«Il Giornalino», the oldest weekly children’s magazine in Europe, dedicates a story to the Royal Palace of Caserta and the beauties of Terra di Lavoro and the South. The issue on newsstands of the periodical San Paolo dedicated the monthly story of the «Allunatici», two historical characters of the magazine, who live on the Moon and travel the world with their rocket, to the Royal Palace of Caserta, defined as «one of the most beautiful and largest monuments in the world».
The story also talks about pizza and the Buone Notizie Award, because it all began with a visit promoted last January by the special award for good journalism in Caserta, one of the most prestigious in Italy, unique in its kind, which brought the cartoonist Stefano Zampollo and the director of «Il Giornalino», Don Simone Bruno, to Caserta. Stefano Zampollo, the author of «Allunatici», remains enchanted by the Palace, defined in one word as «stupendous»and meeting the director of the Royal Palace Tiziana Maffei tells him. «Why don’t you write a story about Tiramolla – director Maffei immediately replies to Zampollo – dedicated to the Royal Palace». Zampollo was silent in his response, but the idea was cultivated by the general secretary of the «Buon News Award», Luigi Ferraiuolo.
The director of «Il Giornalino» also supported her. And it finally became reality. «We have had a great gift: comic stories strike the collective imagination and have a great impact on the education of young people – explains Luigi Ferraiuolo, general secretary of the Buone Notizie Award – helping them to discover new worlds and supporting the tourist movement: the Palace is the most beautiful royal palace in the world and needs continuous support from the media. The first idea of inviting Zampollo was born with Michele De Simone, the other soul of the Prize, to have him hold a comics lesson, as he did, much loved, to the students of the Mattei Institute in Caserta, directed by the principal Roberto Papa”.
In the newsstand issue of the prestigious children’s magazine, starting from Saturday 29 November on newsstands in Caserta and throughout Italy, the magazine will be present with the story of the lunatics who landed with their space missile in Piazza Carlo di Borbonebasically on the grass fields in front of the Royal Palace, and from there they go to visit the royal palace built by Luigi Vanvitelli and taste the pizza, an international gastronomic monument made in Campania. «With “Regal Lunch” from the “Gli Allunatici” series – explains the author, Stefano Zampollo – I wanted to remember the wonderful days spent in Caserta on the occasion of the Buone Notizie Award. I had the opportunity to meet people who enriched me greatly from a human point of view. I ate a SPACE pizza and visited the splendid Palace: I couldn’t help but tell all this in comics! What can I say…. I really hope to come back!!!” The cartoonist practically put into comics the real news of his three days in Caserta in January, on the occasion of the Buone Notizie Award. «We are very happy that this little dream has come true – adds Ferraiuolo – The Award was created with the objective of changing the paradigm of the media story on the Caserta area and Southern Italy and stories like this fill our hearts. We hope to be able to create new opportunities for growth and collaboration with Il Giornalino.”
The «Premio Buone Notizie» is no stranger to initiatives of this kind: it has also organised, among other things, the «Transit» cycle in Casal di Principe to animate the city’s first public library, once known for organized crime, also bringing the finalist writers of the Strega Prize there. The «Buone Notizie Award» is organized by Ucsi Caserta Aps, which is the owner of the brand.
The promoting committee is animated by Michele De Simone and Luigi Ferraiuolo and also enjoys the patronage of the Order of Journalists; of the Fisc, Italian Federation of Italian Catholic weekly magazines; of the Journalists’ Union with Assostampa Caserta; and the Ucsi, Italian Catholic Press Union. The award is created in partnership with Bcc Terra di Lavoro San Vincenzo de’ Paoli; the Consortium of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP; Lethe Water; the Chamber of Commerce of Caserta; and is also supported by Confindustria Caserta; «Hexagon»; Iaselli Law Firm; Studio Luberto; Reale Mutua Assicurazioni-General Agency of Caserta; Mattei Institute Caserta; Anna Maria Alois San Leucio and Tenuta Fontana.
