Here are the winners of the 43rd Masi Prize

Civiltà Veneta to Riccardo Illy, Arcangelo Sassolino, Sara Segantin. Civiltà del Vino to Donatella Cinelli Colombini and Grosso D’Oro Veneziano to Opera Don Calabria. THEME OF THE 2024 EDITION: “ The Virtuous Circle of Beauty.”

The Masi Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 43rd Masi Prize, which since 1981 has brought national and international personalities highly representative of civilization and culture to Valpolicella.
The Premio Civiltà Veneta is awarded to entrepreneur Riccardo Illy from Trieste, sculptor Arcangelo Sassolino from Vicenza, and environmental activist and writer Sara Segantin from the province of Trento.
The International Civiltà del Vino Award goes to Donatella Cinelli Colombini, a Tuscan producer and pioneer in promoting wine cultural movements.
Finally, the Venetian Grosso D’Oro is awarded toOpera Don Calabria, a ‘multinational corporation of good’ born in Verona and now active on 5 continents.

“The Virtuous Circle of Beauty”

The common thread of the 2024 edition is“The Virtuous Circle of Beauty,” which emphasizes the search for harmony and humanism as a counterpoint to the aseptic form of extreme specialization and sectorization in an increasingly technological world.
In other words: seeking and building Beauty so that man, with his values, needs and aspirations, can maintain a centrality in the face of progress and technology, while recognizing that they are indispensable resources at the service of humanity.

The award ceremony on October 25

On Friday, October 25, 2024, after the
signing on the barrel of Amarone, symbol of the award, at the historic
Masi wineries, the ceremony of
award ceremony will continue in the new multifunctional complex
Monteleone21 in Gargagnago di Valpolicella, currently nearing completion. The event will be enriched by a moment of reflection and discussion among the awardees, moderated by journalist Alessandro Milan. “Beauty is not only aesthetic, but a fundamental civic value that unites us and helps us keep our humanity alive in the face of the challenges of progress,” says Masi Foundation President Isabella Bossi Fedrigotti.
“Through the Masi Prize, we celebrate this year those who contribute to building a virtuous circle, where harmony, sustainability and beauty, in the Veneto and around the World, become a tool of inspiration and improvement for all generations.”

The motivations for the award

MASI CIVILTA VENETA AWARD

Recognition to personalities – Venetian by birth, family or adoption – who have distinguished themselves in the fields of literature, art, journalism, science, entertainment and economics, and who through their work have promoted and enhanced the abilities of the Venetian people in the broadest fields of human activity, making themselves the bearers of the fundamental values of that land shaped by the Most Serene Republic of Venice and its millenary civilization.

Riccardo Illy (entrepreneur from Trieste) – “In recognition of his contribution to excellence in the food&beverage world.
His extraordinary commitment and ethical and cultural entrepreneurial vision are manifested in the Polo del Gusto and the design of the new Incantalia stores, where beauty, sustainability and quality are harmoniously intertwined.”
Archangel Sassolino (sculptor from Vicenza) – “In recognition of his research and consequent work linked in double strand to the artistic Beauty expressed by matter and its phenomena, mechanics and technologies. His art, which looks to the future, transforms culture into a field of intense and continuous reflection.”
Sara Segantin (nature writer from Trentino) – “For her commitment, publications and collaborations that place her and her work in a dimension of enchantment for the Beautiful and Good in nature, with attention to sustainability and “justice climate” necessary for its preservation.
A refined sensitivity enables her to perceive not only Beauty but also the fragility of the world and its repercussions on humanity.”

MASI INTERNATIONAL WINE CIVILIZATION AWARD

It is dedicated to the great world of viticulture and honors the most representative personalities who have contributed internationally to enhance the ancient culture of vine and wine.

Donatella Cinelli Colombini – “For her work as a producer, promoter and popularizer of vines and wine through the enhancement of landscape aesthetics and for being a leading figure in wine tourism through initiatives such as the Wine Tourism Movement and Cantine Aperte. And again, for her passionate commitment to the Women of Wine Association and, consistently, for organizing an ‘all-female winery’ in Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino.”

MASI INTERNATIONAL GROSSO D’ORO VENETIAN AWARD

It is reserved for personalities who have contributed to spreading a message of culture in the world, generating that understanding among peoples that develops into solidarity, civil progress and peace.

Opera Don Calabria – “bearer of the values of simplicity and the charism of the Holy Founder, it expresses itself with great sensitivity in its social and humanitarian, health and pastoral initiatives with particular regard to marginalization, distress and health of body and spirit. It transforms pain into hope and dignity and makes tangible the beauty of solidarity with its commitment to the common good; it can therefore be defined as a “multinational corporation of Good,” present as it is in the five continents where it speaks Italian and represents a Veronese and national pride.”