Rai 150

The Rai structure for the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy was set up under the management of Giovanni Minoli, by resolution of the Board of Directors on 27 April 2010, in order to lend visibility to the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy.

The Structure’s work is carried out on several fronts:
• the concept and creation of programmes such as La Storia siamo noi, Dixit and Fratelli d’Italia, for a total of about 1,100 hours of programming with broadcasts on Rai 2 and Rai 3 and on the Rai Storia channel;
• the concept and creation of eventappointments, such as the so-called ‘marathon’ broadcast live non-stop from Wednesday 16 at 11.45 p.m. until Sunday 20 March 2011 at 9.00 p.m. on the Rai Storia channel (and in simulcast with the general-interest channels), in keeping with the institutional commitments of the Public Service;
• the creation, management and constant update of dedicated websites (such as that for La Storia siamo noi and that for Rai 150);
• the coordination of all the Managements and the corporate structures relating the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy.

In particular:

La storia siamo noi

Presented in the studio by Giovanni Minoli produced specific episodes on the Risorgimento:
• the great biographies: Giuseppe Mazzini, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Camillo Benso Count of Cavour, Ippolito Nievo, the Countess of Castiglione, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and Arturo Toscanini;
• the inquiries: the day of March 17th 1861, told hour by hour, Anita and the others: the women of the Risorgimento, mysteries and the background of the Unification of Italy, the Roman Republic.

The programme La Storia siamo noi on the occasion of the 2012 edition of the History Makers Awards (New York, USA, 25-27 January 2012) was awarded the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award in History and Current Affairs programming.

Dixit

On the first evening of the Rai Storia channel, it broadcast:
• 60 appointments with In diretta dal Risorgimento, a weekly magazine of historical information perusing the roots of a united country;
• 20 120-minute episodes of the history of Italy, from 1861 until “Tangentopoli” (so-called “Bribesville”), an analysis with documents, evidence and the collaboration of the leading Italian historians;
• Lectio magistralis: 45 appointments with a new format to divulge all the appointments with the conferences, round tables and exhibitions organised on the Unification of Italy, making them suitable for television;
• Battaglie in cinque minuti: 20 appointments to narrate – with the aid of computer graphics, historical iconography and original documents, using a live reportage language – the most significant battles which led to the unification of our country;
• Cronache dalla Storia: in 30 episodes, from the breach of Porta Pia to the Roman Republic, from the meeting of Teano to the first session of the Italian Parliament, 150 seconds of emotions, 3-D reconstructions, language contaminations, questions, photos, documents and cartoons become the emotions of a new-born country;
• a collaboration with the FAI (Fund for the Protection of Italian Heritage) to enhance, document, rediscover and return to love the places of the Risorgimento;
• Testimoni: 10 documents of History relived by young actors, in a scenography that evokes moments of atmospheres of the Unification of Italy;
• Photosound: 10 episodes to collect the first pictures (from historical archives all over Italy) of the birth of a united nation.

Dixit eventi:

• 196 hours for the Unification of Italy. From 17 to 20 March 2011, nonstop live coverage of all the events linked to the 150th anniversary, from Turin to Milan, the official visits of President Napolitano, links with the city streets, films and analyses.
• The concert of 2 June. A traditional appointment (2010 and 2011) with the concert for the Celebrations of the Republic from Piazza Castello in Turin.
• The celebration of the Tricolore – the Italian national flag. From Reggio Emilia, the celebrations and the concert for the birth of the Tricolore (7 January 1797), in the presence of the President of the Republic.
• 30 hours for Pope John Paul II. An appointment with history and faith, to celebrate the beatification of Karol Wojtyla: links with the Circo Massimo, analyses with leading experts on the Vatican, the simulcast of the ceremony on Rai 1.

• The Day of the Memory of the Victims of Terrorism. The simulcast of the live Tg1 coverage of the ceremony at the Quirinale in memory of the victims of terrorism and massacres, as well the analyses of Dixit, with the stories of the judges, journalists, police and carabinieri killed during the period of social turmoil known as the “Years of Lead”.
• I nuovi Mille. 10 episodes made with the aid of user generated content, produced by a commUnification of video-makers, a journey to find the new face of an Italy that is growing and changing.
• Fratelli d’Italia. 10 appointments to compare famous Italians of yesterday and today in a sort of modern-day “Parallel Lives” (Vittorio Sgarbi and Gabriele D’Annunzio, Mariangela Melato and Eleonora Duse, Vittorio Feltri and Indro Montanelli etc.), in a virtual studio, with the participation of Aldo Cazzullo.