Letters to the editor

Dear Stan,
With reference to the Italian Special published last week, I wish, first of all, to thank you for having entirely published my message on occasion of the Italian National Day.

Unfortunately, I don’t feel happy about the content of the following articles on the same page and the successive one as well (Mamma mia, Italians after pizza of the action! – Mamma’s the word for Italy’s top chefs in Bahrain).
From these headlines and the content of the articles emerges an out-of-date, stereotype image of Italy prevailing in the first half of the 20th Century, when Italian society was composed with traditional families actually managed by mothers who were used to being the real point of reference for the sons, even when they became adults.
At that time agriculture was the main productive sector of the country and Italian emigrants were spreading all over the world their typical, basic food like pizza and spaghetti.
Using these elements (mamma, pizza and spaghetti) and also the ‘mandolino’ – a typical musical instrument used in Southern Italy and especially in Naples for performing popular songs, some European and North American media have tried throughout the second half of the 20th Century to disparage the image of Italy in an attempt to depict the Italians as an immature people and Italy as a trifling country, good only for food and holidays but with poor standards of economic and social progress.
As a matter of fact, after the end of the second world war Italy has experienced a quick recovery and a process of intense industrialisation in the late 40s and the 50s; a general, unbelievable economic boom of the 60s and the 70s; a restructuring of the economy after the oil crises and the vehement affirmation of the services sector in all the creative, quality productions and activities.
Today, Italy enjoys a reputation as a world leader for quality and excellence in products ranging from high technology to sectors reflecting creativity, style and ingenuity.
Besides the exceptional quality of Italian food, wine, wool, fabrics, glassware, jewellery, silk, shoes, furniture, lamps and domestic appliances, and all products which today make life so enjoyable, Italian industry is world leader in many sectors such as machine tools, biotechnologies, microelectronics, packaging and food processing, biomedical devices, ships, pleasure craft etc.
Italian companies are leaders in space technologies such as communication satellites. Italian-built helicopters fly over many skies and Italian cars and bicycles enjoy a unique reputation on all markets both for design and quality.
The cruise ships built in Italian shipyards are those most in demand by operators and tourists all over the world.
Not everyone knows that many of the bridges, highways and railways used by people in many countries are designed and built by Italian companies. This is also true for power stations, oil and gas plants, steel and aluminium mills. Everyday, throughout the world, thousands of aircraft fly safely, thanks to Italian air traffic control systems.
These products represent a challenge for entrepreneurs to overcome world competition through innovations and increasingly targeted research.
As a matter of fact, Italian technologies and machineries represent the most important value of the whole ‘made in Italy’ export to Bahrain too, that last year increased more than 39 per cent, by strengthening even more the economic and commercial relations between the two countries.
In conclusion, dear Editor, I am sure you perfectly understand that for a country whose production is the brand for quality and excellence it is unacceptable to be described solely through some of its traditional food which became successful nearly one century ago, not mentioning the whole history of extraordinary developments in all other fields which took place in Italy in the last 60 years bringing it in a top position among the most advanced and industrialised countries.
I am also sure that you and the kind journalist who wrote the above-mentioned articles couldn’t know the entire, contemporary history of Italy as well as the special sensitively of Italians in case some issues are touched and a partial, misleading representation of the country is made. But the good faith of both of you is out of discussion.
Asking the courtesy of publishing the present letter, I wish to extend to you my best regards,
Calogero Di Gesu, Italian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain (inset).

Editor’s note: No excuse for the headlines … but three Italian chefs we spoke to in Bahrain all said they were inspired by their mothers.