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The power of numbers has always forged the world’s imagina- productive DNA of an entire nation. It was that special fusion of art,
tion and 2020 is no exception. We can say it with confidence: this science, and design; that uniquely Italian way of doing things which
year was a symbolic threshold, a junction, it was a moment of inter- took shape in Renaissance workshops.
ruption and new beginnings. Therefore, this might be the time and They weren’t only the fertile terrain of new ideas, they were
the place for a new and courageous rebirth. where ideas gained momentum and achieved the goal of entrepre-
These first two decades of the new millennium have had an un- neurship. In Renaissance workshops, innovative undertakings took
mistakable impact on our daily existence; they have become a true form in art, culture, science, and their intersecting points.
watershed for everyone, above all for those who are involved in in- It was a new way of addressing knowledge and it passed by way of
novation and enterprise. Sharing economies, big data, social media, hands-on intelligence and know-how. In Renaissance workshops,
and artificial intelligence are making the difference: from business people weren’t separated by watertight barriers of specialization,
to daily life, the entire world (and Italy) have been affected by a dif- they communicated regularly and fluidly. Conversation was a cum
ferent paradigm. Are these the strategic instruments for a (possible) versare, a way of moving together that enabled the sharing of knowl-
turning point? Not only. edge; this not only led to fewer mistakes, it primarily paved the way
for innovative and explosive scenarios.
Flashback to 1420. Under the guidance of Filippo Brunelleschi, Through the ages, this imprinting has characterized successful
what was probably the greatest technological challenge of the time Italian companies, outlining a unique pathway through Italy’s his-
got underway: the construction of the dome of Florence’s cathedral. tory, geography, culture, art, and literature, revealing the profound
Many before him had failed and what made the difference wasn’t roots of a philosophy that knows how to produce Beauty.
the architect’s talent, which was certainly out of the ordinary; it In this way, by transforming itself into productive districts, the
was a new vision that was able to change an era and create a new model of the Renaissance workshop has become the dynamic fabric
model straddling thought, project, production, and, ultimately, the of Italian society, a place of production as well as aesthetic creation.

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