The Cultural Territories of Italian Design

Vincenzo Cristallo, Loredana Di Lucchio, Lorenzo Imbesi Trans. by Zheng Hui

Vincenzo Cristallo(羅馬薩皮恩扎數據部研究員，教授,博士)

Vincenzo Cristallo(Researcher Professor, Design Ph.D. - Section Design, DATA Department, Sapienza Università di Roma –vincenzo.cristallo@uniroma1.it)

Loredana Di Lucchio(羅馬薩皮恩扎數據部研究員，教授,博士)

Loredana Di Lucchio(Researcher Professor,Design Ph.D. - Section Design, DATA Department,Sapienza Università di Roma -loredana.dilucchio@uniroma1.it)

Lorenzo Imbesi(加拿大卡爾頓大學工業設計學院 副教授，博士)

Lorenzo Imbesi(Associate Professor,DottArch, PhD - SID | School of Industrial Design,Carleton University, Ottawa,Canada - lorenzo_imbesi@carleton.ca)

Introduction

The subject of “experiences” emerges with greater clarity in a possible story about the relationship between the territorial background and the Italian Design.

Experience in doing: where the Italian entrepreneurial capacity was born and which today is being transformed into the inevitable confrontation/ opening to the global system not only regarding production, but especially regarding consumerism that is now determined and administered by information technologies.

Experience in living: where objects, habits,contexts are elements correlated to one same scenario that in Italy presents itself in a different way every time, a multiple yet comprising one same character, the value of lived experience.

Experience in thinking: those who have allowed Italian design to imagine new territories:this time not geographical but social ones that,through the visions of Radical Design, have led to today’s experiences linked to new technologies on one side and to new forms of production and consumerism on the other – where the concept of cultural community supersedes that of proximal community.

These three kind of experiences are linked with three issues, which informed the evolution of Italian Design: the economic and productive issue,the cultural and behavioural issue, the critical and ethical issue.

Fig.1 UMBRELLA STAND Umbrella Stand Made of Polish Brushed Brass Design: Scott Fellows & Craig Bassam Production:Bassamfellows

Morphogenetic Territories

In the 1960s and 1970s, during the crisis of the Fordist production model and what some deemed to be an irreversible decline of large industrial firms and hierarchical function structures, groups of small but extremely vibrant compagnie were discovered in certain Italian regions: employment remained steady, there was frequent innovation and exports were increasing. The situation became the focus of a national and international debate. It was soon revealed that the locations of these companies were not dictated by chance, as they had roots in territorial systems with singular social characteristics.

This led to the “small is beautiful” phenomenon,which borrowed its name from an important book by the economist Ernst Friedrich Schumacher(1973) which criticized Western economies and favoured the adoption of more human-oriented,decentralized and appropriate technologies.

Fig.2 UMBRELLA STAND Umbrella Stand Made of Polish Brushed Brass Design: Scott Fellows & Craig Bassam Production:Bassamfellows

Fig.3 UMBRELLA STAND Umbrella Stand Made of Polish Brushed Brass Design: Scott Fellows & Craig Bassam Production:Bassamfellows

Fig.4 FLORA Wall Copper Sheet Decoration Design: Tord Boontje Production: Artecnica

Fig.5 FLORA Wall Copper Sheet Decoration Design: Tord Boontje Production: Artecnica

This quintessentially Italian phenomenon showed that the advantages of large-scale production could also be obtained by a network of small companies that were located near to each other. Each of the firms would specialize in a particular phase of the production process or the production of a particular component.Some of them would have direct contact with the end market. Most importantly, the economic relationships were made more efficient by the ties based on personal acquaintanceships, shared values and a sense of belonging.

In 1989, Giacomo Becattini drew on the work of the English economist Alfred

Marshall (1870) and gave a clear, decisive name to this phenomenon: industrial districts.Becattini adapted the Marshallian concepts to the Italian context, describing a district as a local community in which small companies operate.

This milieu constitutes a social, cultural and institutional territory. In a complex evolution process, since that time the Italian production system – both in economic theories and elsewhere– has become intricately bound to the concept of“territory”, with social and cultural outlooks being replaced with economic views of production processes. In physical terms, a territory is a portion of land within boundaries (Devoto-Oli Italian dictionary, 2006), but when it comes to districts a territory is a means of communication,and a vehicle and focus of work, production,interaction and co-operation (Dematteis, 1985).

