Why Italian Switzerland?

Did you know that in certain Alpine valleys populations live which are Italian by culture and Swiss by nationality? We didn't either until we videoed an international conference at the University of Pennsylvania entitled "Why Italian Switzerland?" In addition to videoing all the

 sessions we also took photos of the dignitaries and scholars.

There were two translators in a booth at the back doing simultaneous interpreting from Italian into English and vise versa. Attendees wore radio headsets like they do at the U.N. to hear the translation live. 

Senator Filippo Lombardi, a member of the Upper House of the Federal Swiss Parliament, was an engaging speaker.

Professor Mario Botta is a world-renown architect. His Powerpoint presentation was very interesting. Botta studied under famed architect Louis Kahn at Penn. At a lunch break he

and his wife sat next to us, and I thought they were very down to earth and friendly.

 

By the conference's end I thought that I would really like to go see Switzerland, and especially Italian Switzerland, where I now have friends.