Quote Of The Day

"Italy must lead the world in non-patented inventions:"

Californian I was talking to on a train ride from Florence to Siena in 1994.

History Of The Mezzaluna Knife

The iconic knife in Italian cuisine sometimes used to cut pizza, was first developed in Italy.

The familiar and popular 'pizza wheel' cutter, for its part, was invented in the United States.

Hard to imagine a kitchen in North America without one of these two items.

Steel Production By Country

 Italy is ranked 10th in total steel production in the world (second in Europe behind Germany).

As a point of interest, China, Japan and the United States take the top three spots with China producing by far the largest amount. France, Canada and the United Kingdom rank 14th, 16th and 17th respectively.

More details here at Worldsteel.org.

Robot Density By Country

According to the International Federation of Robotics, Italy ranks 4th (behind South Korea, Japan and Germany) in the world in terms of robot density.

More details at IFR.

Canada is 14th and the United States 7th.

AS Roma's New Stadium Will Combine History With Technology

Australian architectural firm Woods Bagot has taken on the enviable task of building AS Roma's new stadium in one of the world's great historical cities.  The stadium will be the first carbon neutral stadium in Europe. Along with the natural grass on the pitch, it will hold 52 500 spectators with the option to expand to 60 000.

From Sourceable found in link:

"According to Woods Bagot, the stadium will combine past and present aesthetics to reflect the rich history of Italy while also implementing technology, modern materials and the innovative and clean aesthetic associated with Italian design.

“The design draws visual cues from the world’s most historic spectator venue, the Roman Colosseum,” said Woods Bagot sport design leader, Dan Meis. “For an architect who has spent much of his career designing stadiums, and most of his vacations in Italy, the Stadio della Roma truly is a project of a lifetime.”

“Rome has an unparalleled architectural history. To be able to build anything there is a gift, to build a new home for AS Roma and the most passionate fans in football is heart stopping....”

"...According to Woods Bagot, Stadio dello Roma will be Europe’s first truly sustainable major sports venue with its carbon neutral footprint, maximum recycling capabilities and highly modern renewable energy and conservation programs.

While the stadium is being built specifically for football,  it will be easily adjustable to house other events with features including retractable stage canopies, rigging and turf protection systems."

Stadio del Roma, Juventus’ stadium was built to be sustainable, with features to reduce energy consumption and waste, as well as stringent water strategies which reuse rainwater and reduce at least 50 per cent of water needed for irrigation of the field.  Concrete from the old stadium was reused for the new structure. - See more at: http://sourceable.net/gladiator-makeover-new-colosseum-inspired-stadium-for-rome/#sthash.3KZvAJ7F.dpuf

Stadio del Roma, Juventus’ stadium was built to be sustainable, with features to reduce energy consumption and waste, as well as stringent water strategies which reuse rainwater and reduce at least 50 per cent of water needed for irrigation of the field.  Concrete from the old stadium was reused for the new structure. - See more at: http://sourceable.net/gladiator-makeover-new-colosseum-inspired-stadium-for-rome/#sthash.3KZvAJ7F.dpuf

Making Artificial Limbs In Italy

Clip from 1949 at British Pathe at the Orthopaedic Institute in Bologna.

Meanwhile the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna is part of revolutionary breakthroughs - specifically sensory for prosthetic limbs.

Medical Device Technology For Diabetes

CureCheck is a medical device for diabetics designed by a trio of Italians - Federico Fraternale, Andrea Ghiringhelli, and Marco Grimandi.

"347 million people worldwide have diabetes (2012); they need a specific solution: easy, handy, portable, innovative."

"Cure Check is a handy and easy-to-use glycemia indicator, which contains all the necessary to check and cure the user. Thanks to its reduced dimensions and its design, it is absolutely pocket-sized and far from the shape of a medical device."

More information here.

Realism In Italian Car Design

Nice detailed look at Italian sports cars with a focus on smaller, inexpensive built by Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia.

Some motorcycle pics in there too including an interesting Harley-Davidson with an Alfa engine.

Excerpt:

"..Italian cars are among the most exciting special interest automobiles to own. All Italian cars offer a driving experience that is unlike other vehicles. This is largely due to the Italian method of taxing vehicles in their home country. Italians pay very high taxes on cars. Their tax on cars is based not on the car's value but on its engine displacement. Historically this has forced the Italian auto manufactures to design a superior product. They need to get the same amount of power out of their engines as their British, German, French and other European competitors but they have needed to do it with smaller engines. This is why as far back as the 60s even inexpensive Italian sedans frequently have small four cylinder engines featuring hemispherical combustion chambers, twin cams, five main bearings and so on. Most Italian 1600s put out more power then other countries' 2000cc motors.  As an example, an early 70's 1438cc Fiat Spider will easily outrun a 1900cc German Opel GT of the same era. Open the hood on both cars and you will quickly see why. The Fiat has a twin cam cross flow head with good manifolding. The Opel engine is very primitive by comparison..."

More here.

Pic: Lancia Vulvia.

Siclians Send First Cannoli-Naut Into Space

Interesting and symbolic, if not potentially uplifting, effort by a collection of Sicilian scientists.

"Sicilian amateur scientists have launched a model cannolo, a cream-stuffed pastry roll symbolic of the Italian island, into the stratosphere, capturing bizarre images of the dessert flying far above the earth.

The 'Sicilian Space Program', which cost a rough total of 350 euros, had symbolic importance as well as being a scientific feat, the three natives of the island town of Enna behind it told Reuters.

"Sicily has always been a place of negative connotations, mafia and unemployment. We wanted to lift up Sicily in our own way," said filmmaker Fabio Leone, 34, who recorded the project with Antonella Barbera, 38.

