Another great success for the second annual edition of the Gala Benefit organized by La Fondazione NY [2]. The event, La Notte 2013, took place on November 4, 2013, at The Morgan Library & Museum [3] of New York. This exquisit initiative and fundraising event was aimed to promote La Fondazione’s mission of supporting young Italian and American talents through several projects with the objective of creating a cultural bridge between Italy and the US.

Throughout the year, which was also dedicated to the celebration of the Italian culture in the US, La Fondazione was able to finance and promote many initiatives which gave the possibility to young talents of both countries to advance in their career by taking it abroad and integrating within a different culture. Among the initiatives: The Gotham Prize 2013, the Top Young Industrial Designers Prize, the Young Italian Filmmakers Prize 2013 and the ISNAFF Award for the Humanities.

On the occasion of this edition of the Gala Benefit, La Fondazione NY invited two prominent personalities: John Elkann, Chairman of FIAT and the famous architect Richard Meier. Furthermore, La Fondazione assigned the Excellence in Business Award to Claudio Del Vecchio, Chairman of Brooks Brothers Group and the 2013 Award for Excellence in Finance to Alberto Cribiore, Vice Chairman ICG Citigroup.

Among the guests, present was also Piero Fassino, Mayor of Turin, and a delightful speach was given by Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York, whom unfortunately was too busy to hobnob for the whole evening.

Before the gala, The Morgan Library & Museum hosted a press conference, introducing to the media the goals and the future objectives of La Fondazione NY. The conference was attended by the President of La Fondazione, Mr. Massimo Vignelli, the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute [4] and Founder of La Fondazione, Riccardo Viale, the Honoree and President of FIAT John Elkann and the two award winners Claudio Del Vecchio, CEO of Brooks Brothers, and Alberto Cribiore, Vice Chairman of ICG Citigroup.

“La Fondazione was born from the desire to present to the world young Italian and American talents, guaranteeing them an incredible experience that goes beyond their academic knowledge. In particular the exhibition of the young Italian designers confirmed what these initiatives mean. And we just begun. In the future we will be promoting more projects and we will widen our horizons in terms of cultural exchange between Italy and the United States,” said Massimo Vignelli, renown designer and President of La Fondazione.

“With this event we want to highlight the importance of La Fondazione’s mission of becoming an instrument to build relationships between the US and Italy on a cultural basis,” commented Riccardo Viale, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute and Founder of La Fondazione NY.

“This year we focused on cinema, design and human sciences. Next year we want to promote literature and graphic design,” he added.

The objective of La Fondazione is to strengthen the relationships between Italy and the US. Supporting young talents abroad is also very important  for the Chairman of FIAT and Honoree of the Gala Benefit John Elkann.

“FIAT- Chrysler is an example of the good relation there is between Italy and the US. Tonight, FIAT invited twelve young Italian talents in different fields, from journalism to business and finance,” said Elkann.

Both of the awarded guests Claudio Del Vecchio and Alberto Cribiore said they were very proud to represent Italy at the Gala Benefit organized by La Fondazione. “Being part of every effort aimed to maintain the image of Italy in this delicate moment is something extremely important,” concluded Cribiore.

After the press conference, the Gala Benefit began. Everyone could leave their work behind and just enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of La Notte 2013. More than 300 guests attended the event at The Morgan Library & Museum, all exhibiting stunning outfits, especially the ladies.

The Gala Benefit 2013 offered a very special occasion for people to come together and enjoy a wonderful evening. Indeed, the program of La Notte 2013 had a lot of surprises for its attendants. All the guests had private access to the wonderful exhibition of Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawings from the Biblioteca Reale di Torino. Moreover, before the Gala dinner, hosted in the Gilbert Court, the museum’s wing recently designed by the famous architect Renzo Piano, the worldwide renowned violinist Robert McDuffie delighted the audience with an outstanding performance of Vivaldi, Philip Glass and other musical pieces. During the Gala dinner, the two Honorees and the two 2013 awarded winners were presented to the audience through a short video produced by i-Italy TV, in which they briefly talked about their stories and their love for Italy and for Italian culture. Then, La Fondazione proceeded handing out the awards.

Last but not least, when the guests were ready to leave a special gift was waiting for them near the door. A bag by Bvlgari, which included one of their newest fragrances for women. There was a special surprise for one of the Honorees as well. When John Elkann walked out of The Morgan Library, a FIAT 500 car was parked outside the door. Not an ordinary one. The new i-Italy FIAT 500 car, sponsored by Colavita and Baci Perugina and designed by the master of the house of La Fondazione Mr. Massimo Vignelli. A couple of pictures with this little Italian jewel were taken and everyone headed back home looking forward to the next wonderful Notte of La Fondazione NY, that couldn’t have ended better this year dedicated to Italy and its beautiful culture.