From tomorrow, ‘Storie di Risorgimento Digitale’ (Stories of the Digital Renaissance) will air on RaiPlay. The docu-series explores the experiences of eight people and public institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic that used the internet and digital technology to overcome or reshape the challenges caused by the virus. Each episode lasts 25 minutes.
The protagonists explain how new technologies have also brought advantages in their respective environments and fields of action.
The project stems from the collaboration between ‘Operazione Risorgimento’ and RaiPlay.
'Storie di Risorgimento Digitale' is the partnership promoted by TIM and RaiPlay in collaboration with Rai Pubblicità to increase digital skills among those who live and work in Italy. It is aimed at businesses, institutions, private non-profit organisations, and individuals engaged in civic activities that aim to promote social justice and solidarity among categories deserving of special protection.
To create the docu-series, last April a contest was launched to find the best ‘Digital Renaissance’ stories. Responses were received from hundreds of students, teachers, doctors, artisans and traders brought together by their shared understanding of how the current technological transition could generate benefits in multiple areas. An editorial team then selected eight stories from the proposals and experiences received to be presented by Riccardo Luna, journalist and the mind behind the project.
THE STORIES
The first episode follows a ‘frontline school’ in Castel Volturno, province of Caserta, where distance teaching (or ‘DAD’, as it has been termed in Italy) has yielded exceptional results. The series then continues with Cristian Fracassi, Brescia-born engineer who amidst the pandemic used 3D printing to produce the valves used for the medical ventilators required by COVID-19 patients.
The docu-series also shows how the digital transformation penetrated the workshops of Rome, thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of two young economics graduates, Matteo Proietti and Jacopo Gambuti, who created the ‘Daje Shop’, the district’s first e-commerce service. The intuition of four secondary school students in Milan gave rise to ‘PC4U’, a non-profit initiative that collects computers and other devices required for remote learning and redistributes them to students without the means to buy them.
The Uffizi Gallery also stars in the docu-series: the team guided by Eike Schmidt used social media to develop new ways to enjoy art, breaking down the barriers that sometimes prevent art from being seen and appreciated by the public.
Viewers will also learn about the ‘NIBOL’ app, created by Riccardo Suardi, which offers a list of welcoming bars, coworking centres and other venues that welcome remote working and have good wi-fi connections. Boosta, the founder of the Italian band Subsonica, developed new musical expressions and organised concerts on social networks during the lockdown when Italians were not able to leave their homes.
The stories also include that of Licia Fertz, whose grandson Emanuele set up an Instagram profile for her and who thus became Nonna Licia (Grandma Licia), Italy’s oldest influencer.
CREDITS
‘Storie di Risorgimento Digitale’ was written by Riccardo Luna with Giovanni Amico, Valeria Anci and Gianpaolo Colletti. Directed by Simone Valentini.
Operazione Risorgimento Digitale
This is the alliance promoted by TIM and over 40 leading partners to overcome the digital divide between different social sectors and generational groups in Italy. The initiative is in collaboration with the European Commission and endorses the Manifesto for the Digital Republic promoted by the Ministry for Innovation. As part of the project important memorandums of understanding have been signed with the Ministries for Public Administration, Education and Justice. The initiative also collaborates with the State Police, is sponsored by ANCI, the Federation of Confindustria Digitale, and is partnered with CENSIS, Treccani, Fondazione Mondo Digitale, WeSchool, ItaliaCamp, JA Italia, Gruppo Maggioli, and Telefono Azzurro. The project promoted by TIM has been joined by high profile partners such as Accenture, Adobe, Artur D. Little, BCG (Boston Consulting Group), Cisco, Dell, Engineering, Ericsson, Generation (Mckinsey), Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Huawei, Inwit, Lenovo, Manpower, Nokia, NTT DATA, Oppo, PWC (PricewaterhouseCoopers), Qualcomm, Reply, Samsung, SAP, SWG, Xiaomi, ZTE, Coopculture, RDS, Gruppo Editoriale La Scuola SEI and Olivetti. The initiative has gained the support of trade associations, the voluntary sector and key stakeholders in the field of social innovation.
Rome, 06 December 2021
