The Antik Batik fashion house stands out for its collections of chic, bohemian clothing and accessories that emphasise craftsmanship and artistic techniques. It was the alluring scent of adventure that set Gabriella Cortese on her travels and inspired her to create Antik Batik, thus it reflects its designer's ever-renewed desire to explore the world with boldness and curiosity, and to share her discoveries. Fiercely committed to freedom and open-mindedness, Gabriella has built her Antik Batik brand – which has now gone global – as a true ode to craftsmanship and authenticity. "Antik Batik has always had a soul" "Every time that I feel through my intuition, I do the right things, and when I go far from my intuition things go wrong." "I need a lot of nature to calm down" https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/gabriella-cortese/

ACTIVELY AGING. Erri De Luca was born in Naples in 1950. A widely celebrated Italian novelist, essayist, poet, and translator, he has been hailed as "the writer of the decade" by Italian critics and his work has been translated into over thirty languages. He has written around 80 books – some say 100 – and is also a translator of important works. He has studied ancient Hebrew, Swahili, Russian and Yiddish, and has translated several books from the Old Testament, such as Ecclesiastes, Exodus and the Book of Jonah. He has also appeared in films and documentaries, including L'età sperimentale (2024), which Feltrinelli subsequently published as a book. It has also recently been published by Gallimard in Paris, where Erri is known for having won several major literary prizes. "I don't believe I'll live for long, but my aim is to live the present day as intensely as possible." "I don't consider writing a job. For me, it has always been that saved time, and today it is a happy part of my day, but it is a small, happy part of my day." "We are in this uncertain time, where there is vagueness and resentment, and in this time I am quite out of the ordinary, out of place, because right now I feel more compassion, more feelings of brotherhood than feelings of hostility." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/erri-de-luca/