Italoeuropeo – L'ItaloEuropeo – Independent Magazine in London

Sunday – Oxford vs Cambridge: the boat race

London – ( by Stefania Saba) This weekend the Thames will host is annual boat race with the giants Cambridge and Oxford. The Race is a set challenges between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, also known from 2015 as the University Boat Races and the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races.

When the most recent race was the 2016 race which took place on Sunday 27 March 2016, the history of the race retrace back to 1829. The event has been held annually since 1856, except during the First and Second World Wars. The path covers a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) stretch of the Thames in West London, from Putney to Mortlake. Members of both teams are traditionally known as blues and each boat as a “Blue Boat”, with Cambridge in light blue and Oxford dark blue.

The race will begin at noon at it will go on until the finish line, which might be reached soon. Indeed Cambridge holds the course record of 16 minutes 19 seconds set in 1998, and 82 victories ( men ) and 41 ( women ) behind them, where Oxford boasts 79, with one dead heat. The teams will compete for the prize on Sunday 2nd April, starting from Putney Bridge. Public can watch the race for free by the river side.

Ladies will go first at 4.35 p.m. while men will follow at 5.35. Spectators will find good spots in Putney Brigde, starting point, Thames Reach, Hammersmith Bridge and Dukes Meadow. As the importance of the events touches the crowds, The sponsors of the Oxford-Cambridge boat races have announced they are donating their title sponsorship of the 2016 and 2017 editions to the event’s charity partner. Indeed The event will now be known as The Cancer Research UK Boat Races for the next two years, BNY Mellon and Newton Investment Management announced on Tuesday.

As traditional event, 300,000 people are expected to be present on the riverside this year, so we recommend to get there early in order to find a good spot.

Article 50: ‘Dereliction of duty’ to fail to plan for ‘no deal’, say MPs

“By the end of this month, the UK will tender the official notification to the EU of its intention to leave. The two year negotiating period will be short, complex and challenging.

Even with all sides entering negotiations with goodwill and the desire for a successful outcome, the Foreign Affairs Committee points out that negotiations could stall or be derailed and the two years could end with no deal between the UK and the 27 Member States.

Published today, Article 50 negotiations: Implications of ‘no deal’ is the first Select Committee Report to focus specifically on the implications of ‘no deal’ for the UK with reference to a range of different sectors, policy areas and circumstances.

The consequences of ‘no deal’ are far from being what the Brexit Secretary called “an exercise in guesswork.”

On the contrary, the evidence published in today’s Report makes the scope of those consequences clear.

The full potential implications of ‘no deal’, explored in detail in the annexes to the report, include:

Ongoing disputes over the exit ‘bill’;
Uncertainty and confusion for UK citizens in the EU and EU citizens in the UK;
Trading on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms;
A ‘regulatory gap’ and legal uncertainty in areas not covered by the “Great Repeal Bill”;
Uncertainty over UK participation in the EU’s common foreign and security policy; and
The sudden return of a customs border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Chair of the Committee, Crispin Blunt MP, commented:

“The possibility of ‘no deal’ is real enough to require the Government to plan how to deal with it. But there is no evidence to indicate that this is receiving the consideration it deserves or that serious contingency planning is underway.

“The Government has repeatedly said that it will walk away from a ‘bad’ final deal. That makes preparing for ‘no deal’ all the more essential. Such preparation reinforces that stance.

“Last year, the Committee described the Government’s failure to plan for a Leave vote as an act of gross negligence. This Government must not make a comparable mistake.

“The Article 50 negotiations will hopefully be successful. There is a clear shared UK and EU interest in reaching agreement. Mutually assured damage is the alternative. The responsibility on the negotiators is substantial.

“But there is a real prospect that negotiations will fail. The Government should therefore require each Department to produce a ‘no deal’ plan identifying the likely consequences and making proposals, including guidance to individuals and businesses, to mitigate potential risks. Anything less would be a dereliction of duty.””

Open Your Art – Lorenzo Chinnici and Christine Bleny in Milano show

Open Your Art invites you to immerse in the evocative bright and coarse language of maestro painter Lorenzo Chinnici and the ethereal, feminine work of French artist, Christine Bleny.

