By A UNIQUE EVENT FROM AUGUST 4TH TO 11TH IN GOODWIN’S COURT
An extraordinary event in the heart of London during the Olympics from the 4th to the 11th of August, “Benvenuta Italia Street” invites you to take a journey through the senses against the backdrop of historic Goodwin’s Court – the city’s oldest street. An installation and event all in one, dedicated to the outstanding talents that have contributed to, and continue raising, the renown of Italy’s name the world over, accompanying us on a journey through the senses down one of the oldest and symbolic addresses of London, a jewel in the heart of Covent Garden. This fascinating court is a real trip back in time; doors with shiny brass knockers, signs in black and bronze with the professions practiced in the street’s shops and three great gas street lamps all hark back to 1627, the year that Goodwin’s was first built and baptized Fishers Alley. It later took on its current name in 1690, as we may read on a plaque in the street. Right in Goodwin’s Court sits Giovanni’s, owned by Pino Ragona, one of the pillars of Italian wine and food on English soil. In August 2012, in parallel to the Olympic Games this outstanding culinary talent will launch a can’t-miss event unique in its kind, together with two other icons that represent the cultural vibrance Italy possesses in every field. Ragona teams up with Gianni Li Muli, artist that through his work has revolutionized the sphere – and the style – of satirical graphic design, and with Gianluca Pellerito, internationally renowned drummer prodigy that has already played with a long list of jazz giants in prestigious venues such as Milan’s Blue Note, the Italian Institute of Culture in London and in New York, as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington. Three synonyms of food, music and art which, in forming a sort of triptych of Italian cultural excellence, will bring a genuine open-air installation curated by Benvenuta Italia. The street will in fact be transformed into an evocative journey through the senses that tickles the taste buds, catches the eye and pleases the ears. The gigantic replicas of Gianni Li Muli’s satirical portraits, known the world over and exhibited at New York’s MoMa, will form a peculiar path where one strolls alongside the likes of Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and Liza Minnelli. Aromas and flavors of Pino Ragona’s cuisine will pay homage to street food, a characteristic concept of Italian culinary culture exported to the heart of London for the occasion. Finally, lookers-on may enjoy the beat and rhythm of one of the youngest and most important drummers in the world, Gianluca Pellerito, who will play a concert not to be missed with his quintet. An all Italian emotional week that will paint the town red… white and green, in one of the most evocative cities in the world during the hottest week of the event of the year – the London 2012 Olympic Games!