Their heavily indebted island, long plagued by organized crime, was forced to impose a strict spending program by Rome in 2012 and has one of the highest unemployment rates in Italy."

Let me close by saying - Leave the parachute. Take the cannoli. 

Read article here.

Eintracht Frankfurt And Alfa Romeo

Watching the Europa League highlights between Eintracht Frankfurt and Porto this past week, I was reminded that Alfa Romeo sponsors the German side having signed a commitment in the summer of 2013.

Unfortunately for Frankfurt (and Alfa Romeo), they did not progress into the round of 16 thanks to a spirited comeback from Porto.




Below is the Alfa Romeo Canguro prototype from 1964.

Military Vehicles: The Jeeppone

Moto Guzzi V7 At Moto Show Montreal

Handsome Moto Guzzi V7 Cafe Classic.

(Moto Guzzi is owned by Piaggio).

Started casually shopping for a motorcycle to buy in a year. Visited the Moto show today here in Montreal and was attracted to the Italian bikes including the V7.

KTM, Honda, Yamaha, Royal Enfield (cool retro bikes), and of course the legendary Harley-Davidson all had bikes that appealed to me. I looked around for Triumph and Norton but they were not present. Ideally, I'd like to purchase a used Italian motorbike but they're hard to find as people tend to not sell them. Anyway, Aprilia, Vespa and Ducati all represented Italy at the show.

A review on the V7 here.

***

Speaking of Ducati, it is now part of the AUDI group since 2012.

Rebuilding The Bugatti 100P

Admittedly, there are a lot of 'whatcouldabeens' surrounding The Bugatti 100P aircraft. by this point, this story should be familiar to Canadians and their own legendary plane The Arrow.

The 100P was the brainchild of legendary designer and engineer Ettore Bugatti known for his work in automobiles.  

However, it wasn't uncommon for Italian designers - free-spirit, free-lancers - to branch out into other fields. Call it the Da Vinci effect. Still, it wasn't that far fetched an idea since Italy had by that time an interesting book of speedy air crafts on their books. 

Bugatti's plan had a lot of ambition especially considering German aircraft engineering was considered ahead of its time. It was hoped the 100p would reach 500 mph thus surpassing the German Messerschmitt which hit 469 mph in 1939.

But it never got off the ground. And now, a group of European engineers - Reve Bleu - are looking to rebuild the 100P. 

"The Bugatti 100P – an art-deco masterpiece – is arguably the most elegant airplane ever designed. It was also the most technologically-advanced airplane of its time. Designed initially to set a world speed record and to compete in the prestigious Coupe Deutsch air race, the plane also met the criteria for a light-weight fighter and might have been the first technology demonstrator. Had it flown in the summer of 1940, it would be seen today as an historically-significant aircraft; elements of the plane’s most notable features, well established by mid-1937, predate the development of the best Allied fighters of World War II."

Interestingly, they're not the only ones looking to do so. Scottish engineer and  John Lawson (as well as Scotty Wilson) also has a Bugatti Project of his own.

As of yet, the plane has not been launched.

Classic Relics Sometimes Experience A Revival

Making sense of Italian automobile and motorcycle manufacturers is a challenge for many reasons. One of those being many of them were simply founded by individuals - freelance serial entrepreneurs - who had a passion and ability to produce their passions for consumption. They weren't always efficient (they probably broke every rule in a business academic book) but no one doubts the brilliance of what was created.

It makes for a confusing landscape to say the least. And when it comes to Italian brands, it's not uncommon for long lost companies to be revived.

For example, Motobi has been brought back by Michael Leeb Trading of Austria.

A little bit of their history here.

"Motobi was established in Pesaro, Italy in 1949, by Giuseppe Benelli, initially trading under the name Moto 'B' Pesaro. This was shortened to Motobi in the 1950s. After a family disagreement in 1948, Giuseppe Benelli, one of the six brothers and an engineer of some talent, decided to go his own way. He stayed in Pesaro, but moved to separate premises. Giuseppe launched the Moto 'B' marque selling small two-stroke motorcycles and scooters. In 1953, Motobi introduced a 200cc horizontal two-stroke twin called the B200 Spring Lasting. Its innovative pressed steel frame and horizontal cylinder layout were to become the trademark for many future Motobi bikes. The B200 motor was a clean, streamlined, very modern appearing unit, which was soon nicknamed the "egg" for its distinctive shape."

MomoDesign And Lancia Hook Up

And produce the real handsome Delta.

Price tag roughly $30 000 US.

Not bad at all.

A little about Lancia is in order. Lancia was founded in 1906 in Turin by Vincenzo Lancia.

"Lancia is famous for many automotive innovations. These include the 1913 Theta, which was the first production car in Europe to feature a complete electrical system as standard equipment. The first car with a monocoque-type body - the Lambda, produced from 1922 to 1931 also featured 'Sliding Pillar' independent front suspension that incorporated the spring and hydraulic damper into a single unit (and featured on most production Lancias until the Appia was replaced in 1963). 1948 saw the first 5 speed gearbox to be fitted to a production car (Series 3 Ardea). Lancia premiered the first full-production V6 engine, in the 1950 Aurelia, after earlier industry-leading experiments with V8 and V12 engine configurations. It was also the first company to produce a V4 engine. Also, Lancia pioneered the use of independent suspension in production cars, in an era where live axles were common practice for both the front and rear axles of a car. They also developed rear transaxles which were fitted to the Aurelia and Flaminia ranges."

Lancia also has a long, rich tradition of rally racing having anchored 10 championships between 1974 and 1992.