This exhibition involves great dynamics. Here you will see the intense, authentic universe filled with insular imaginary of one of the most significant Sicilian artists, in contrast to the fragile, mysterious feminine nature of Christine Bleny.

Two interprettions, different in technical styles and emotion, united by a thin common thread: the suffering.

The works of Chinnici represent a coarse and indignant emotion which is subdued by the delicate and often concealed suffering of the works of the French artist.

At Open Your Art, the artists will exhibit the paintings of maestro Chinnici titled Evasion, that was a witness of his meeting with Christine Bleny during The Synergy of Sons exhibition held in London in 2015.

In the painting, one can see the evidence of a heated argument between the two artists in which the French painter indignantly threw a glass of wine on the canvas in protest to the Sicilian artist’s painting style, creating a red stain on the work.

A year later, Lorenzo Chinnici and Christine Bleny met at the opening show of Fire on the Water exhibition and the initial conflict, caused by the difference of artistic languages and the hot temper of both, gave birth to a dialogue that grew into a strong friendship and desire of discussion.

The two artists have sealed their agreement by putting their signatures on the painting.

Giovanni Carfì Urso, curator of the exhibition, has created the title Fire on the Water to reflect the impact that two powerful elements have, when they find a balance and a dialog for confrontation.

The exhibition of Milan opens a new season of Fire on the Water project, which came to life on the shores of Lake Como in the summer of 2016: a series of exhibitions that during the year of 2017 will take place in such towns as Positano, Venice and Taormina.

The works of the maestro Chinnici will also be presented at prestigious international exhibitions in New York and Monte Carlo.

Open Your Art is also an opportunity to showcase the contrast between art and design, taking place in a showroom of doors which is the archetype of architecture and which has always been a refined and exclusive object of design.

The inauguration ceremony will be performed by the art critic Antonio Lombardo, who will introduce the artists and will guide the visitors to the understanding of the exhibited artworks. During the evening a monograph of the artist Lorenzo Chinnici will be presented under the editorship of a famous Italian art critic Vittorio Sgarbi.

London Evening Standard announces major new food festival

– Introducing Britain’s major new food festival with the London Evening Standard LONDON, UK – Feb 21, 2017 – Today ESI Media announced the launch of the London Evening Standard Food Month, a month-long, city-wide festival celebrating the capital’s diverse and influential food scene.

Encompassing every corner of the city, this exciting new food festival will celebrate the dynamic London food scene and the world’s culinary capital. With hundreds of events throughout June, featuring everything from fine dining and street food, to cafés and late-night eateries, this culinary celebration will simultaneously promote awareness around food waste and food hunger with The Felix Project; official charity partner for the festival.

London is unquestionably the greatest eating city on earth Tom Parker Bowles, Creative Director of London Food Month Renowned food writers Grace Dent and Tom Parker Bowles take on their roles as creative directors of the festival.

Together, they will curate a full programme that will see hundreds of events take place throughout the capital during the month of June.

Chefs, restaurants, hotels, food trucks, cafés, bars and more will participate and celebrate in the best that the London food scene has to offer. In addition to this, Fay Maschler, the London Evening Standard’s longest-standing critic and much-loved journalist, will be curating a definitive list of her 50 favourite places to eat in London in 2017. We’ll be eating the entire world, in one city, 24 hours a day.

London loves food and we’re here to prove it – Grace Dent, Creative Director of London Food Month The centrepiece of London Food Month will be the Night Market, a bustling outdoor dining experience held at an iconic London park over 12 summer nights. Starting June 7 and inspired by the global street food scene, the Night Market will feature up to 50 restaurants, food trucks, bars and live entertainment, from the iconic to the up-and-coming. Full details, including the venue and ticket sales, will be announced in April.

London Food Month will also include exclusive events with internationally-renowned chefs, from the impressive roster of international and British talent, during rare UK appearances. Massimo Bottura, chef-owner of Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, and founder of Food for Soul, is the first chef to be announced to take part in London Food Month, collaborating with The Felix Project.

London is a hub of gastronomy and one of my favourite cities. Thanks to the partnership with the Felix Project, we will be able to create healthier meals from humble ingredients for those who need it most – Massimo Bottura, chef-owner of Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy and founder of Food for Soul The full schedule of events and official partners will be featured in the London Food Month programme that will be distributed with the London Evening Standard on May 2.

