Town Ambassador Award to Giancarlo Flavi for his love for Serrone
Before telling the story of Giancarlo Flavi we must tell the story of Serrone because it is the first word you will hear him pronounce in every speech.
But to understand well the greatness of what he has done for his country you have to come a weekend in June in Piazzitella to participate in one of his editions of the Rocca D’Oro di Serrone Award.
Cherchez la Femme!
Almost fifty years ago, Giancarlo had married Maria Teresa, a beautiful lady from Paliano, and had moved a little further downstream and this had even strengthened his bond with the ancient village so much that he felt the need to do something to make known Serrone to the whole world.
Or at least to the whole world that Giancarlo met in his profession as a journalist. And journalism between Rome and the province has led him to meet many people and personalities that he has always tried to bring, in an elegant and refined way, to know his village of Serrone.
Everything has already happened in Serrone! Whatever comes to mind Giancarlo can connect it to this small but splendid village perched on a side of Mount Scalambra, in the Ernici group. City of free flight and wine.
Looking up in the summer you can experience the thrill of seeing a blue made festive by the colors of paragliders. The Serrone wine, then, is the famous Cesanese del Piglio DOCG and the one produced on this side of the Scalambra is particularly pleasant and has won many awards. To be enjoyed with the Ciambella Serronese.
Let's go back to the Rocca d'Oro Award: over 30 editions, Giancarlo brought over 600 personalities to the Piazzitella such as Ministers (Minister Vitalone to foreign trade), Prefects, Chiefs of Staff (General Adelchi Pillinini), entrepreneurs but also famous actors , sportsmen, singers and artists.
Everyone was able to get to know the village of Serrone, its museum of theatrical costumes, the church with the crucifix attributed to Cimabue and given to the parish by Cardinal Castrillon, who had received the award and who had fallen in love with Serrone.
The story of the award begins in 1989 on the wave of the Fiuggi Prize's success to the personality in which even the great Mikhail Gorbachev and Giulio Andreotti had participated. The Fiuggi Prize was interrupted and Giancarlo decided to organize one in Serrone: the same mountains, the same road (the Prenestina) but a different village a few kilometers away.
The idea of the theme of the first edition comes from a German troupe who had come to do a report on the German hang-gliding champion who had come to train in Serrone. The crew had asked if anyone could wear the local costumes and the whole country had worn Ciociari clothes to be filmed. So Giancarlo decided to give a prize to the best ciociaro costume and organized a parade on the stairway leading to Piazzitella.
How to call this award? Also in this case the reference to the history of Serrone was inevitable and initially it was connected to a fundraiser for the arrangement of a tower (once belonging to the Rocca Colonna) which is the symbol of this village where once the lookouts were located to protect From Rome. From here they could control the arrival of enemies from the south.
The prize is always a small work of art, a statue, a print given by great artists such as Busiri Vici, Dario de Blank, Ennio Calabria or Jaklin Nachache De Blanck. This is also a way of connecting Serrone to culture and adding value to its natural beauty.
And the musical interludes are not small: from the Fanfare of the Carabinieri to the Rome Symphony Orchestra. And then more and more an international appeal with the Bellini Opera Theater in Detroit.
In fact, the Rocca d’Oro Award has become more and more international and professionalism from China, Belgium, Canada, Uruguay, USA and Australia has been awarded. From 2019 a cultural twinning is born with some American organizations that will be able to bear fruit if we know how to follow Giancarlo in his organizing fury.
To recap: 30 editions, 600 awards, 3,000 Serronese donuts made to taste all the participants, 200 articles written on Serrone (they are for the prize), 100 artists involved in entertainment.
Staggering numbers for anyone but not for Giancarlo. Come and see an edition. Look at his eyes that when they do not meet those of Maria Teresa they are fixed on the ancient village of Serrone and tell me if it is not an experience to try at least once in life.
This year, however, we will give him a surprise and, as in a game of mirrors, we will give the Town Ambassador Prize to Giancarlo Flavi during his ceremony.
We are certain that Giancarlo is certainly the best Ambassador Serrone could wish for!
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