The inventor of plastic and the ethics of innovation. A presentation by Luca Cottini (PhD)* Oslo, December 10, 1963. The only Italian #scientist to receive a Nobel Prize in Chemistry* Achievement & fragility. From the invention of plastic to the management of waste* The imaginative mind of Giulio Natta. On #literature and #chemistry (Primo Levi)* A groundbreaking lab of innovation. Montecatini: from nylon to Moplen* The new material that God forgot to create. The birth and misuse of plastic* A new imagination of plastic. On the role of culture and ethics on innovationCheck out all the other episodes in the content library and make sure to join the newsletter of the show at www.italianinnovators.com. Don't forget to leave your comment here below and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Thanks for listening!

The woman behind Italy’s greatest wine (A presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD)* The call to serve. The beginning of Giulia Falletti’s mission in Turin’s prisons* The story of Juliette Colbert de Maulevriér. From the French revolution to the Parisian encounter with Carlo Tancredi Falletti* From Napoleon’s rule to the Risorgimento. The growth of Turin in the 19th century, between anticlericalism and religious renewal* Carlo and Giulia’s effort in the betterment of the city, from the monumental cemetery to prison reform* The Falletti estate in the Langhe countryside. Giulia’s investment in the Nebbiolo grape and the “discovery” of Barolo* A story of holiness and redemption. The Barolo wine as mirror of Giulia’s personalityCheck out all the other episodes in the content library and make sure to join the newsletter of the show at www.italianinnovators.com. Don't forget to leave your comment here below and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Thanks for listening!

The Masters of Italian Publishing (A presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD)* The Martinitt orphanage in Milan, home of 3 great #innovators* From poverty to entrepreneurship. The parallel path of Angelo Rizzoli and Arnoldo Mondadori* The project of the Italian encyclopedia (Rizzoli, Bocconi, and Treccani)* The Borletti-Mondadori partnership. The rights of D’Annunzio and the birth of detective novels* A long-lasting rivalry. From magazines to literary classic series* Mondadori, America, and the creation of the critical theory publisher Il saggiatore* Rizzoli, cinema, and the sponsorship of Fellini’s masterpieces* Rizzoli & Mondadori today. The legacy of two masters on Italian 20th century cultureCheck out all the other episodes in the content library and make sure to join the newsletter of the show at www.italianinnovators.com. Don't forget to leave your comment here below and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Thanks for listening!

Liquore Strega and the bewitching power of literature (A presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD)* The fascination for "La" Strega (the witch) and the apprenticeship at "Lo" Strega liqueur factory* Poster #advertising and the aura of Strega. The blue, green, and red "witch" by Marcello Dudovich* The Roman city of Benevento, the legends of witchery, and the #drink of Giuseppe Alberti* A Southern Italian excellence from 1860 to the present. Guido Alberti as #entrepreneur* The passion for #storytelling. The Nazi occupation of Rome and the salotto of Maria Bellonci* The birth of Premio Strega, a laboratory of postwar culture & Italy's most important literary award* From literature to #cinema. The acting career of Guido Alberti, from Fellini to Rosi* Of #cocktails and literary imagination. What do #stories do? What is their added value?* Guido Alberti. A complex entrepreneur and #intellectual in search of never-fading #beautyCheck out all the other episodes in the content library and make sure to join the newsletter of the show at www.italianinnovators.com. Don't forget to leave your comment here below and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Thanks for listening!

A presentation by Luca Cottini (PhD). Keynote address of the International Conference of the Canadian Association of Italian Studies (CAIS). Delivered on July 5, 2022.* The culture behind the label. What model lies behind the Italian "impresa"? * The three components of the Italian "incanto": limit, #design, the chorality of "works" (#opera)* 1. The creative power of limit: care, respect, and #sustainability* 2. Design as #storytelling. The characters of the "speaking object" (genealogy, vitalism, performativity & consistency)* 3. Hybridity of languages and chorality of interactions (the piazza as a negotiating site, the family as a guarantor of continuity, the fabbrica as community, the theatre as a site of emotional action)Visit the official webpage at www.italianinnovators.com to find out more about the project and sign up for the newsletter of the show. Check out the video version of the episode on YouTube and subscribe to the Italian Innovators channel to receive notification of new episodes and lessons. Thanks for listening!