Registration runs from February 21 to March 22. To register your interest, visit www.londonfoodmonth.co.uk

Cinema Made in Italy returns to London’s Ciné Lumière from 1 – 5 March 2017.

Cinema Made in Italy returns to London’s Ciné Lumière from 1 – 5 March 2017. This seventh edition of the festival brings a brand new array of exciting and inspiring films to the South Kensington cinema. CINEMA MADE in ITALY, now in its 7th edition, is the only official showcase of contemporary Italian Cinema in London, organised by FilImItalia, the Italian State Film body, with the collaboration of the French Institut in London and the Italian Cultural Institute in London. (Official Radio LondonONEradio, unique italian radio in London www.londononeradio.com)

Here the film in stage

7 MINUTES (7 Minuti) – Opening Night

Director: Michele Placido – 88 mins

Cast: Ambra Angiolini, Ottavia Piccolo, Cristiana Capotondi, Fiorella Mannoia, Maria Nazionale, Violante Placido, Clémence Poésy, Sabine Timoteo, Anne Consigny, Michele Placido, Bruno Cariello, Mimma Lovoi, Donato Placido, Gerardo Placido, Luisa Cattaneo, Erika D’Ambrosio, Balkissa Maiga, Lee Colbert

Following a takeover, the new owner of an Italian textile plant (played magnificently by Anne Consigny, who was most recently seen in Paul Verhoeven’s Elle), flies in from Paris to propose the plan masterminded in order to preserve the workers’ future. When the women in the plant’s council learn that nobody will lose their job, provided everyone gives up seven minutes of their daily break, it seems too good to be true. But when they start to analyse what the seven minutes actually represent, it soon dawns on them that more is at stake than merely their workers’ rights. Based on a true story, 7 minutes is a taut and gripping drama featuring emotionally anchoring performances from notably Clémence Poésy, Ambra Angiolini and Ottavia Piccolo.

EARS (Orecchie)

Director: Alessandro Aronadio – 90 mins

Cast: Daniele Parisi, Francesca Antonelli, Silvana Bosi, Masaria Colucci, Silvia D’Amico, Piera Degli Esposti, Ivan Franek, Sonia Gessner, Paolo Giovannucci, Rocco Papaleo, Andrea Purgatori, Re Salvador, Niccolò Senni, Pamela Villoresi, Milena Vukotic, Massimo Wertmüller

Following his brilliant debut feature Due Vite per Caso (which has won over 15 awards), Alessandro Aronadio is back with a sharp and witty comedy. Stylishly shot in black and white, Ears follows a day in the life of a hapless young university lecturer, as he wanders around the streets of Rome, questioning the true purpose of his life. Clarity is obtained after a succession of Kafkaesque situations, which include an encounter with a bevy of mistrusting nuns, an outlandish rapper, and an impertinent ear specialist. Made on a micro budget under the umbrella of the Biennale College Cinema programme, Alessandro Aronadio’s absurdist comedy was an instant hit when it premiered at last year’s Venice International Film Festival.

PERICLE THE BLACK (Pericle il Nero)

Director: Stefano Mordini – 100 mins

Cast: Riccardo Scamarcio, Marina Foïs, Valentina Acca, Gigio Morra, Maria Luisa Santella, Lucia Ragni, Eduardo Scarpetta, Seloua M’Hamdi, Samuel Laurie

Co-produced by the Dardenne brothers, and loosely based on Giuseppe Ferrandino’s Pericle il Nero, Stefano Mordini’s third feature is a contemporary Italian mafia film set in Belgium and France. Riccardo Scamarcio (Burnt, Effie Gray, Third Person) is a loyal Camorra low-life who makes ends meet by doing dirty jobs for Don Luigi, a Neapolitan crime lord and pizzeria owner based in the outskirts of Liège. When a job goes wrong, he has no choice but to go on the run, and after a brief spell in hiding, ends up in Calais. Alienated, and deep down yearning to be part of a family, he seeks refuge in the form of divorced bakery worker Anastasia, played superbly by French actress Marina Foïs (Paris Follies, Polisse, Irréprochable). They embark on a bittersweet whirlwind romance, as they endeavour to sidestep the shadow of his tormented past.

