With a solid international management career as CFO of MAE Spa, and as an Ambassadress of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, 40-year-old Paola Rovellini, originally from Piacenza but with her heart in Versilia, has been serving as President of the Versiliana Foundation since last September. At the helm of the renowned Tuscan festival, she brings an innovative vision as she speaks about challenges, art, and the future.
What motivated you to take on the leadership of the Versiliana, and what does this role mean to you?
It’s a significant responsibility, but also an honor. I’ve lived in Versilia for many years and chose it as my home for its quality of life, beauty, and culture. The Versiliana with its festival are both historical and symbolic reference points for this community and for the national cultural scene. Being part of its renewal is a chance for me to give something back to this place I love.
You have a strong managerial background, but also a deep connection with the performing arts. How do these two sides come together?
In truth, they complement each other. I studied opera singing, which is my great passion, and had a meaningful experience at the Teatro Regio in Parma that made me realize how much I love working behind the scenes. Today, I bring that passion with a more mature perspective and combine it with managerial expertise. The performing arts world needs vision, but also financial sustainability. It’s within this balance that I want to operate.
What artistic direction do you plan to give the Versiliana, and what will be the main new features?
We wanted to give it a fresh identity, with a multidisciplinary artistic direction made up of highly qualified professionals - from Marco Marchesi for performances to Alessandro Sallusti, who will coordinate the Caffè de La Versiliana, and Umberta Gnutti Beretta for the visual arts. The 2025 Festival will focus on cross-pollination between disciplines. And there’s a key word: de-seasonalization, a goal I share with the Mayor of Pietrasanta, Alberto Stefano Giovannetti. The Versiliana will no longer be just a summer festival, but a year-round cultural hub.
Contemporary art is another major pillar of the project. How will it be integrated into the program?
With Umberta Gnutti Beretta, we are designing a path that truly brings the public closer to the highest forms of contemporary art. The goal is to create real connection. We’ll be hosting a site-specific work by Marinella Senatore, designed to generate community engagement. And in the Villa, the exhibition “I Contain Multitudes” will showcase emerging young Italian and international artists. For us, art is a means of relationship.
How do you envision the future of the Versiliana?
As a constantly evolving organism. Culture must be accessible, inclusive, capable of bringing generations together. With “La Versiliana dei Piccoli” and new educational projects, we’re working precisely in that direction. My dream? That anyone who comes into contact with the Versiliana, whether as a spectator or artist, feels it’s a place where beauty and thought meet in an authentic way.
