World Monitor Mag, Industrial Overview WM_November_2018_WEB_Version | Page 22

DESTINATION europe
fresh interpretation of objects, but the
same message – beauty is important.
Who are the people you admire,
whether well-known or from your
inner circle, who influenced your
choices or brought some challenges?
There are many people. But I’ll mention
two I can think of. In general I really
admire people who have a dream and who
do their best to accomplish this dream.
I’d like to mention one man, my neighbor
Gennaro. He has a family of six children.
From the time I became his neighbor he
has changed 20 jobs. He managed to
support his family and he was always
happy. Not much money in his pocket.
However, he definitely is a model for
those who are rich, but unhappy.
The second man of inspiration is Enrico
Mattei, an ordinary man from not a rich
family. In the beginning of the 1900s
Italy was a poor country. Many people
were migrating to the United States
and other countries. After WWII this man
turned out at Agip, the company that was
created by the fascist regime. It wasn’t a
big worldwide company then. Mr Mattei
had a choice of either shutting down the
company or doing something else. He
decided to take this company into the club
of energy players. It was amazing to put
Italy in this place, because at that time we
were considered mainly an agricultural
country. Mattei turned the company into
the well-known ENI that is considered
as a state within the state in Italy. That
allowed us to become part of the G7
and join the club of other industrialized
states. He travelled abroad, approached
the leaders of the Middle East and
offered them an informal dialogue,
promising them not just royalties, but a
50/50 approach in production benefits
from oil. He established more than
business relations – but built strong
personal connections. So this man made
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a huge contribution into his own country,
which allowed us to become part of the
industrial world. It still gives us significant
respect and prestige even now. So, Italy
is not just about pizza people. There are
many engineers, chemists, geologists,
technicians, and other highly qualified
specialists.
I guess we need to consider teachers,
people who actually taught us
something. Do you remember valuable
advice or a conversation with those
who developed you in your career or
helped you to step out and help you
get to the point you are today?
I cannot exclude the great authors and
philosophers like Seneca, advisor to
Claudius, the great Roman Emperor. He
said: “There is no favorable wind for the
sailor who doesn’t know where to go”. First
of all, you have to set your objectives and
then follow the selected direction. It should
be a very simple mechanism though very
often we lose the direction. Therefore we
don’t catch a favorable wind.
Can you share any funny stories from
your career path, so every time you
look back on them you laugh?
I can tell you about my DAY ONE of joining
the diplomatic career. I was always
expecting a fancy life. I didn’t know then
that a young diplomat can easily die from
starvation (Mr Ambassador laughs). I
was invited to Quirinale for a ceremony
to be assisting a foreign delegation as
a young diplomat. According to protocol,
the President of the Republic leaves the
Residence’s office. It was a very beautiful
building. It was a Residence for the Pope,
Italian King, and still serves for the head
of the state. In the end of the diplomatic
talks you have a formal dinner. This is a
dinner with chandeliers, the best wine, the
best silver, and you can feel the splendor
of history while you observe the tapestry
and paintings all around you. In a dinner
of fifty-something people you surely are
the last to be served. They start from the
foreign head of state, then your head of
state, etc. When you finally get your pasta,
they start with the toasts and you cannot
eat. The waiters are very elegant looking.
But as soon as the toasting ends, the
waiters start changing the course. They
come and take away your pasta without
any hesitation. You try to fight for it, but
the chief of protocol drills you with a look
and you cannot do anything about it but
just let your pasta go. The same thing
happens with the following meals. So, you
just have to stay hungry and suffer.
If you had a time machine and
you managed to go back and see
yourself at the start of your career,
what advice would you give to your
younger self?
There is a book about the memories of
the Roman Emperor Hadrian written by
Marguerite Yourcenar. The book mentions
how you need to think twice before you
take any path or direction. Enthusiasm
and passion are important, but sometimes
they lead you in a wrong direction. The
most complicated question for everybody
to understand is ‘who you are’ and ‘what
do you want’. As an old philosophers said:
“Be careful what you wish for”. It might
turn out to be the wrong wish.
You are probably familiar with DC
comics or some American movies.
If you were provided a chance to
become a super hero, have some
superpowers, who would you prefer
to be and why?
Just for the sake of supporting this fun
and comical question, I will gladly answer.
You might be surprised, but I would not
necessarily like to be a good hero. I like
bad heroes like the Joker, the enemy of
Batman. He makes everyone afraid and
receives a lot of attention with just one
move or action (Mr Ambassador laughs).