THE CONFESSIONS (Le Confessioni)

Director: Roberto Andò – 100 mins

Cast: Toni Servillo, Daniel Auteuil, Connie Nielsen, Pierfrancesco Favino, Moritz Bleibtreu, Marie-Josée Croze, Richard Sammel, Johan Heldenbergh, Stéphane Freiss, Aleksei Guskov, Ernesto D’Argenio, Lambert Wilson, Julian Ovenden, Togo Igawa, Andy de la Tour, John Keogh, Giulia Andò

Produced by Angelo Barbagallo (Dear Diary, The Son’s Room, Certified Copy), Roberto Andò’s slick mystery thriller centers on a simple monk of the Carthusian order, who shakes things up at a G8 meeting held in a luxury hotel on the Baltic Coast. After a high-ranking official is found dead in his room, it transpires that the purpose of the state treasurers’ gathering is to introduce radical economic reforms that will have irreparable destructive effects on less-developed countries in the world. Stopping them soon becomes a race against time…. The elegant mise en scène, Oscar-winning composer Nicola Piovani’s exquisite score, along with a stellar cast including Toni Servillo, Daniel Auteuil, and Connie Nielson, make for irresistible viewing.

IN GUERRA PER AMORE

Director: Pierfrancesco Diliberto aka Pif – 99 mins

Cast: Andrea Di Stefano, Pierfrancesco Diliberto aka Pif, Sergio Vespertino, Maurizio Bologna, Miriam Leone, Samuele Segreto, Stella Egitto, Antonello Puglisi, Vincent Riotta, Maurizio Marchetti, Mario Pupella, Aurora Quattrocchi, Rosario Minardi, Orazio Stracuzzi, Lorenzo Patanè, David Mitchum Brown, Forest Baker, Salvatore Ragusa, Domenico Centamore

Following on from The Mafia Kills Only in Summer, Pierfrancesco Diliberto (aka Pif) brings us another funny and touching tale peppered with historical facts. It is 1943, and World War II is in full swing. In the heart of New York fresh faced Arturo (played by Pierfrancesco Diliberto) has fallen head over heels for his restaurant boss’ daughter Flora. The feeling is mutual, but Flora has been promised to the son of an influential New York mobster. The only way Arturo will be able to marry his beloved, is if he is granted approval by her father, who lives in a small town in Sicily. Young and broke, Arturo enlists in the US Army, which is preparing to invade the island, an event which will change the history of Sicily, Italy, and the Mafia forever.

Francesco Diliberto (aka Pif) was assistant director to Marco Tullio Giordana on the anti-Mafia film I Cento Passi in 1998. Besides being a film director, writer and actor, he is also a satirical current-affairs broadcaster who has contributed to numerous Italian TV shows, including Le Iene. He has had his own show, Il Testimone, on MTV since 2007 and hosts the radio show I Provinciali on RAI 2, along with his screenwriting collaborator Michele Astori.

PAWN STREETS (Le Ultime Cose)

Director: Irene Dionisio – 85 mins

Cast: Fabrizio Falco, Roberto De Francesco, Christina Rosamilia, Alfonso Santagata, Salvatore Cantalupo, Anna Ferruzzo, Nicole De Leo, Maria Eugenia D’Aquino, Margherita Coldesina, Matteo Polidoro

Set in Turin, Pawn Streets reveals an insider’s view of the goings on behind the closed doors of a local pawnbrokers, and the wheeling and dealing which takes place in the streets outside. Each and every object tells a different story: a cherished fur coat is handed over by a transvestite who has become estranged from her family; a precious gold necklace fetches a moderate price for a desperate mother of two. Meanwhile, a penniless grandfather unwillingly becomes embroiled in black market pawn broking, so he can afford to buy a hearing aid for his three year old grandson. Irene Dionisio, who is also a documentary film-maker, succeeds in rendering an honest account of some of the circumstances which might drive people to pawn their most cherished belongings, as a last resort. Pawn Streets is produced by Carlo Cresto-Dina, whose previous credits include The Wonders and Corpo Celeste.

