Those awarded as Ambassadors of the lands of Puglia 2025
There is a tenacious thread that unites the city of Milan and Lombardy to Puglia, a web of faces, stories and talents that is renewed every year in the Award “Ambassadors of the lands of Puglia”now in its nineteenth edition and organized byRegional Apulian Association of Milan.
An award that does not simply celebrate success, but the ability to bring the light of an ancient, hard-working and creative land into the world. Saturday 22 November, at 5pm, in theTestori Auditorium of Palazzo Lombardia, this thread will shine again through four new figures called to tell, with their commitment, the richness of the Apulian people. This year’s awardees represent the multifaceted spirit of the region: Giuseppe Manfredi, president of the Italian Volleyball Federation, symbol of a Puglia that knows how to grow and win with the strength of team play; Roberta DiLaura, dancer and choreographer, who brings grace and discipline to international stages; the magistrate Stefano Dambruosoalways committed to the defense of legality; and the Torre Guaceto nature reserve and marine protected areain the province of Brindisi, guardian of the most authentic Salento, where nature still speaks with a clear voice. Next to them, a special mention will go to Leonardo Lanzilaoentrepreneur and territorial marketing expert, for his work in promoting Apulian culture and productive excellence, especially those of Salento.
«This recognition was born with the intention of making known, through the best protagonists, the thought, culture and ingenuity of the people of Puglia», explains the president of the Award, Giovanna Iannantuoni., former rector of the University of Milan-Bicocca.
A mission that over the years has become a collective story: stories that speak of roots and future, of passion and competence, of people who have been able to carry the face of their land far away. The general also confirms this Camillo de Milatopresident of the Puglia Regional Association of Milan: «The strength of this Award is that of telling our region through the faces and stories of those who made it noble in the field in which they operated».
A mosaic of experiences which, year after year, reveals a Puglia that does not allow itself to be defined by a single image, but lives in the breadth of its talents. «In a world that tends to globalize everything», adds the creator of the Award, Giuseppe Selvaggi, «rewarding people and institutions means restoring value to the territory to which they belong».
The evening, hosted by the journalist Nicla Pastore, will be enriched by the lyrical voice of the soprano Carly Paoli and from the notes of the Città di Milano plectrum orchestra, in a harmonious dialogue between music and memory.
An Award which, in its eighteen editions, has seen much-loved figures pass by – from Lino Banfi to Negramaro, from Al Bano to Checco Zalone, from Ron to large scientific and cultural institutions – up to the names of charity, research, creativity and civil commitment.
The symbol that brings them all together is the Award logo: the lighthouse of Santa Maria di Leuca, overlooking the extreme edge of Puglia, where the land ends and the sea begins. A lighthouse that looks to the East, as if to remember that every authentic identity is called to dialogue and enter into relationships with other cultures.
The Honorary Committee, chaired by General de Milato, brings together personalities from civil society, the world of institutions, culture and the armed forces, all united by the commitment to preserving the best story of their land.
Organized by the Puglia Regional Association of Milan with the collaboration of the Lombardy Region and the patronage of the Senate and the Chamber, the Award is not just a ceremony: it is a celebration of roots, a tribute to the dignity of human ingenuity, a bridge that continues to unite. Because the lands of Puglia, like their ambassadors, never stop speaking to the hearts of those who encounter them.