The importance of the territory as a place for communication thus became a cornerstone of the origin and originality of Italian production:communication, work, interaction and cooperation are the very elements that help to assert what has been known since that time as the so-called Made in Italy model. However, the elements mentioned are not normal economic characteristics. The elements in question are the various social relationships that individuals and the group as a whole have in a specific time and place: they are James Coleman’s “social capital”,based on “authority”, “trust” and “regulatory”relationships. In this fertile breeding ground,the unique Italian bond between design and production emerged and developed around the same forms of relationships, especially in terms of trust. Consequently, design in Italy is not just one of the activities in Porter’s value chain, whose importance and need for good management became apparent in the 1980s and 1990s.Around the same time, the discipline of design management established itself, with authors taking the typical Italian relationship between design and production as a model. However, these authors do not seem to have grasped the importance of territory as a social capital system in which design plays a key role. What results would have been achieved by the exquisite theoretical capabilities– based on morphological and semantic aspects– of the great masters of Italian design such as Castiglioni, Sottsass, Ponti and Magistretti, if they had not been complemented by the technical know-how and tacit knowledge of companies and their social contexts, and businesses that concentrated more on culture than on economic guidelines? A huge impact on this relationshipbased business model hinging on the territory was inevitable over the last twenty years, which have seen the completion of the globalization process which was already being discussed in economic circles in the 1960s in its positive sense as a phenomenon of progressive growth in international interaction.

Leaving aside economic and sociological definitions, globalization has been a multifaceted phenomenon which is based more on the evolution of relationship systems than on simple exchanges of goods. It has taken place thanks to real-time progress in information and communication technology and the shift of values from tangible goods (a production-based economy) to intangible goods (a knowledgebased economy). Rather than making things more uniform, this process has led to a bigger gulf in the nature and speed of development. It has driven a slow process of deconstruction of existing contexts and redefinition around a map based on opportunities rather than proximity.

Against the backdrop of this profound alteration of proximal relationships at the start of the 21st century, the territory has taken on a new value for Italian production, and therefore for Italian design. There has been a shift from the features of Becattini’s districts – as complete,morphostatic systems – to open, morphogenetic systems like moving districts in which the levels of interaction are different: a) There is a level linked to the origins, in which the territory gives rise to the creation of companies and provides the know-how on which the businesses are built;b) There is a level linked to development, in which the territory is the place where companies find the resources to conduct their business and increase their profits; c) There is a level linked to the network, in which the territory no longer has physical points of reference but interacts in a virtual manner, using unions and partnerships as ways to “extend” the territory. A new geography has thus been drawn up. Instead of weakening the established cultural interaction,the processes taking place revitalize it and lead to transformation of a symbolic nature (of the image and conception of territories) and effective changes (to action, organizational set-ups,innovative strategies and cooperation). In this new geographical layout, Italian design can no longer be portrayed using the specialist production models of the districts (such as chairs in Udine,furniture in Brianza, eyewear in Belluno, shoes in Ancona and textiles in Biella) which are linked exclusively to the first level of the origins. The new territories of Italian design are – and must be – based around development and networks,with values, know-how and talent driving them.The proximity (employing the model of virtual communities) is now cognitive rather than physical.

This means that there are now aesthetic territories, material territories, technical territories, experiential territories, social territories and “other” territories.

Repositories of Knowledge

The constant references to the unique, broad range of contents of the Italian design system have deep roots. These roots lie beneath a large plant with many branches, leavesand fruits. In addition to the fruits (products), its presence can be felt in tacit knowledge, relationships and experiences.

Other metaphors to express the idea might be that Italian design is a tale with a number of storylines, a map covered in numerous routes,and a language with various dialects. Any abuse of courteous allegory for a gilded scenario outlining the singular characteristics of Italy and its cultural heritage can be justified and excused, as it is an unparalleled repository in which regional and local products and services are always seen in a positive light. The introduction of the term“repository” is essential, as it underlines the fact that the presence of assets in certain parts of Italy is a result of its heritage and a combination of environmental, human and cultural factors that have influenced its life and development throughout all of its small and large happenings. It is a “unique setting” whose originality lies in both the qualities of its raw materials and in the output from the production chains. It is possible to examine the value of resources using a definition based on the product-context-identity sequence.