SLAM (Tutto per una ragazza)

Director: Andrea Molaioli – 100 mins

Cast: Ludovico Tersigni, Barbara Ramella, Jasmine Trinca, Luca Marinelli, Pietro Ragusa, Fiorenza Tessari, Lidia Vitale, Fausto Sciarappa, Gianluca Broccatelli, Tony Hawk

Sam is a 16 year old skateboarding fanatic who has his whole life ahead of him. When his girlfriend breaks the news that she is pregnant, the only person he can turn to is his all-time hero and skateboarding legend, Tony Hawk. Reminiscent of the film Sliding Doors, Sam is inexplicably hurtled into the future and offered a glimpse of what will be…. or what could be. At the end of the day, it is up to Sam to make the right decisions. Based on Nick Hornby’s successful novel of the same name, Slam is all twists and turns and heel flips, and features a splendid performance by Luca Marinelli, who starred in last year’s They Call Me Jeeg Robot. Prior to making his first feature film, Andrea Molaioli worked as assistant director and second director on numerous films, including Nanni Moretti’s The Son’s Room and Dear Diary. In 2008 his film The Girl By the Lake won three David di Donatello Awards.

THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (La Battaglia di Algeri)

Director: Gillo Pontecorvo – 121 mins

Cast: Brahim Haggiag, Jean Martin, Saadi Yacef

The Battle of Algiers tells the story of the life-and-death struggle between the French colonial government of Algeria and the Algerian Liberation Front, the FLN, who wanted the French out and were willing to set off bombs to do it. The French sent in their elite Paratroopers with the order to use Any Means to break the insurgent – torture included. It’s a true story, done on location with many of the FLN appearing in it, including the producer who was an FLN leader. This film, which was first released in 1966, is a passionate yet completely impartial record of struggle which led to Algeria’s Independence.

The Battle of Algiers is distributed in the UK by CultFilms: www.cultfilms.co.uk. Digitally re-mastered in high definition from restored archive elements approved by the filmmakers, this all-time classic release of The Battle of Algiers also commemorates the 50th anniversary of Algerian independence. The new version also includes some previously unseen footage, making this the most complete edition ever. The restorationwas curated by Cineteca di Bologna and Istituto Luce-Cinecitta, in collaboration with Surf Film, Casbah Entertainment, and CultFilms.

VANGELO

Director: Pippo Delbono – 87 mins

Cast: Pippo Delbono, Safi Zakria, Nosa Ugiagbe, Petra Magoni, Pepe Robledo, Ilaria Fantin, Bobò Robledo

In Vangelo theatre director Pippo Delbono visits a migrant centre and meets the refugees who have come to seek shelter there. They are in limbo, waiting to find out if they will be allowed to stay, or simply be moved on to the next holding area. He becomes part of their everyday lives, in which they are suspended between painful memories and an uncertain future. Slowly but surely, the refugees open up to him, and tell him their stories. Some of these feature on screen, others remain secret. Through the lives of these people, the inevitable protagonists of a new age, Delbono’s vision for his theatrical production of the Gospel starts to take shape.

I WAS A DREAMER (Il più grande sogno)

Director: Michele Vannucci – 100 mins

Sun 5 Mar

Cinema Made In Italy 2017

Festivals & Series

Important conference about Port Equipment in view of Brexit

From 8. until 10. of February is taking place PEMA’s 2017 AGM & Members Meeting in London.

The conference has some celebrated presence like Alberto Costa the MP– Conservative member of Parliament; John Hayes, Minister of State for the UK Department of Transport; Ottonel Popesco, CEO, Cavotec and President of PEMA since January 2008.

PEMA (Port Equipment Manufacturers Association) was born in 2004 by a group of leading equipment manufacturers serving the global port and terminal markets. The ambition was to create a neutral platform that could publicly represent the industry as a whole, as well as fostering knowledge and relations within the global port equipment community. In 2008, opened the door to membership from technology providers and consulting companies, since which time membership has grown rapidly.

This conference is very important to know the procedure in proximity of the Brexit. Theresa May said at the end of March the UK will begin the Brexit negotiation process and with the timing on triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty the UK looks set to leave the EU by summer 2019.

