Made in Rome
No country for young men

Pirelli Calendar 2009

In Italy, a country still governed, ruled and dominated by old men, being young is not always an advantage. But despite all the obstacles, some do manage to make a name for themselves before it’s time to collect their pension.

By Francesca Camerino
december 2008

Up and coming talents are trying to make their own way in the world of the arts, show business and fashion in Rome. It’s not easy. Finding your own space among the big names is an arduous task, but despite all the difficulties, a few new faces have managed to come through. Rome still produces a number of homegrown talents.
Just think of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, the new creative directors for Valentino. The couple of designers, relatively unknown to the public, have been working for years designing Valentino’s accessories collection and also the clothing line Red. They arrived at Valentino after gaining useful experience at luxury goods brand Fendi and after studying under the Maestro, who stepped down in January, they will now have sole creative control of the Rome-based fashion house.

Or Maria Carla Boscono, the 28-year-old Rome-born super model whose bewitching dark looks have made her one of the top Italian fashion faces of the new generation. Boscono, who has lived much of her life in the United States, has featured numerous times on the cover of Vogue and has been the face of a host of top brands including Chanel, Blumarine, D&G, Givenchy and Yves Saint-Laurent.
Boscono has been chosen – for the third time – by Pirelli to be among the super-seven top models featured in its 2009 calendar.
In the world of cinema there’s Silvio Muccino, one of Italy’s most up and coming young actors. He broke into the movie business thanks to his big brother Gabriele, now an established international director. But Muccino Junior quickly made it clear he had arrived on merit and soon was making a name for himself. As well as acting, Muccino has also directed video-clips and written screenplays. He has recently finished shooting Tutto e subito for director Giovanni Veronesi.

Among the Roman writers making a name for themselves is 33-year-old Andrea Bajani who this year claimed one of Italy’s top literary prizes, the Premio Mondello, for his novel Se consideri le colpe, which focusses on the stories of Italian entrepreneurs relocalising their businesses in Romania. His earlier work included a 2006 report on the world of low-paid temporary employment in Italy entitled Mi spezzo ma non m'impiego and, together with playwright Marco Paolini, the script for theatrical piece Miserabili – Io e Margaret Thatcher in 2007.