News from Italy
Piero Angela died
Vita gazette – Piero Angela, one of the most famous Italian intellectuals, journalist and writer, has died. Angela, who brought science and culture to the public, was an important master of communication who also encouraged its dissemination in an interesting way.
Son of an anti-fascist psychiatrist he was born in Turin in 1928. Before becoming a journalist Piero Angela, a great lover of piano and jazz music, studied at the conservatory. He arrived in Rai in the early 1950s, collaborating in the creation of a program on the history of jazz. After working on the radio and after being sent (among other things to Yemen, Israel, Iraq and Vietnam), he went on to run the National News at 1.30pm, and in 1976 he was the first presenter of the newly born TG2. Angela spent most of her career as a journalist and TV presenter at Rai, first working as a correspondent and then as a documentary maker and host of television programs on science and culture. Angela has written nearly 40 books (many with her son Alberto) and hosted over 30 television programs.
After the death of Piero Angela, the Rai press office released this letter, explaining that in recent days he had wanted to leave it as a “last greeting to viewers”:
“Dear friends, I’m sorry not to be with you anymore after 70 years together. But nature also has its own rhythms. They have been very stimulating years for me that have led me to learn about the world and human nature. Above all, I was lucky enough to meet people who helped me achieve what every man would like to discover. Thanks to science and a method that allows us to face problems in a rational but at the same time human way. Despite a long illness I managed to complete all my programs and projects (even a small satisfaction: a jazz record on the piano…). But also, sixteen episodes dedicated to schools on environmental and energy problems. It was an extraordinary adventure, lived intensely and made possible thanks to the collaboration of a large group of authors, collaborators, technicians and scientists. In turn, I tried to tell what I learned. Dear all, I think I have done my part. Try to do yours too for this difficult country of ours. A big hug”