In Italy, as in the rest of the Mediterranean area, this relationship is behind the generative input of a material culture with large quantities of values and symbols. Links such as these reveal that what we sometimes generically consider to be parts of the territorial heritage are actually assets whose complexity means that there is a clear distinction between the place of origin and the main identifying properties. Economic studies into local production see the territory as a large company and recognize economic models within it – frequently of an “informal”nature – that revolve around production based on the combination between typical resources and high quality know-how. This is the only explanation for the high design input that can be found amongst our parishes and parochialisms, in products ranging from Jew’s harps and Brunello di Montalcino wine to the Gondolas of Venice.

They are iconic products that represent their local areas. We have included them with scientific speculation under the umbrella of “Italian design”and as part of the national language, but they are actually full of dialectal nuances.

The concept of a “repository” is used to embody a local resource in a limited area.Therefore, a typical Italian “territorial repository”is an established system made up of numerous correlated, interacting factors: human resources,production resources, historical and cultural differences, and environmental and monumental physical elements that create a multi-faceted identity. This inclusive definition of “repositories”goes beyond all specific descriptions and largely brings into play self-referencing properties. In terms of production, they give goods the role of a territorial medium. In Italy, as well as being possible, specific definitions of repository are necessary. Leading the way in terms of numbers and diversity is the cultural model, which arises from a complex blend of scientific, historical and artistic traditions that have taken shape and been conveyed at different times. This mixture is extremely variable when it comes to geography,time and space, and in each area it refers to the presence of tangible and intangible cultural assets that encapsulate the human presence over the course of history. If the repository is natural, its unique qualities, integrity and diffusion will be based around the environment system. This is the source of its distinctive heritage, which derives from the physical vocations of a territory (such as the sea or the mountains) and stretches further– in its intentions at least – than the traditional labelling by “spots” (exclusive habitats) or “strips”(coastlines or mountain ranges).

The result is a description of an integral system with balance between all of the physical parts and services.

Fig.6 VINE Wall Copper Sheet Decoration Design: Susan Bradley

Fig.7 VINE Wall Copper Sheet Decoration Design: Susan Bradley

Fig.8 APPUNTI DI VIAGGIO Coffee Table Made of Copper Sheet Design: Lorenzo Damiani

Fig.9 APPUNTI DI VIAGGIO Coffee Table Made of Copper Sheet Design: Lorenzo Damiani

Fig.10 NEONATURAL Wall Copper Sheet Decoration Design: Riccardo Giovanetti Production: Fielitz

Fig.11 NEONATURAL Wall Copper Sheet Decoration Design: Riccardo Giovanetti Production: Fielitz

Fig.12 NEONATURAL Wall Copper Sheet Decoration Design: Riccardo Giovanetti Production: Fielitz

Fig.13 NEONATURAL Wall Copper Sheet Decoration Design: Riccardo Giovanetti Production: Fielitz

Fig.14 JAIL Vases for Plants With Copper Structure And Natural Earthenware Case Design:Eli Gutierrez Production: Guerra

It is much quicker to define a gastronomic repository. The debate about this matter is a very topical one in Italy. Due consideration has led to gastronomic repositories being seen as a unique way of summing up the relationship between products and settings, so they are portrayed as representatives of an area’s identity and used to defend it. Old workshops, mills, wineries and stores should be seen as an “operative” museum of tangible culture. The human input in terms of creativity and knowledge is handed down from one generation to the next and these venues have every right to be placed alongside popular destinations, art museums, churches and monuments on the tourist routes for “foodtrotters” and “gastronauts” (Paolini, 2000).

They are also “metaphorical places” that are home to original working traditions which are impossible to replace with alternative technical approaches and are worthy of protection and assistance, in a process similar to that of the restoration of a monument, a film or a painting.Preservation of them and the resulting production of goods and services boosts the defence and conservation of the territory. However, especially with the new forms of cultural tourism, this is reliant on the development of a network for all of the local players who contribute to the rediscovery and conservation of repositories. It is necessary to convince people that the local knowledge is a key,emblematic quality of production areas. Nobody should be surprised to hear that cheese, deli meats, pasta, confectionery, wines and liqueurs deserve to be part of the national heritage, on an equal standing in some ways with the more cultured area of works of art. Repositories thus give substance to the identity of a territory.

