The five winners of the 43rd edition of the Masi Award signed today the historic Amarone barrel at the Masi wineries 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, along with local authorities and representatives from the press. The signatures for the Masi Award for Venetian Culture were given by Riccardo Illy, a Trieste entrepreneur, Vicentine sculptor Arcangelo Sassolino, and environmental activist and writer Sara Segantin, originally from the province of Trento; for the International Masi Award for Wine Culture: Donatella Cinelli Colombini, the Tuscan producer who is a pioneer in promoting cultural movements in the wine industry; and finally, for the Grosso D’Oro Veneziano: the Don Calabria Opera, a “multinational of good” founded in Verona, now active on all five continents, represented by Fratel Gedovar Nazzari – General Economist.
During the signing ceremony, the winners expressed what it means for them to receive this prestigious recognition in this edition named after “The Virtuous Circle of Beauty.” All five demonstrated through their work how the search for and creation of Beauty keep humanity at the center, along with its values, needs, and aspirations, even in the face of cold technological progress:
Riccardo Illy (Masi Award for Venetian Culture): “I thank the Foundation for this recognition, which honors me and which I find particularly significant, as the values it represents are part of my upbringing and vision of business. The search for the ‘good’ and the ‘beautiful’ has always inspired my entrepreneurial activity; the Polo del Gusto and Incantalia represent a culmination and the result of a passionate journey within the business system of our country, rich in innovative ideas, resilient families, special inventions, and unique products. This journey has certainly made the Veneto region, and all of Northeast Italy, a fundamental chapter; it is an area I know well, especially concerning entrepreneurial capability and creativity, where I have discovered and admired many wonderful companies dedicated, often for generations, to the pursuit of the good and the beautiful. Thank you, therefore, for welcoming our excellence project as a new piece of this beautiful tradition.”
Arcangelo Sassolino (Masi Award for Venetian Culture): “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, and I chose to keep my studio in Vicenza precisely to benefit from 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 Award for Venetian Culture): “I am grateful to receive this award, and I hope that my presence can accompany a concrete and measurable path toward a regenerative model of cultural and economic practices, here and in the rest of the country. The epochal challenges we face today require us to walk together, going beyond prejudices and overcoming contradictions with responsibility, transparency, and effectiveness. I am fully committed to a journey that leads us to real productive innovation and therefore cultural advancement, based on a constructive and respectful relationship between us and the world around us. Let us build it in practice; it will be true beauty.”
Donatella Cinelli Colombini (International Masi Award for the Wine Culture): “Thanks to the Masi Foundation and its jury for choosing 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 Award for Wine Culture, a recognition that celebrates my commitment to wine tourism and to women in wine. In a year when the Masi Award is dedicated to ‘Beauty,’ it is essential to reflect on how the harmony and integrity of wine districts are vital for the image of wine and 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.”
Fratel Gedovar Nazzari – General Economist of the Don Calabria Opera (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, Saint Giovanni Calabria. We have learned with pleasure that this year’s edition theme is focused on beauty, harmony, and humanism. These are values that Don Calabria placed great importance on, and today we strive to keep them at the center of our social, educational, health, and pastoral activities present on all five continents. ‘We do the good we can, and what little we can, we do well,’ our founder loved to repeat to his collaborators. And he also said: ‘All our children shine with the beauty of God.’ With these words, he referred to orphans, the poor, the sick, and the marginalized.”
President Isabella Bossi Fedrigotti praises the awardees, reiterating how: “The Virtuous Circle of Beauty” is not just a theme but a call to action. Every signature on this historic Amarone barrel represents a commitment to preserve and promote the values that make our territory and culture special. It is our duty to continue cultivating this beauty in all its forms”.
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The awards ceremony and the talk show hosted by journalist Alessandro Milan will be held at the new multifunctional complex Monteleone21 in Gargagnago di Valpolicella, currently under completion.
The awards ceremony for the 43rd Masi Award will be broadcast on TeleArena on Sunday, October 27, at 9:15 PM in prime time.
