Bella Italia: the MI EXPERIENCE Online Tour series that takes you to discover the beauties of our Peninsula.
 
 "Often the term utopia is the most convenient way to liquidate what one does not have the desire, ability or courage to do. A dream seems like a dream until you start working on it. And then it can become something infinitely greater"
 
 Italy was crowned "Country of the Year" by the Economist. An incredible achievement, which demonstrates the strength and resilience that has always distinguished our country.

 MI EXPERIENCE Season XI is dedicated to the Italian genius . 4 entrepreneurial stories that have brought Made in Italy to the world and have stood out for their inventiveness and sustainability.  We will leave for a journey to discover the fascinating stories of  Olivetti , Gucci , Ferrero , Perugina  and the personalities who contributed to the birth and growth of these companies.
 
 4 unmissable episodes in the company of MI EXPERIENCE guides, skilled artisans of unforgettable experiences.
 
 Complete program:

 In the first episode we take you to the discovery of Gucci, perhaps the fashion company that has found more success internationally. Founded by Guccio Gucci in 1921 in Florence, Gucci has become an internationally renowned brand and an icon of the Dolce Vita. Born into a wealthy Florentine family, he leaves home and goes in search of fortune first to Paris and then to London. Here as a bellboy in the lift of the Hotel Savoy, he meets the wealthy middle class of the English city. We are at the end of the 19th century and London is the most important city in the world. It is in the talks with the illustrious guests of the Hotel that he weaves the first threads of his company. The horseshoe decorations and the red-green color derive from horse riding, the favorite pastime of its (lucky) guests. After a successful debut in luggage and leather goods, it was after the war that the company finally found international success:  in '47 the famous bamboo bag was launched on the market and in '52 the iconic moccasin. These are the years of the motto "Quality is remembered long time after price is forgotten" (quality is remembered for a long time, while price is forgotten). Despite the death of Guccio Gucci in '53, the company continues to thrive and at the end of the same year opens a boutique in New York, which will be followed by several so that an area of the Big Apple is known as Gucci City.  Gucci's success in the United States leads to its global development, with new store openings in Asia  and in the Middle East .. At the end of the 1960s, Gucci had 10 stores in the United States, so much so that John F. Kennedy defined Aldo Gucci as the first “Italian ambassador to the United States”. Gucci products are sported by all the most prominent personalities of the time including Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy, to whom the Jackie O bag is dedicated.  At the end of the 1970s, the Gucci family experienced various tensions, between commercial initiatives and quarrels over quotas. These troubled years culminated in 1995 with the murder of  Maurizio Gucci, who sees how  principal  the ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani. Today Gucci is one of the most famous and strongest brands of Made in Italy.
 
 The second episode will continue with Perugina and her founder: Luisa Spagnoli . Born in Sargentini in 1877, she is recognized as one of the most important Italian entrepreneurs. We remember that,  in 1800, the highest aspiration for a woman was to enter a convent or be married, certainly not to have a company! Suffice it to say that women at that time had not yet conquered political representation, nor did they have the right to vote.  Inventor of the famous kiss (initially "punch"), she also founded a chain of fashion stores that bear her name. Luisa is remembered not only for her tenacious and innovative character, but also for her social commitment. Already in the early 1900s, while the Great War raged around the world, Luisa hired women workers and equipped the factory with a company nursery. Again, we cannot fail to mention, for example,  the nursery school of the Fontivegge factory, considered the most advanced in Europe in the confectionery sector. Corporate welfare choices that, unfortunately, still seem like science fiction today. He died in 1935, but the values of his company remained intact and even today Perugina is a leader in the production of Italian chocolate.

 In the third episode we take you to the discovery of Olivetti , a pioneering company both in the mechanical production of typewriters and in the now ubiquitous computer science . But Olivetti was much more: tied hand in glove with Adriano 's kind personality, Olivetti became the most coveted workplace in Italy. Even today, the free reading rooms, the canteen-restaurant, housing policies, parental leave, school and asylum policies and wage choices seem pure utopia . For Adriano, the company had a collective purpose, which was not limited to the mere pursuit of profit, but had to generate prosperity, wealth and beauty for society. Too good to be true? Well, they shouldn't have seen it that way at NASA , when they chose Olivetti computers for the Apollo missions, the ones that took man to the moon. Why let's remember it with pride: The Personal Computer is an Italian invention. 

 We will close on a sweet note with Ferrero . The most solid and well-known brand of Made in Italy, such as to surpass even Ferrari. If it is true that the definition of genius is a person who knows how to manage in times of difficulty and work with what he has available, then it can be said that Nutella is a brilliant invention. The crisis brought about by the war, which led to a shortage of raw materials, especially the most expensive ones such as chocolate, and the abundance of local products such as hazelnuts, led a small pastry shop in Alba to produce a spread based on few ingredients . Probably not even Pietro Ferrero would have imagined that his Giandujot would become an international success. From that intuition others follow: Mon Chéri, Rocher, Donatello, Brioss, Fiesta, Delice, Kinder,  Estathé, Tic Tac ... Probably   no company in the world can boast such a palmares of successful products and this commercial success is accompanied by international growth. Today Ferrero is a multinational in all respects, so much so that it leads many to wonder .....  what world would it be without Nutella ?
 
 Dates :
 
 Saturday 8 January at 18.00 | Gucci
 
 Saturday 15  January at 18.00  | Perugina
 
 Saturday 22 January at 18.00 | Olivetti
 
 Saturday 29  January 18.00 | Ferrero
 
 Places are limited. Payment is by bank transfer, complete the booking to receive payment instructions.
 
 If you have commitments, don't worry: The ticket includes the possibility of re-watching the tours online later!
 
 Good vision!