The identity of a setting – and also of a product, given the renewed outlooks on the heritage of tradition and knowledge – embodies the entire range of factors and values resulting from the course of events and from interweaving,overlapping historical and cultural experiences.This incomparable heritage is reproduced in images and symbols, physical and monumental elements, and goods that have had an impact on the life, development and relationships of the Italian people and the nation of Italy.

Critical Territories

Looking beyond industry and mass production, critical experimentation deserves recognition for the role it plays as an important sphere of Italian design output. It has found social aspects to be a particularly fertile area of research.Every design project has a social impact and all of the results become part of the daily interaction between people, often changing the form and quality of their relationships. Acknowledgement of this fact leads to an approach which places the immediate functionality of form in the background and focuses more on subtle stimulation of the thoughts of onlookers.

Design thus becomes a tool for political reflection – or even protest and activism – that challenges the public and its expectations. It goes as far as questioning the role of the designer and the act of creation itself within society. Design thus becomes a group activity, or a fleeting occasion to be distributed socially and shared horizontally, outside the official realm of the design star system.

Public space is often at the centre of attention and the workplace of designers.

In the years of the avant-garde experimentation of Radical Design, the Urboeffimeri by the ufo group appeared alongside the landscape schemes by Gianni Pettena and Riccardo Dalisi’s workshops with the urban proletariat. More recently, similar sensitivity has been seen in the space exploration by Stalker,Cliostraat’s urban crossovers and Esterni’s collective experiments.

Public space in this sense not only means the physical area at the heart of the design work– which is often urban/metropolitan – but also the location of social interaction/relationships between men and women.

The aim of the designer is not just to build solid objects, but to rework social structures through performative events akin to situations which can be organized spontaneously and take place briefly, but shake up established meanings and functions. This underlines the situationist outlook of Italian design, which plays with the Debordian society of the spectacle and consumption of culture through popular reappropriation. With good understanding of the value of communicative language and organizational skills of an equally high level, the technique of estrangement is used in design to construct ludic situations and create an artistic environment that embraces the entire social dimension. Emerging from all of this are direct action, provocative behaviour, ironic nonsense,political protest, hybrid crossovers, displacement and disorientation.

The projects reflect social emergencies, tell creative stories and play with chance happenings,often revealing the process behind their existence,which is never linear and involves continual cross-references and quotations. The catalogue that emerges is in contrast with all classical takes on the scale of the situation: they are not just physical objects, nor indeed are they pieces of built architecture or urban structures.The collapse of the scales between design,architecture, landscapes, products and graphics gives renewed complexity to design and makes users into members of the community. Instead of being consumers, they become part of a broader interactive environmental scenario.

The relationship with new technology is just as critical: instead of using them as high performance tools for innovation and bringing the design process to an end with them, the expressive capacities and creative possibilities that new technologies present are explored.Throughout the history of Italian industry, there has always been an intricate relationship with technology. Rather than portraying an invention as a value in itself, its aesthetic and poetic potential is explored, thus revealing its hidden beauty and the combination of form, process and concept. Unlike a hard take on things, which would highlight the cultural differences with the objects to which we have become accustomed, this soft research tends to conceal the technology and hybridize it in everyday items. One of the seminal experiences of this kind was put together by the Interaction Design Institute in Ivrea. Instead of presenting a new model of computer or mobile phone, special wallpaper, smart typewriters and strange vintage fiat 500s went on display, with special interactive intelligence concealed in each item. Artistic adaptations of technology produce cognitive goods that go beyond strictly technical and functional needs to create genuine interactive poetry and electronic narration which involves users on an emotional and a social level.

Technology goes from offering hope for the future and life improvement to becoming a source of obsession and fear. The expedient of narrative becomes a tool of research and experimentation that focuses on the new roles, contexts and approaches to design with regard to the social,cultural and ethical impact of emerging and existing technology, and explores its possibilities in life and everyday surroundings. When looking into the biotechnologies that are about to emerge from scientific laboratories, Elio Caccavale constructs things such as social fiction scenarios.“Macro” elements associated with politics, the economy and society come to the fore alongside the “micro” aspects of daily life, interpersonal relationships and the smallest behavioural characteristics. The resulting picture is not just of our dreams and the things that we want, but also of the most unpleasant and unexpected consequences, whose depiction can serve as a warning. Once again, outside industry no one can take the final outcome for granted.

