We get the inside edge on Davide Rampello, Fidenza Village’s Artistic Director for ‘Parma 2020+21’.

A university professor and President of the Italy China United Association, Davide Rampello is also a television personality and editor who has worked on projects as diverse and distinguished as the Venice Carnival, Expo Shanghai 2010 and Expo Milano 2015 Pavilion Zero. Now, as its new Artistic Director, Rampello will oversee Fidenza Village’s year-long celebration of ‘Parma, Italian Capital of Culture 2020+21’. An official partner of ‘Parma 2020+21’ and a founding member of its organising committee, Fidenza Village will come alive in an extravaganza of cinematic proportions under Rampello’s expert eye. “The participation of Fidenza Village in the programme of events celebrating ‘Parma, Italian Capital of 2020+21’ will revolve around the theme of the ‘village’ as a place of community, identity, connection and storytelling,” Rampello explains. The events have already kicked off with ‘Festive Lights’, a spectacle of light and colour inspired by the traditional lighting ceremonies of Sicily. “Synonymous with traditional village festivals and street parties, the lighting theme fits seamlessly with the cultural celebrations of Parma,” says Rampello. “The art of illumination enjoys ancient religious and secular significance, representing a festive ‘language’ deeply embedded in the traditions of Italy as a whole.”
Light as a pervasive theme at Fidenza Village in the first few months of 2020. To mark the Chinese New Year, the Village pays homage to the oldest of sciences in an astrological-themed celebration of the meeting of east and west. “The language of the stars is universal,” Rampello explains. “For the merchants of old, it was the night sky that provided navigational direction when making the perilous journey from east to west.” Drawing on zodiac mythology, the events honour the myriad cultures represented by Fidenza Village’s many guests, while sharing the local customs that make this part of the world so unique.

“The ‘village’ [is] a place of community, identity, connection and storytelling.” – Davide Rampello