Last Saturday, at our clubhouse, we had a great guest: Gustavo Ottolenghi, Meritorious Citizen of Sanremo and Cavaliere della Repubblica. On the occasion of the preview of the docu-film “Gustavo Racconta,” he retraced some fundamental stages of his life, rich in human, social, and cultural experiences through interviews, images, and historical films.
Ottolenghi’s youthful experiences related to resistance and totalitarianism, his service as a doctor in the Italian Navy, his innovative contributions in the field of diagnostics, and the long and demanding voyages and explorations of Overland, which have fascinated and motivated entire generations, have been collected in the docu-film, conceived and produced by Giovanni Manuguerra and directed by Fabio Zenoardo.
The protagonist’s narratives, characterized by irony and intelligence, have often brought a smile, even in dealing with important themes such as the research and analysis of the phenomenon of anti-Semitism, with a literary and historical commitment that has led to the signing of some volumes. And, more recently, the commitment to the creation in Sanremo of the Stumbling Stones, conceived by the artist Gunter Demnig as symbols of collective memory, with over 70 thousand installations throughout Europe.
The evening was also an opportunity for a fundraiser in favor of the non-profit organization ANFASS, National Association of Families of People with Intellectual and/or Relational Disabilities, whose president Marisa Ricca Ormea briefly illustrated the history, purposes and needs.
The evening was organized by our yacht club together with the Famija Sanremasca and the Consolato del Mare – of which Ottolenghi was a member – in collaboration with our member and Console del Mare Giovanni Manuguerra. The docu-film “Gustavo racconta” is available for other screenings.