Fig.15 JAIL Vases for Plants With Copper Structure And Natural Earthenware Case Design:Eli Gutierrez Production: Guerra

Fig.16 JAIL Vases for Plants With Copper Structure And Natural Earthenware Case Design:Eli Gutierrez Production: Guerra

Fig.17 JAIL Vases for Plants With Copper Structure And Natural Earthenware Case Design:Eli Gutierrez Production: Guerra

Fig.18 LATVA Brass Clothes Stand Design: Mikko Laakkonen Production: Covo

(1)L. Di Lucchio is the author of paragraph 1, V.Cristallo is the author of paragraph 2, L. Imbesi is the author of paragraph 3

Bibliography

[1]P. Antonelli (2008). Design and Elastic Mind.USA: The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

[2]AA.VV. (2007). The New Italian Design. Il paesaggio mobile del nuovo design italiano.IT: Ed. Grafiche Milani, Milano.

[3]G. Becattini, (1989), Riflessioni sul distretto industriale marshalliano come concetto socio-economico, in Stato e mercato(vol. 25), IT: Il Mulino, Bologna.

[4]F. Benhamou ( 2001), L’economia della cultura, IT: Il Mulino, Bologna a)Branzi (2006), Modernità debole e diffusa.Il mondo del progetto all'inizio del XXI secolo. IT: Skira, Milano.

[5]G. Dematteis (1985), Le metafore della tera.La geografia umana tra mito e scienza, IT:Feltrinelli, Milano .

[6]L. Di Lucchio (2005), Il design delle strategie.Un modello interpretativo della relazione tra designe impresa, IT: Edizione Gangemi, Roma.

[7]R. Fagnoni, P. Gambaro, C. Vannicola, (2004),Medesign, forme del Mediterraneo,IT:Alinea editrice, Firenze.

[8]R. Grassi, M. Meneguzzo (2002), La valorizzazione del patrimonio culturale per lo sviluppo locale, in Primo rapporto annuale di Federculture, IT: Touring Editore, Milano[9]L. Imbesi (2009), InterAction by Design.DIID vol. 39, IT: RDesignPress, Roma.

[10]D. Paolini ( 2000), I luoghi del Gusto. Cibo e territorio come risorsa di marketing, IT:Bakdini&Castoldi, Milano.

[11]G. Pettena, (2004). Radical design. Ricerca e progetto dagli anni '60 a oggi. IT:Maschietto Editore, Firenze.

[12]P. Nuraghi, S. Stringa (2008), Cultura e territorio. Beni e attività culturali.Valorizzazione e indotto in prospettiva europea, IT: Franco Angeli, Milano.

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譯文：

一、簡介

地域背景和意大利設計之間的關系隨著“經驗”的增加而越發清晰。

行為的經驗：意大利企業家能力誕生的地方，今天轉化為不可避免的挑戰，并向全球體系開放。這不僅和生產相關，還與由信息技術決定和管理的消費主義有關。

生活的經驗：物品，習慣，環境都是和同一個情境相關聯的元素。在意大利，這種情境每次表現的方式都不相同。雖然多樣，但是都包含生活經驗的價值這一個共同的元素。

思考的經驗:有些人已經允許意大利設計重新劃分領域，但這次不再是以地域的標準劃分，而是從社會的角度劃分。借著“激進設計”（Radical design）的觀點，一方面把現在的經驗和新興的科學技術聯系在一起，另一方面把它與生產的新形式聯系在一起。文化社區的觀念已經取代了鄰近社區的觀念。

這三種經驗與顯示意大利設計演變的三個問題相關聯，即經濟與生產的問題,文化和行為的問題，批判和倫理的問題。

二、形態領域

上世紀六七十年代，福特生產模型和一些被認為必然走下坡路的大型工業企業遭遇危機，在意大利某些區域出現了一批規模小但充滿活力的公司。這些公司雇傭穩定，創新不斷，出口增加。這樣的情況引發了全國甚至全球的范圍內的討論。不久，人們發現這批公司的地理位置的設定絕非偶然，因為它們都扎根于有著不同尋常社會特征的地域體系。這引發了“小即是美”的現象，這個名字取自經濟學家恩斯特?弗里德里希?舒馬赫1973年發行的一本書。這本書批判了西方經濟并支持運用以人為本、分散和適當的技術。

