Joseph Freinademetz

For several years, I've been captivated by the sight of Joseph Freinademetz's images and paintings in numerous churches across South Tyrol. This intrigue sparked a desire within me to delve deeper into the life and legacy of this remarkable figure, a Catholic priest from our very own region who left an indelible mark far beyond …

Nicolò Manucci: The Adventurer and Historian of the Mughal India

Nicolò Manucci, often referred to as the Marco Polo of India, was an Italian voyager whose life and works offer an invaluable glimpse into 17th-century Mughal India. Born in Venice around 1639, his journey began at the tender age of 14 when he fled home, stowing away on a ship bound for the unknown. This …

A priest and photographer at the end of Qing dynasty

About 100 years ago, China was under the influence of foreign powers as a result of the a century of political and military failures. In the once unexplored provinces of China were now mushrooming representative offices, businessman and even religious men. All were exporting westernization in the Chinese soil trough market, regulations, infrastructures and new …

Manolo, a Magician, a “Crab” Out of Place

The man is a constant source of surprises. On October 24th in Scuola Grande di S. Giovanni Evangelista many gathered to listen to the story of a great climber. Italian Mountaineering Club (CAI) of Venice invited Maurizio Zanolla (Feltre,1958), better known as "Manolo", to talk about his life-long experience in mountaineering. A man who spaces between …

The Price of Corruption During the Global Financial Crisis – China Vs Italy

The interest on the topic of corruption arose when I was writing my Italian master’s thesis in 2010 “On the Role of Chinese Journalism in the Building of a Chinese Harmonious Society” . Analyzing every day the behavior of Chinese institutions through the newspaper offered me an opportunity to compare them with Italy. Thanks to …

News Sources from China in the 19th and 20th Century – first part-

This is a project I followed back at the time of my Master Degree in Italy with two my classmates Valentina and Laura. At the time the study was more focus on journalism, one of the topic I was most passionate of at that time together with Chinese and Modern histories. The Chinese Journals The …

Venetian Masks

“Fiat Group Investment Strategy in China”

“Fiat Group Investment Strategy in China” 1.     Introduction During this course many questions and many answers have arisen around the investment strategies that foreign companies apply when they enter in the Chinese market. Thanks to the active participation of all the classmates we had a unique chance to understand one step closer to the Chinese …

Giuseppe Castiglione

I'm beginning the blog by talking about Giuseppe Castiglione (郎世宁) (Milan, July 19, 1688 - Beijing, July 17, 1766). An Italian Jesuit painter who arrived in Beijing in 1715 and was protected by two outstanding patrons: the emperors Kangxi (1662-1723), and Qian Long (1736-1796) and Qian Long (乾隆). Both were not very fond of foreigners, …