“I loved arts since I was a kid, as my parents were art lovers themselves, and our home in Italy was always full of books, photographs, paintings and music,” reveals the Italian leader. “I studied contrabass in the
conservatorium in Trent and loved to stand beside my father, who was a photo reporter. This continues today, as my wife Franziska is musicologist!”
With such a background, it is easy to imagine that classical music is one of his passions. “Recently, I listened to one of my favorite Italian contemporary musicians: the pianist Ludovico Einaudi, who performed a beautiful concert at the Coronet Theatre in West Hollywood. “
Faganello is also highly involved in the visual arts scene. In August, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura organized with the Getty Museum an exhibition of Lorenzo Bernini, the first exhibition of Bernini in the U.S. “I loved it,” says Faganello. “It offered a unique combination of portrait sculptures from the Italian Renaissance era and some very interesting historic anecdotes of Bernini’s life.” Two upcoming events celebrate the work of Michelangelo, an artist from the same era: an exhibition of his drawings at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in 2009 and the publishing of a very exclusive art book by Grupo FMR entitled Michelangelo la Dotta Mano, “a unique piece of art itself,” asserts Faganello.