這個經典的意大利現象表明臨近小公司組成的網絡也可以獲得大規模生產的優勢。每一家公司都只負責生產過程中某一特定階段或者只生產某一特定零件，還有一些公司和終端市場有直接的接觸。最重要的是,基于私人交情、共同的價值觀、歸屬感建立起來的經濟關系更有效率。1989年,吉亞科莫?卡蒂尼根據英國經濟學家阿爾弗雷德?馬歇爾的作品，給這個現象取了一個明確的決定性的名字——工業區。卡蒂尼將馬歇爾的觀念適用到意大利背景中，將一個工業區描述成小公司經營的本地社區。

這種環境構成了社會、文化和制度的領域。在這個復雜的進化過程中，意大利生產體系——無論是在經濟理論還是其他--已方面經受到了復雜的“地域”概念的束縛，生產過程的經濟觀點代替了社會、文化的視角。從物理角度來看，地域就是指在一定邊界內的土地(Devoto-Oli意大利字典,2006)，但是就地區而論，地域是指溝通的方式，工作、生產、交流和合作的焦點和載體。(Dematteis, 1985)作為一個交流的場所，地域的重要性因此成為意大利制造起源和獨創性的基石:正是溝通、互動與合作這些元素可以來解釋一直被稱為所謂的意大利制造模式。然而,上述的因素不是平常的經濟特征。談及的元素是指各種社會關系、個人和團體作為一個整體在某個特定的時間和特定的地點擁有的關系。這些關系是詹姆斯?科爾曼提出的“社會資本”，基于“權威”、“信任”和“規章”的關系。在這片肥沃的土地上，獨特的意大利設計和生產的結合應運而生，并以相同的形式發展起來,尤其是建立在信任基礎上的關系。因此,意大利設計不僅是價值鏈中某一活動,其重要性和對良好管理的需求在上世紀八九十年代變得顯而易見。大約在同一時期,設立了設計管理這一學科,作者也將典型的意大利設計和生產之間的關系作為一種模式。然而,這些作者似乎并沒有把握住地域作為社會資本系統的重要性,設計在其中起著關鍵的作用。像索特薩斯、格里奧尼、龐蒂和馬吉斯特提這些意大利設計大師，如果他們沒有相互補充技術工藝知識和公司的默會知識，他們雄厚的理論能力能取得怎樣的結果？在過去的20年里,以地域為重點，以關系為基礎的商業模式受到巨大影響是不可避免的，它見證了全球化進程的完成。上世紀六十年代經濟界就已對全球化進行討論，它是逐步增加的國際間互動的積極表現。

撇開經濟學和社會學的定義，全球化是一種多元化的現象。相比簡單的貨物交換，它更多的是基于關系的進化。多虧了實時信息與通訊技術的進步，有形商品（生產型經濟）到無形商品(知識型經濟)的價值轉變，全球化得以發生。

21世紀之初，在近距離關系千變萬化的背景下，地域對意大利制造、意大利設計具有新的價值。卡蒂尼提出的地區特點已經發生了改變，從封閉的系統到開放的體系，就像不同的地區互動水平的不同。（一)在起源階段，地域使公司得以建立，并提供企業建立所需的專有技術。（二）在發展階段，地域是公司獲取開展業務所需的資源，增加利潤的地方。（三)和網絡聯通的階段，地域不再是一個物理的參考點，而是通過一種虛擬的方式相互作用，利用工會和合作伙伴關系來進行“擴展”地域。這不僅沒有削弱已經建立起的文化互動，正在發生過程反而會使它恢復生氣，也使觀念里的領域概念發生轉變。在新的地理布局里，意大利設計不再被描述成地區專業生產模式（比如烏迪內產椅子、布里安扎產家具、貝盧諾產眼鏡、安科納產鞋子），這種模式處于起源階段。意大利設計的新領域需要也必須圍繞發展和網絡,受到價值觀念、專門技能和人才的驅動。鄰近(采用虛擬社區的模型)是認知觀念上的而非物理實際意義上的。這就意味著現在有審美領域、物質領域、技術領域、經驗領域、社會領域以及“其它”領域。