The Founder members are Bromma Conquip, Fantuzzi-Reggiane (now part of Terex Port Solutions), Hyster Europe, Kalmar Industries (now part of Cargotec Corporation) and Konecranes were joined over the next three years by further OEMs active in the port market, plus providers of equipment systems and components including cable reels, drives, tyres and others.

One of the most important of Pema members is Tratos ( leader in Electrical, Electronic and Fibre Optic cable technology). It works closely with customers to find better, more environmentally friendly solutions to their challenges. At the meeting there is Maurizio Bragagni, Board Member Chief Executive of Tratos. Maurizio Bragagni has 15 years experience in the electric cable manufacturing industry. Tratos has been delivering global cable solutions and unrivalled engineering expertise since 1966. The company’s focus is on innovation, for the benefit of its clients, using original thinking to solve problems and achieve greater efficiency. Tratos continues to establish operating offices across the globe to maintain direct contact with customers.

PEMA is constituted under Belgian law as an international, non-profit association. Today is involved in providing global market surveys, information papers, best practice recommendations, educational workshops and debates, standards development and outreach to the academic community. It has over 100 member companies worldwide spanning equipment supply, advanced IT and technology, and consultancy.

As usual, our AGM provides a chance to take stock of the previous year’s activities and discuss upcoming plans for the year ahead with our members, partners and guests. A guest speaker panel will also update on the state of the market, with insights into the business drivers and operational priorities for the global ports and terminals industry and how these will shape future demand for equipment and technology solutions.

The governing body of the Association is the Board of Directors. Board members are elected by the general membership and are appointed for a three-year term.

Officers of the Association, including the President, Vice President and Treasurer, are elected by and from the Board members.

Daily management and administration is conducted by the Secretary General and the office of the secretariat, working under direction from the President and Board.

Investartone and Baglioni Hotel London create new synergy

London, January 25th 2017 – London premium estate agents and property investors Investartone and Baglioni Hotel London, one of the most prestigious luxury hotels in London located in the heart of Kensington, have turned a common intent into a new synergy. The objective: promoting sophisticated lifestyle with the renowned Italian touch. ‘London is now home to over half million Italians, according to latest statistics, making it the 6th largest Italian city,’ says Investartone Founder and Director Alberto Orru.

‘Over the past few years, this has driven the demand for goods and services of higher quality, sophistication and style not only among the Italian population that has chosen London as its adoptive home, but also among Londoners and the international community.’ ‘The synergy between Investartone and Baglioni Hotel London intends to promoting and increasing awareness on what makes Italian lifestyle appreciated the world over,’ adds Orru. ‘Baglioni Hotel, the Italian home for Italians and the international community in London, is thrilled to start the collaboration with Investartone. The synergy will help to increase awareness and promote the chic, glamorous Italian lifestyle in the heart of London,’ says Alessandro Convertino, Baglioni Hotel London General Manager. With a set of initiatives and events currently on the drawing board, Investartone and Baglioni Hotel London plan to take the promotion and support of Italian lifestyle in London to ever-greater success.

Investartone Ltd Founded in 2009 by Alberto Orru, Investartone provides real estate and property investment services to HNWI and corporate clients for the London real estate market. Located strategically in London Marylebone, the experienced team at Investartone offers bespoke solutions to satisfy the complex and diverse needs of its clients

The untold story of what was once the most powerful radio station of the world

History – (by Prof.Filippo GiannettiUniversity of Pisa, Italy)

In late 1902, Guglielmo Marconi decided to build an “ultra-powerful”; radiotelegraphic station in Italy, providing intercontinental connections with the Americas and the Italian colonies in East Africa. This was the first ultra-powerful station in Marconi's home country and one of the first in the world, too. As matter of fact, at this time there were only three operational ultra-powerful stations: one in Britain, one in the U.S. and one in Canada. Coltano, a flat, swampy and scarcely populated rural area about 10 km south of Pisa, was the selected site due to a number of favorable factors.

 The wet soil has a high electrical conductivity, which eases the radiation of ground waves.

 Coltano is located located almost halfway from Rome, Italy’s capital, and Milan, Italy’s main industrial city,

near the Tyrrhenian Sea’s shoreline, in a very favorable position for communications with Italian colonies in Africa and with the Americas.

