Sirmione Celebrates 20 Years of the Catullo Award with Rai Broadcast
The twenty-year anniversary of the “Catullo” award, which last year transitioned from a literary to a journalistic focus, was celebrated with an evening broadcast by Rai Uno. The entire award ceremony can be viewed on television on Tuesday, September 18, in the late evening starting at 11 PM. Honestly, the best toast the Sirmione award could have had.
A lineup filled with the most prestigious and well-known Rai correspondents abroad, led by Bruno Vespa, who arrived in Sirmione after a hectic tour with the “Porta a Porta” programs dedicated to the American tragedy, along with head editors and network directors, directors, and entertainment figures like Luciano De Crescenzo. Concluding with the trio of awardees: Pippo Baudo, for the television program “Novecento,” voted by the popular jury made up of the hundred electors; Sergio Romano, a prominent editorialist and author, who received the career award established for the first time this year; and Giovanni Di Lorenzo, German but of Italian origin as his name indicates, director of the Berlin-based newspaper “Der Tagesspiegel,” voted by the event’s management committee.
Moments of the evening and witnesses
The concluding night of the “Catullo” award, delicately hosted by the splendid Paola Saluzzi, another well-known female face on television, also featured applauded performances by Al Bano and Alex Britti, as well as ballet companies “Les Farfadais” and “Tango Passion.”
The star of the show was undoubtedly Pippo Baudo. The indefatigable presenter managed, as always, to steal the spotlight with his anecdotes and memories, which are the very stories that made “Novecento,” the Rai Tre program, successful. It will resume its cycle of broadcasts on October 1st at 8:50 PM with its inaugural episode dedicated to Indro Montanelli.
The day’s coverage
At exactly 8 PM, the historic center was closed to traffic, and the port dock in front of the castle was cleared of most boats for scenic reasons. Behind the stage stood the Castello Scaligero, which last night, in all its austere beauty, was perhaps enhanced by the play of lights. Rai Uno cameras frequently focused on the castle and the port.
In the front rows, several authorities were noticeable: the Provincial President, Cavalli; the Brescia-based Apt president, Banzola; parliamentarians and regional counselors; the regional assessor Massimo Zanello; and, of course, the entire municipal administration led by Mayor Maurizio Ferrari, who also serves as the president of the award’s management committee.
The first recipient of the “Catullo” award was the director of the German newspaper, Di Lorenzo, who was then brilliantly interviewed by Carmen Lasorella, Rai correspondent from Berlin.
After a pleasant musical interlude with Al Bano and Alex Britti, the performances of the two ballet companies followed. On stage, Pippo Baudo appeared, whose “Novecento” program dominated the field, gaining a wide margin from the popular jury.
This success is sure to be renewed in the upcoming 14-episode cycle, the first airing, as mentioned, on October 1st. ” Novecento ” was awarded because, according to the motivation, “it was able to tell stories of a century with an innovative and professional force, thanks to its presenter.”
The director of Bcc del Garda, Campanardi, was the one to present the award. Then, it was the turn of the last awardee, Sergio Romano, who has been a diplomat since 1954, later a writer and editorialist for the “Corriere della Sera” and “Panorama,” a sharp polemicist and essayist.
The two juries, both chaired by Bruno Vespa, consisted of Rai correspondents and Mario Pasi, Renzo Giacchieri, Maurizio Cattaneo, Giamattista Lanzani, and Bruno Maffellotto. The last three are directors of “Bresciaoggi,” “Il Giornale di Brescia,” and “La Gazzetta di Mantova,” respectively.