三、知識儲備

我們一直提到的這種獨特而又內容廣泛的意大利設計有它深深的根源。這些根源藏匿于有著繁茂枝丫的果樹之下，除了它的果子，通過它的儀態就可以讓人感覺到它內隱的知識、社會聯系和閱歷。我們還可以將意大利設計比喻成有多條線索的故事，多條路線的地圖，多種方言的語言。對于意大利的非凡特性以及其文化遺產的泛濫比喻都是合乎情理，可以得到諒解的，因為當地的產品和服務前途無量，它是一筆空前的財富儲備。“儲備”這一詞的引進很有必要，因為它強調了一個事實，那就是在意大利一些地方的富裕，是當地的祖先遺產以及當地環境、人文因素在發展中起到的大大小小的影響所造成的。這是一個“得天獨厚的環境”，你可以同時從天然的素材以及生產鏈上輸出的產品中找出其環境的根源。用根據產品-環境-特性來定義的序列，檢驗它的價值。

和其他地中海國家一樣，在意大利，這樣的關系序列是隱藏在大量物質文化價值和象征投入背后的。諸如此類的關聯揭示了那些我們有時會理所當然地認為是區域遺產一部分的關聯性的東西，它實則是一筆財富，這種關聯的復雜性意味著設計品的產地與其識別性能上有著清晰的界限。關于當地生產的經濟學研究將不同的區域劃分為一個個大型的公司，用自己的經濟生產模式（通常都是非正規的自然模式），即結合特有的資源和制作要領來進行生產。這也是對如猶太豎琴、布魯尼諾酒以及威尼斯貢多拉船這樣的高端產品唯一通俗易懂的解釋了。

它們是代表了當地的標志性產品，我們將它們包括在“意大利設計”名義保護下的科學性投機之內，并且視其為一種國家性的語言，雖然它們因存在著口音而略顯不同。“儲備”的概念是用來象征一定區域范圍內的資源，因此，一個典型的意大利式“區域儲備”是由無數相互關聯影響的因素構成的健全體系，其中包括人力資源、生產資源、歷史文化差異以及與環境有關的物質元素所塑造的一種多面特質。這種對“儲備”一詞的定義超越了一切具體的描述并且很大程度上發揮了自我參考的價值。對于產品來說，它們被賦予了地域媒介的內涵。在意大利，對儲備的確切定義是必須并且可行的。文化模式在數量和多樣性上遙遙領先，它源于科學、歷史和藝術傳統的復雜融合，并在不同的時期被重塑和傳播。在地理、時間和空間的因素影響下，這樣的混合式極容易發生改變的。它們在各個地區代表著各自濃縮了人類文明進程的物質和非物質文化財富。若該儲備是自然資源，生態環境系統將賦予其特質，將其整合，助其傳播。這種與眾不同的原始資料得力于得天獨厚的地域環境（如海洋或山丘），并且比那些貼上傳統標簽的“生產地”（專供生產基地）或“生產線”（海岸線或山地線）來得更加自然純粹。

結果是我們就可以將一套平衡了所有物質和服務方面的整合系統清楚地作出闡述。要是想定義美食儲備就更加容易了，關于此方面的爭論是一個非常具有地方性的問題，對于美食儲備的討論使其成為總結產品與環境關系的特殊方法，所以它們常常被形容為某地區特點的代表，并以此來作為對該地區的辯護。古老的作坊、磨坊、釀酒廠和店鋪可以被看作為物質文化的“活”博物館。

人類的創造力和知識的輸出在此代代相傳，這些建筑可以與旅游景點、藝術博物館、教堂和紀念碑放在一起，成為人們美食之旅的一站。（庖里尼，2000年）科技從一開始帶給人們對未來的期待和提高人們的生活質量到使人癡迷和恐懼。敘事分析成為一種研究和實驗的工具，聚焦于設計對現存和新興的科技在社會、文化和道德倫理方面的影響，它所扮演的角色、內容及方式，并且發掘它在日常生活和人們生活環境中的無限可能。

當我們看到即將從實驗室成功誕生的生物科技，Elio Caccavale的操作簡直就像是科幻小說中的片段。“宏觀”元素與政治相聯系，經濟和社會學與“微觀”方面的日常生活、人際關系甚至是細小的行為特征一起受到人們的重視。這一番圖景不僅是我們的夢與渴望，也是我們最不令人愉快和意想不到的結果，可以把這種描繪看作是一種警告。不過還是要說，脫離了工業，沒有人能肯定最終的結果是什么。