 Nearby cities, Pisa and Leghorn, have good connections with the rest of the country, by road, railway and telegraph lines.

 Coltano area was an estate of the King of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele III, who enthusiastically agreed to make it available for Marconi’s project.

The design included a main building in Tuscan style, which was to host the transmitter together with the relevant control equipment, and a couple of long horizontal-wire antennas: one for links with North America and one for East Africa. The construction started in 1905, but the work proceeded at slow pace, mainly due to the harsh and wet environment that caused the station's wooden roof to rot and metal structures to rust.

coltano_vecchia — “Palazzina Marconi”, (Marconi’s House)

This also impaired the stability of the high antenna towers. The building, named; “Palazzina Marconi”, (Marconi’s House), was eventually completed in October 1910, while the whole station was ready in November 1911. The Palazzina Marconi hosted an asynchronous rotary spark gap transmitter, like that available in the Clifden station (Ireland), operating at 43 kHz (7000 m wavelength), and fed two bent antennas. Each antenna extended over 530 m and had 4 pairs of 75 m-high towers with transversal riggings that suspended 24 horizontal parallel wires. The power consumption of the station was about 300 kW, while the transmit power is estimated to be 14 kW, thus yielding an efficiency lower than 5%.

On November 19, 1911, in the presence of the King, Marconi successfully inaugurated the station by sending a telegram to the Director of the New York Times. The message was transmitted from Coltano to Glace Bay (Canada), 5360 km away, and was relayed to New York via land lines. Another telegram was sent to Clifden (Ireland), 1850 km away, and a further telegram was sent to the newly-built Italian colonial station in Massawa (Eritrea), 4160 km away. With this maiden transmission, the Coltano station set some remarkable records:

 it was the first intercontinental radiotelegraphic station in Italy;

 it was the most powerful station in the world;

 transmission from Coltano to Glace Bay set the new distance record for wireless communications: 5360 km;

 the distance between the furthest points at which the signals could be received (i.e., 10720 km) was more than one-fourth of the Earth circumference, corresponding to the coverage of one-sixth of the Earth surface);

 the transmission from Coltano to Massawa went through more than 2000 km of Sahara and was the first across a desert, proving wrong the belief that ground wave propagation is impossible over dry and poorly conductive soil.

In 1920-1923, the Italian Navy built a new radio station for trans-continental service with North America, designed by prof. Giancarlo Vallauri, a prominent scientist and director of Navy's Electrotechnical and Radiotelegraphic Institute, based in the nearby city of Leghorn. The new radio consisted of a main building which hosted the transmit and control equipment, and a huge curtain-type antenna, besides some subsidiary buildings for the accommodation of the personnel in service at the station.

The station was equipped with a couple of more modern transmitters: a 250 kW transmitter based on a Béthenod–Latour alternator, and a 350 kW transmitter, featuring two static Poulsen converters. Any of the two transmitters had nominal frequency 18.750 kHz (16,000 m wavelength) and could be selected to feed the huge curtain-antenna, having a square base with 420 m-long sides, supported by four masts; each one was 250-meter high. The antenna’s pavillon consisted of a net of phosphorous-bronze wires 3.4 mm thick and spaced about 15 m apart from each other.

The net was reinforced with steel cables for the outer wires, yielding a total weight of about 4 tons. The new radio provided intercontinental radiotelegraphic services between Coltano and fixed points in North America, in East Africa Italian colonies (Massawa and Mogadishu) and in Turkey. In addition, the station provided telegraphic service to a limited number of ships during their navigation.

From 1924 to 1928 the management of the new station (referred to as the "new radio") was entrusted to the private company Italo Radio, which provided both continental and intercontinental ones radiotelegraphic services. In 1929, the site of Coltano came under the direct management of the Post and Telegraph Ministry which decided to upgrade the transmit equipment from long- to short-waves (SW) for long-range service to merchant ships.

The station was renewed under the technical supervision of the admirals Gino Montefinale and Giuseppe Pession, two qualified Navy’s scientists. Vacuum-tube transmit equipments were installed in Coltano for both oceanic and coastal service and a SW antenna was erected. This consisted of 4 omnidirectional Franklin-type vertical aerials, one for each frequency of the main service, hanging from a 180 m-long horizontal rigging, suspended between two 60 m-high towers. The SW transmitters were activated on July 1st, 1930, and ensured long-range radiotelegraphic service to merchant ships.

