Literary Award Ceremony Honors Hollywood Icons at Lake Garda
Beyond the usual. It’s rare to attend a literary award ceremony and experience two hours of wholesome humor, all while staying true to the essence of the contest. This was the case Sunday evening at the prestigious Villa San Vigilio during the awards ceremony of the national literary competition Riviera, dedicated to Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, two Hollywood icons who in 1953 chose the San Vigilio Inn for their vacation on Lake Garda.
Quickly shedding the gilded aura of academia and studious rituals, the ceremony was filled with rhymes “kissed” by the authenticity of a jury composed of figures from the worlds of culture and business. Leading the panel was Giovanni Rana, acting as host and communication expert thanks to innovative advertising campaigns.
“My dream,” stated the native of Cologna Veneta, “is to shoot the next commercials alongside Vivien Leigh, the Scarlett O’Hara from ‘Gone with the Wind,’ and the great Laurence Olivier.” Rana hopes to turn these wishes into reality. In the meantime, he celebrated the two actors alongside Paolo Bosisio, consultant for the Piccolo Teatro di Milano and artistic director of the Vittoriale degli Italiani; the nearly ninety-year-old Professor Giuseppe Pimazzoni, mayor of Garda during the lake vacation days of the two stars; and Romano Brusco, advisor for culture of Bardolino.
Joining them to complete the jury panel were Andrea Torresani, competition secretary, and Roberto Gianfreda, member of the culture commission of the Comune di Verona. The conductor Jan Langosz and the opera singer Cecilia Bartoli were absent with justified reasons.
Awards and Recognitions
Their task was to select, among nearly seventy poems and short stories, the winners of the literary contest organized by the magazine «Corriere della Riviera» with sponsorship from the Province and the Garda Tourism Promotion Agency.
In the unpublished poetry category, the prize went to Maria Luisa Pedrotti Rigo from Vicenza, while the Cangrande trophy was awarded to Rosetta Mor Abbiati from Verolanuova, Brescia.
In the “Unpublished Short Stories” category, recognitions went to Luciano Prosperi from Rome, followed by Pinuccia Pienazza from Desenzano. The published poetry section saw the victory of Adriano Barghetti from Viareggio, with second place going to Adriano Bottarelli from Brescia.
Olive Cup for Adriano Foschi from Garda. The hope of seeing Roberto Gervaso emerge at Villa San Vigilio, winner of the Laurence Olivier journalism award, proved futile.
“Unfortunately, he was feeling unwell and returned home,” explained Torresani to the numerous attendees, including provincial councilor Davide Bendinelli, Garda mayor Giorgio Comencini, Bardolino’s Armando Ferrari, and Apt 12 President Enrico Merenda.
However, in a later statement issued by the organizers yesterday evening, a different reason was provided. When everyone was expecting him for the ceremony, the journalist and writer did not show up.
Held back in Milan due to commitments with the program «La Macchina del Tempo», Alessandro Cecchi Paone (winner in scientific dissemination), nevertheless sent the organizers a letter of apology.
Directly from Trieste, the presenter of children’s programs, Mauro Serio, who is also a Laurence Olivier award recipient, came to collect his recognition, accompanied by colleague Fernando Lopez.
The young opera singer Caterina Argese, winner of the Vivien Leigh Award, was present in the audience.
Stefano Joppi