The centenary Circolo Italiano de São Paulo, one of the icons of 150 years of Italian immigration in the capital of São Paulo, “resurges” after a period of “slowdown” caused, in part, by the Covid-19 pandemic and is now targeting activities in sectors such as tourism and fashion to play a leading role in Brazil’s largest metropolis.
This is what the institution's president, José de Lorenzo Messina, told ANSA in an exclusive interview.
“There was a very old management in its processes, a very Italian management from the 1960s”, says he, who left the association’s cultural directorate to take on the presidency in April.
“Circolo Italiano is a club that needs to be occupied and have a presence in the city,” he adds. To this end, the representative is betting on two strong symbols of Made in Italy, fashion and tourism, with a series of initiatives planned for the second half of the year.
The first of these is the “Moda Ser e Persistir” meeting, on October 17th. The event, in partnership with the European Institute of Design (IED) of São Paulo, will be an “event to revive Italian fashion” in the capital of São Paulo and will feature lectures and workshops. This is because, in the view of the president of Circolo, contemporary Italian fashion is not represented by “that which is sold in shopping malls”.
Another notable event is the “1st Bridge to the Future Forum”, which will take place at the club’s headquarters, in the iconic Edifício Itália, on November 23 and 24. The proposal aims to bring together Italian representatives from São Paulo and other cities in São Paulo with a strong influence from immigration from the “Belpaese”, including popular festivals, patronages, associations, schools, travel agencies and others.
“None of these expressions are known to each other. They know they all exist, but there is no place to welcome them that creates a link between them,” explains Messina. Participants will develop proposals through thematic tables, which, after approval by the event’s board, will form an official document that will be forwarded by Circolo to Brazilian and Italian authorities.
Founded in 1911, the institution also wants to focus on activities that stimulate so-called “roots tourism”, a big bet by the Italian government for the sector in 2024. “It will be an event about roots tourism, but more expanded, where we also intend to involve Italians married to Brazilians and who live in Italy, which are around 14 thousand couples, to visit Brazil”, he reveals.
The club has also sought to bring back regular parties and lunches to become a “lively place” in downtown São Paulo, as well as promoting in-person self-defense and oenology courses, in addition to online Italian classes.
“The Circolo has to demonstrate leadership. We don’t have that in São Paulo. It’s not possible that we receive a president from Italy every 25 years,” exclaims Messina, referring to Sergio Mattarella’s historic visit to Brazil in July, which included a meeting with the Italian community at the Circolo. (HANDLE)
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