The most spectacular event of this period happened on October 12, 1931, on the occasion of the 439th anniversary of the discovery of America. That day, Guglielmo Marconi, from his office in Rome, remotely switched-on the lights of the great statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 9200 km away.

Marconi pressed a key that sent the command via landline to Coltano, then, a 2 kW SW transmitter sent a signal to a radio station in Rio. There, the command was eventually transferred via landline to the flood- lighting switchgear, on the Corcovado Mountain.

In late 1931 the main SW transmitters were upgraded by adding amplitude modulation functionality, which enabled radiotelephonic service, too. For almost a decade (1930÷1940), Coltano was the key Italian (and one of the main European) long-range radiotelegraphic and radiotelephonic station providing wireless connections with both ships and fixed points all around the globe. Since 1932 regular public connections were held with the Italian concession in Tianjin, China, 8250 km away. In the same year, the first public service from land to vessels was activated.

The first served ship was the Italian liner Conte Rosso which kept regular contact with Coltano while sailing to Shangai, 9200 km away. The service was soon extended to the Rex and the Conte di Savoia liners, sailing to New York, 6650 km away, and to the Duilio and the Giulio Cesare liners, sailing to Cape Town, South Africa, 8670 km away. In 1935, two new shortwave transmitters, supplied by Marconi Wireless Co., were installed: a 56 kW transmitter for radiotelegraphic services and a 35 kW transmitter for radiotelephonic services.

During WWII, on June 14, 1944, withdrawing German troops blew up the building of the new radio and all the antenna towers of the radio center. The building of the old Marconi station, which had not been operated for a long time, was instead spared. After the war, the radio center of Coltano was finally abandoned. From 1955 to 2008, a U.S. military radio site was set in the proximity of the old radio center. Since 1952, Coltano hosts a MW transmit site of the Italian public broadcasting company RAI. Also, the Pisa section of the Italian Amateur Radio Association (A.R.I.) occasionally operates a commemorative radio station (callsign IY5PIS) from Coltano.

Today, the only remaining vestiges of the historic radio center are the concrete basements of the great antenna towers, a few small portions of brick walls of the new radio building, the quarters of the service staff and the Palazzina Marconi of the old radio. The latter is the most important relic surviving WWII’s devastation. Unfortunately, it badly suffered the effect of time and, currently, this historic building is in disrepair.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s reaction to the events in Berlin

Londra ( Francesca Pinna ) The Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the awful suspected attack on Berlin last night, particularly those who were injured, the families and friends of those who were killed and all the emergency responders.

“We don’t yet have the full details, but this appears to have been a horrific and cowardly act of terror. All Londoners stand in solidarity with the people of Berlin today – this was an attack on our shared values, freedoms and way of life.

‎”I want to reassure Londoners and those visiting our city over Christmas that the Metropolitan Police will review all security plans in London in light of last night’s events, and that keeping everyone safe remains the highest priority for the Met Commissioner and for me.”

ELLE – OFFICIAL UK TRAILER LAUNCH

UK release date: 10 March 2017

ELLE, directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Isabelle Huppert, has been set by Picturehouse Entertainment for release across the UK on 10 March 2017.

ELLE, one of the most acclaimed films of the year, gives Huppert a career-defining role, which resulted in several awards, including wins forBest Actress at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards and the Gotham Independent Film Awards as well as a Best Actress (Drama) nomination for next year’s Golden Globe Awards.

ELLE had its world premiere in Cannes this year to rave reviews and has been selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language film at the 89th Academy Awards.

Huppert is Michèle LeBlanc; founder and CEO of a successful video game company, who is attacked in her own home. Taking what appears to be a desire to shrug off the terrifying incident, she locks the door after her attacker and refuses to tell the police. Upending our expectations, Michèle begins to track down her assailant, and soon they are both drawn into a curious and thrilling game, one that at any moment may spiral out of control.

OFFICIAL UK TRAILER LAUNCH

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/IEnhx82_In4

Download link: https://goo.gl/yoKTcw