On Friday 25 October, the award ceremony for the 43rd Masi Prize was held at Monteleone21, a new and innovative Masi multifunctional centre in the heart of Valpolicella. After the traditional signing of the Amarone barrel in the historic cellars, the five winners – the Trieste entrepreneur Riccardo Illy, the Vicenza sculptor Arcangelo Sassolino and the environmental activist and writer Sara Segantin for the Masi Civiltà Veneta Prize; the Tuscan producer Donatella Cinelli Colombini for the International Masi Civiltà del Vino Prize; Brother Gedovar Nazzari, General Treasurer of the Opera Don Calabria, for the Grosso D’Oro Veneziano – were the protagonists of the talk moderated by Radio24 journalist Alessandro Milan. Sandro Boscaini, Vice President of the Foundation and President of Masi, presented Monteleone21 at the opening: “a project that represents Masi’s vision and deep connection with the territory and that aspires to become a point of reference for wine tourism, a cultural hub dedicated to the world of wine and a stage to accelerate the attractiveness of the Venetian regions and Valpolicella”. The characteristics of Monteleone21 were revealed through a video, explored by Raffaele Boscaini, Marketing Director and seventh generation of the family, and by CEO Federico Girotto, who explained the strategic importance of the location as an entry gate to the land of Amarone in the face of a growing global demand for wine tourism.
The “Virtuous Circle of Beauty” Celebrated at Monteleone21
Milan introduced the leitmotif of this edition: “The virtuous circle of beauty”, inviting the President of the Masi Foundation, Isabella Bossi Fedrigotti, on stage, who commented: “In a complex historical period like the current one, beauty can generate a virtuous circle, becoming a beacon of inspiration and improvement for all generations”.
The host then read a greeting message that Luca Zaia, President of the Veneto Region, addressed to the President to underline the cultural value of the Award and his appreciation for the selected theme: “Beauty is part of our life. We are surrounded by it, and it is not only an aesthetic fact, but it has an ethical value, an expression of a gesture of solidarity and goodness”.
The winners of the 43rd Masi Prize
The winners were called on stage for a discussion on the value of beauty, during which they shared their reflections on the meaning of the recognition and the interpretation given through their work.
Invited by the moderator to express himself on the meaning of beauty for those who do business, Riccardo Illy talked about the Polo del Gusto and Incantalia, two realities that they put the territory, sustainability and ethics at the center, through excellent products that nourish the body and soul: “We see beauty with our eyes, but we also feel it with our palate and nose, while wine is nectar for the spirit”.
Milan then asked Arcangelo Sassolino if beauty can be defined as continuous experimentation, who commented: “Sculpture must contain conflict, contradiction and contrast. It must be in some way a metaphor for life with all its conflicts and aspects”.
Sara Segantin, when asked about the most beautiful place she had ever visited, replied: “Try to imagine: a sparkling river, from which you climb to the highest peaks, then caves, deserts and finally a sea full of life and color. It is called Earth. That is worth knowing, loving, defending. We have awareness, technology and knowledge at our disposal: in a hundred years the only thing that will make the difference will be the will of each person to use these tools”.
Donatella Cinelli Colombini to the subtle provocation “A glass of wine is generally said to be good, it is fragrant. But where do you find beauty?” she insisted: “Wine is beautiful. It is because of the place where it is born and because of the people who produce it. This makes me feel lucky in my profession, which I consider the most beautiful in the world”.
Before the awards ceremony, a special recognition was given: the Targa Giorgio Boscaini, which the Boscaini family has reserved for over forty years to those who have collaborated for a long time and with particular dedication to their activities and to the distribution of Masi products in the world. This year it was awarded to George Hadjikyriacos, Managing Director of SPECTUS Wine and Spirits Merchants, for his decades-long contribution to building the success of the Masi brand in Cyprus, passionately promoting knowledge of the values of the Veneto and its wines, in particular Amarone.
The event ended with the awards ceremony, namely the delivery to the winners of the Venetian Civilization and the Civilization of Wine of the bottles with gold silkscreen printing made by Venetian glass masters, which symbolize the “shared” barrel of Amarone, the original object of the award. The Opera don Calabria received, in addition to the gold reproduction by master goldsmith Alberto Zucchetta of Grosso Veneziano, the coin that for centuries was legal tender in the Serenissima, a cash contribution to support the Institute’s humanitarian works.
Sandro Boscaini, in making an appointment for the next edition, underlined the Group’s commitment for the coming year to promote the territory through cultural and food and wine initiatives that will have Monteleone21 as an exceptional location: “In the coming months we have planned a series of experiences rich in knowledge and emotions for wine and nature enthusiasts. Monteleone21 will be a theater of great importance, which I like to call our Phoenix in Valpolicella, where the protagonist will be Amarone, flanked by other wines from the Veneto region”.
Accompanying the evening was the Unixono ensemble, composed of eight members of the Orchestra Sinfonica dei Colli Morenici conducted by Maestro Ferraresi, who delighted the audience with pieces from the Rondò Veneziano and a tribute to the great Ennio Morricone, whose extraordinary cinematic compositions embody harmony and beauty.
The moderator then quoted Socrates, according to whom beauty does not come from wealth, but from virtue, introducing the speech by Brother Gedovar Nazzari: “The most beautiful virtue is knowledge, because those who know the good, choose to act for the good. And beauty is lasting knowledge”. Milan recalled one of Don Calabria’s principles: “We do the good we can and try to do that little well”. And Brother Gedovar concluded: “Beauty is in solidarity and in today’s world it can make a difference”.
