An exhibition of ideas, stories, enterprises and shared visions: it is Expo Favuriti, the event that on Tuesday 8 July 2025, starting at 17.00, will bring to the heart of the industrial area of Gioia Tauro – at the headquarters of the De Masi industries mechanical industries – some of the most virtuous and significant experiences of contemporary Calabria.
Expo Favuriti represents a central moment of the Favuriti project (www.favuriti.com), born from an idea of the entrepreneur Nino De Masi to put positive and valuable practices on the net. The initiative aims to create concrete connections between entrepreneurship, legality, innovation, culture, environment
and training, helping to imagine a virtuous and participated future for the growth of the entire region.
After a first phase of listening and participation in important Calabrian cultural festivals (plots, Roccella Jazz, Magna Graecia Film Festival), Favuriti now arrives at a moment of synthesis and relaunch, with a real “Expo” of the Calabrian excellences.
De Masi says on the event of 8 July:
This event aims to wake up sleeping consciences, stimulating (others but also ourselves) through success models so that a new way is rewritten. We trace concrete examples, which show that dreams can be realized. We all have the duty to act, doing each part, we owe it to our children, who are abandoning this region, precisely because too long was made burnt around them.
We exercise our duty to change perspective and regain the beauty that surrounds us.
The program
Moderated Pietro Comito
17:00
Event opening
Institutional greetings
Simona Scarcella (mayor of Gioia Tauro)
Luca Gaetano (mayor of San Ferdinando)
17:30
Territorial identities – Visionary Calabria
Art, communication, ethical and innovative production, food and wine and territory
Gennaro De Rosa (music against the mafias)
Giuseppe Talarico (The Calabreser)
Emilio Leo (Leo Lanificio)
Nino Quaranta (President Coop. Soc. “Della Terra”)
Stefano Caccavari (Founder – Mulinum)
Mariolina Baccellieri (vice-delegated women of Calabria wine)
Manuela Lajacona (Co -Founder – Cadasta Sociale)
Vincenzo Linarello (President of Goel – Cooperative Group)
Giusy Staropoli (writer)
Institutional interventions
Giovanni Calabrese (Councilor for Work and Training)
Gianluca Gallo (Councilor for Agriculture and Social Policies)
18:30
Industry, you can do it!
Investments and large companies in Calabria
Aldo Ferrara (President Unindustria Calabria and Confindustria Catanzaro)
Domenico Vecchio (president of Confindustria of Reggio Calabria)
Rocco Colacchio (President of Confindustria di Vibo Valentia)
Rosy Ficara (Manager of Automar Spa)
Paolo Ruggeri (Board Member Bh New Pignone and President Big Academy)
Luca Gaetano (professor of business organization of the Unibo Faculty of Economics)
Institutional interventions
Rosario Varì (Councilor for Economic Development)
19:30
Identity and values beyond the “Underworld”
Roberto Occhiuto (president of the Calabria Region)
Antonino De Masi (entrepreneur)
Christmas Mazzuca (Vice President of Confindustria for the sea economy)
Camillo Falvo (Prosecutor of the Republic of Vibo Valentia)
Stefano Musolino (DDA Reggio Calabria DDA Prosecutor)
Readings taken from the book “Inferi” (A. De Masi – P. Comito, Aliberti ed.) Curated by Simone Tudda (crisis as an opportunity)
20:30
Convivial moment (Tasting of products by Arsac)
22:00
Eman (Acoustic showcase)
The project
The project was born from a profound reflection on the cultural roots of Calabria and its current situation. De Masi’s childhood memories, linked to visits with the father to the farmers of the territory, today are transformed into a concrete initiative to promote the Calabrian social and cultural heritage, while facing the economic, demographic and identity challenges that weigh on the region.
Calabria, in fact, is located in a critical phase, marked by negative socio-economic indicators and by a youthful hemorrhage towards other regions. This phenomenon puts the very future of the region at risk, making evident the need for a cultural change, even before economic.
Favuriti aims to awaken the consciousness of the Calabrians and make them protagonists of their destiny, activating a cultural revolution through strong, incisive and not resigned communication. The goal is to contrast with a pessimistic narrative of Calabria a vision
Positive and constructive, capable of highlighting the excellence, success stories and the potential of the territory, promoting connections with the aim of increasing and strengthening Calabrian human, social and relational capital.
The first part of the project was carried out from June to September 2024 through participation in several important Calabrian festivals, where the cultural bases of Favuriti were created, involving the community and institutions and creating a moment of connection and inspiration for the territory through participation in different and important festivals in the south, such as plots, Roccella Jazz, Magna Graecia Film Festival with a series of talk in which De Masi compared his experience and vision of project with the project Journalists such as Tommaso Labate and artists such as Sarafine, Naip, Peppe Voltarelli, Francesca Prestia.
The second part has on this day of July 8 within the company of Dr. De Masi his focus through a small Expo who aims to celebrate and enhance the Calabrian heritage in his multiple aspects. The goal is to create a connection between significant experiences of Calabria in different key sectors.
The third phase that this autumn will start is addressed instead to schools with laboratory activities, workshops, talk and comparisons.
Project carried out with the support of the Calabria Film Commission Foundation – three -year program of interventions for the film and audiovisual activity 2024/2026 Funds of PAC 2014/2020.