“The Virtuous Circle of Beauty” is the theme chosen by the Masi Foundation to celebrate personalities who have been able to put man and his values at the centre of progress.
The 5 winners of the 43rd edition of the Masi Prize signed the historic barrel of Amarone today in the Masi cellars in the heart of Valpolicella , in the presence of Isabella Bossi Fedrigotti, Sandro Boscaini and Marco Vigevani – respectively President, Vice President and Secretary of the Masi Foundation – the authorities and the press. Signing for the Masi Civiltà Veneta Prize: Riccardo Illy , entrepreneur from Trieste, the sculptor from Vicenza Arcangelo Sassolino and the environmental activist and writer Sara Segantin , originally from the province of Trento; for the International Masi Civiltà del Vino Prize : Donatella Cinelli Colombini, the Tuscan producer pioneer in promoting cultural wine movements, and finally for the Grosso D’Oro Veneziano : the Opera Don Calabria ‘multinational of good’ born in Verona, now active on 5 continents, in the presence of Brother Gedovar Nazzari – General Treasurer.
On the occasion of the signing, the protagonists expressed what it means for them to receive the prestigious recognition in this edition in the name of ” The Virtuous Circle of Beauty “. All five have in fact demonstrated in their work how the research and creation of Beauty keep man at the center, with his values, needs and aspirations, even in the face of cold technological progress:
Riccardo Illy (Premio Masi Civiltà Veneta) : “ I thank the Foundation for this recognition, which honors me and which I feel is particularly significant, since the values it expresses are part of my education and business vision. The search for the “good” and the “beautiful” has always inspired my business activity; the Polo del Gusto and Incantalia represent a point of arrival and the result of an exciting journey into the business system of our country, full of innovative ideas, tenacious families, special inventions, unique products. Veneto, and the entire North East, has certainly been a fundamental chapter of this journey; it is a territory that I know well, especially with regard to entrepreneurial capacity and creativity, and where I have had the opportunity to discover and admire so many splendid companies, dedicated, often for many generations, to the search for the good and the beautiful. Thank you, therefore, for having welcomed our project of excellence as a new piece of this beautiful tradition ”.
Arcangelo Sassolino (Masi Civiltà Veneta Award) : “ Receiving the Civiltà Veneta Award as part of the prestigious Masi Award is a source of honor and satisfaction for me. This recognition, so closely linked to my homeland, fills me with pride and confirms how important it is to maintain a continuous dialogue between culture, tradition, innovation and business. My Venetian roots are a fundamental part of my artistic research, I chose to keep my studio in the Vicenza area precisely to be able to take advantage of the extraordinary excellence of our territory. I firmly believe that art and business can collaborate to generate new visions and create expressive languages capable of speaking to the present and the future”.
Sara Segantin (Masi Civiltà Veneta Award) : “ I am grateful to receive this award and I hope that my presence can accompany a concrete and measurable path towards a regenerative model of creating culture and economy, here and in the rest of the country. Today’s epochal challenges require us to walk together, going beyond prejudices and overcoming contradictions with responsibility, transparency and effectiveness. Full availability for a path that leads us to real productive and therefore cultural innovation, based on a constructive and respectful relationship between us and the world around us. Let’s build it in fact, it will be true beauty ”.
Donatella Cinelli Colombini ( International Masi Civiltà del Vino Award) : “ Thanks to the Masi Foundation and its Jury who chose me and to the Boscaini family for this award, which fills me with emotion and pride. I am deeply honored and touched to receive the Masi Civiltà del Vino Award, an award that celebrates my commitment to wine tourism and to women in wine. In this year in which the Masi Award is dedicated to “Beauty”, it is essential to reflect on how the harmony and integrity of wine-growing districts are essential for the image of wine and for the development of tourism. This reflection inspires another equally important one: the need to preserve this beauty from overtourism, so that it can generate opportunities for economic development and environmental protection, both for the present and for the future” .
Brother Gedovar Nazzari – General Treasurer Opera Don Calabria ( Grosso D’Oro Veneziano) : “We are honored to receive this prestigious award from the Masi Foundation, an award in which we recognize motivations and ideals that are in deep harmony with the spirit of our Founder San Giovanni Calabria. We learned with pleasure that the theme of this year’s edition focuses on beauty, harmony and humanism. These are values to which Don Calabria attributed great importance and even today we try to put them at the center of our social, educational, health and pastoral activities present in all 5 continents. “We do the good we can and that little we try to do well” our founder loved to repeat to his collaborators. And again, he said: “All our children shine with the beauty of God”. With these words he referred to orphans, the poor, the sick, the least fortunate”.
President Isabella Bossi Fedrigotti applauds the winners, reiterating that: “’ The Virtuous Circle of Beauty’ is not just a theme, but a call to action. Every signature on this historic barrel of Amarone is a commitment to preserve and promote the values that make our territory and our culture special. It is our duty to continue to cultivate this beauty, in all its forms ”.