The creative compass of Ferrero (A presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD)* Finding the recipe. How Pietro Ferrero arrived to the hazelnut and cocoa paste* The early years. The marriage of Piera and Pietro, the birth of Michele, three entrepreneurial failures, and the return to Alba* The Langhe and Italy’s civil war. From WWII to reconstruction (1943-1945)* The post-war birth of the Giandujot (the forerunner of Nutella) and the foundation of the Ferrero chocolate company* A new model of social reconstruction. To work, create, and give (from the early days to the Ferrero foundation)* Piera’s presidency and Piera’s legacy. A remarkable story of female entrepreneurshipCheck out all the other episodes in the content library and make sure to join the newsletter of the show at www.italianinnovators.com. Don't forget to leave your comment here below and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Thanks for listening!

The father of Italian design (A presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD)* Domus. The theory and practice of “industrial design” (What is design? Who is the designer?)* Designing life: a worldview in an object; a particular character in a space* Ponti and Milano. From formation to expositions, from practice to theory* Object-worlds. The passion for ceramics and glass. Lightness as brightness and weightlessness* Secular and religious architecture. The “continuity” of opposites* Vivere all’italiana, vivere alla Ponti. The synthesis of tradition and modernityCheck out all the other episodes in the content library and make sure to join the newsletter of the show at www.italianinnovators.com. Don't forget to leave your comment here below and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Thanks for listening!

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Marco Baldocchi, Neuromarketing research director at NINA (the Italian Association of Applied Neurosciences), author, public speaker, and visionary entrepreneur in consulting and advertising.* From Lucca to Miami. From advertising to #neuroscience (1:05) * What is neurobranding? Why is neuroscience a key tool for #marketing? (2:35)* The understanding of emotions. Our decisions take place at the unconscious level (6:00)* The powerful impact of #storytelling in activating our #senses and our #memory (7:50)* Italy, melodrama, and the transformation of products into emotional platforms (10:30)* What moves our brain to #innovate? (13:43)* What is #luxury and what mental associations do we refer to it? (15:25)Check out all the other episodes in the content library and make sure to join the newsletter of the show at www.italianinnovators.com. Don't forget to leave your comment here below and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Thanks for listening!

The pursuit of legend (A presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD)* The finish line at the 1908 Targa Florio. How it all started* The birth of Italy's #automobile industry. Nazzaro (#Ferrari); Trucco (#Maserati); Ceirano (#fiat)* The mechanic of Isotta Fraschini who became a pilot. The story of Alfieri Maserati* Visionary entrepreneurship, competition, and elegance. At the core of Maserati* Maserati's most legendary models and Alfieri's legacy* What (really) happened that day in Palermo in 1908Check out all the other episodes in the content library and make sure to join the newsletter of the show at www.italianinnovators.com. Don't forget to leave your comment here below and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Thanks for listening!

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Michael F. Moore, PhD (freelance translator, interpreter, and author of a wonderful English version of Alessandro Manzoni’s novel “The Betrothed")* A novel (and a language) for the Italian nation. Manzoni's I promessi sposi (1:00) * From Manzoni's characters to Italy's character. A prototype of the Italian psychology (6:20)* The American reception of Manzoni's masterpiece (13:40)* Reading Manzoni to read the pandemic. The narration of the bubonic plague (18:10)* The art and methods of translation (21:32)* Interpreting at the United Nations. Giving voice to Italian politics on the world stage (27:00)* Why businesses and entrepreneurs need great translators/interpreters (31:15)Check out all the other episodes in the content library and make sure to join the newsletter of the show at www.italianinnovators.com. Don't forget to leave your comment here below and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Thanks for listening!