The XXIII Venice Seminar was held in Venice from 19 to 21 January 2018 at Ca’ Foscari University, in the year in which the university celebrates its 150th anniversary.
The seminar, which has been held annually since 1996, consists of updates on Italy’s domestic, foreign and economic policy, presented by representatives of the Italian government, the economic world and industry, to an audience of British journalists. Discussions are informal and are governed by the Chatham House Rule.
The seminar this year was attended by approximately 40 journalists representing the largest British news channels. It took place over the course of two days and comprised four panel discussions and an engaging programme of cultural activities. After an opening address by the rector, Prof. Michele Bugliesi, the ambassador of Italy to the UK, Pasquale Terracciano, opened the seminar – the last one that he would attend in this role.
The first panel discussion was entitled “Italian & European industrial policies: bridging between defence of strategic assets, competitiveness and disruptive innovation”. It was moderated by Federico Fubini of the Corriere della Sera and the speakers were Carlo Calenda, the minister of economic development, who delivered the keynote address; Marco Alverà, the CEO of SNAM, a major gas-infrastructure company; and Paolo Cuniberti, the co-CEO and vice-president of the finance department of H-Farm S.p.a, a platform supporting digital transformation.
The second panel, “Investments for urban & territorial development & regeneration”, was moderated by Ferdinando Giugliano, a political columnist for Bloomberg and La Repubblica. The speakers were Claudio Costamagna, the president of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, and the Hon. Gianluca Pini, the head of foreign affairs for the Northern League.
Between these two panel discussions, Lucia Annunziata, a political columnist and the director of the Huffington Post Italy, gave an analysis of the upcoming elections in Italy and the possible scenarios that could emerge from them.
The third panel, held on Saturday morning, had a geopolitical focus. The theme was “The Future of Defence Policy and European Security” and the keynote speaker was the Hon. Vincenzo Amendola, the undersecretary for foreign affairs. Franco Venturini of the Corriere della Sera moderated, and the speakers were Alessandro Profumo, the CEO of the Leonardo Group; Lapo Pistelli, the executive vice-president and director of international relations of Eni; and Lucio Caracciolo, the founder and director of the magazine Limes.
In the fourth and final panel discussion, “What’s next for the Italian banking system in a scenario of structural growth and improving economy?”, the speakers were Pier Carlo Padoan, the minister of economy and finance, and Giovanni Sabatini, the general director of the Italian Banking Association (ABI), and the moderator was the journalist Silvia Sciorrilli Borrelli of Politico Europe.
As in last year’s edition, the talks were preceded by a dialogue between the British journalists attending the seminar and some of the students following courses in international relations at Ca’ Foscari. The session this year focused particularly on Brexit and the future of the EU.
The seminar also included an enriching programme of cultural activities. On Saturday morning, while the journalists were attending the discussions, their spouses and partners were taken on a fascinating tour of the Palazzo Giustinian Recanati, including its library and art collection.
On Saturday afternoon the delegates were given a tour of the old arsenal, led by Rear Admiral Andrea Romani, the commander of the Institute of Naval Studies and of the Venice naval base. Romani and his staff described the vital role played by the arsenal itself and by shipyards in general in the development of Venice’s maritime power and the defence of the city over the centuries.
The journalists then visited the Palazzo Pisani, an ancient building which today houses the Benedetto Marcello conservatoire. The delegation was received by Giovanni Giol, the head of the conservatoire, and Carmelo Sorgon, the administrative director. The visit ended with a concert by some of the students and a recital of pieces by Respighi and Brahms by the British cellist Guy Johnston and the Venetian pianist Gloria Campaner.
The final event of the seminar was a visit to the Giorgio Cini Foundation, an institution set up on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore to preserve historic and cultural records of Venice. Professor Pasquale Gagliardi, the secretary general of the foundation, received the journalists in the magnificent Cenacolo Palladiano hall, where he described the mission and history of the foundation. The visit included a tour of the cloister, the ancient Longhena library, and the modern Nuova Manica Lunga library.
The staff presented some of the historic volumes held by the foundation and Professor Cristina Dondi of Lincoln College, University of Oxford, presented 15CBOOKTRADE, an international project involving approximately 350 European and American libraries, which aims to make a digital map tracing the movements of incunables, first editions printed in the second half of the 15th century.
The 2018 Venice Seminar ended with another performance by Guy Johnson in the Lo Squero auditorium, with beautiful views over the lagoon.
The Embassy of Italy in London thanks the following partners for their support:
Eni, Intesa Sanpaolo, Leonardo, SNAM and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti.
The cultural programme was made possible by:
The Cini Foundation, the Venice naval base, the Benedetto Marcello Conservatoire and Elisabetta Falck.
A special thanks also to Fabriano.
