Paolo Verri
General Director (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Paolo Verri was born in Turin in 1966. Graduated in 1990 on Liberal-Arts at the Catholic University of Milano finalizing studies with a degree thesis on the relationship between culture, literature and television. His graduation thesis “Book and television: a difficult story” was written with the direction of Aldo Grasso and Gianfranco Bettetini and published by RAI, the national broadcasting company.
From that point on he has been working in the publishing industry, first as copy editor, then as editor in chief taking also care of several series for some publishing companies, and finally as general manager of the Italian Internazional Bookfair and Italian International Music Fair Exhibition both based in Turin (role that he held from 1993 to 1997). In the 1998 he became Media Manager for the Italian Publishers Association, promoting Italian book production at international level. In 1998 he started working for trade and promotion of the city of Turin and in the year 2000 was appointed as Chief Executive of Torino Internazionale, the association that develops, coordinates and manages the City Strategic Plans.
In 2003 he takes charge of Atrium Torino, the organization appointed to communicate the city transformations and the Olympic event held at Solferino square in Turin. During the Olympics Torino 2006 he directed the Sponsor Village.
In mid 2006 he left both roles to take on the managing of the Italia 150 project, which in may 2007 became steering committee. The main goal of the Italia 150 committee was to perform a huge, more than 9 months, event that in the year 2011 (year of the 150 anniversary of the Italian Unity) recounted the past, the present and the future of Italy. Italia 150 had a budget of 42 million euros and reached the goal to host more than 4 million people in less than 250 days.
In July 2011 he became the director of Matera 2019 Committee, an organization born to promote the city of Matera as a candidate for the European Culture Capital: successful bid, since Matera became last October 17 European Capital of Culture representing Italy in 2019.
In the meantime, from March 2013 to April 2015, he has managed contents and events for the Italian Pavillion of the Expo2015, that is taking place in Milan (May 1st and October 31st 2015) and whose title is “Feed the Planet, Energy for Life”.
Since May 2015 he has been appointed Director of the Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation, body responsible for the implementation of Matera 2019’s programme. He is also consultant for various cities in order to develop their strategic plans.
Big sport supporter, he is also president of the Osvaldo Soriano Football Club, the Italian writers national football team. He is also a travelling lover, passion that shares with his wife and their 3 children.

Claudia Di Perna
Secretary and Assistant to the Director (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Born in 1980 to a mother from Matera and father from Puglia, Claudia demonstrated from the outset a particular predilection for everything “foreign”: from languages to customs, traditions and literature. After obtaining her diploma with top marks from the Linguistic Lyceum “Liceo Linguistico T. Stigliani” in Matera, she then graduated in 2004 in Negotiation Interpreting and Translation in English and Spanish at the Scuola Superiore di Lingue Moderne per Interpreti e Traduttori di Forlì (College of Modern Languages for Interpreters and Translators in Forlì) at the University of Bologna. In her academic career exams in Russian, Japanese and French languages, plus European Rights and the Principles of Economics and Marketing were included. After graduation, she decided to return to the Basilicata region, in the belief that this was the right place and the right time for cultivating her passions and projects.
Thanks to the Leonardo project, she lived and worked for four months in Derry, Northern Ireland. Then in 2005, Claudia undertook an inspiring training course in Organisation and Management of Art Exhibitions, held by the cultural association of Circolo Culturale la Scaletta di Matera and successively, with a team of young people from Basilicata with whom she had already proven her skills in the conception, setup and management of events, in 2006 became co-founder of the Artezeta cooperative, which manages the Cripta del Peccato Original (Crypt of Original Sin) and MUSMA (Museum of Contemporary Sculpture) in Matera. Having already spent five years as a touristic interpreter, in 2010 she became an official tourist guide of the Basilicata region, focusing primarily on the conception, organising and conducting of guided tours that promote the sites and cultural heritage of the entire region.
In March 2012, she participated enthusiastically in the selection for the Secretariat of the Matera 2019 Committee, the promoting entity of the candidacy of Matera as European Capital of Culture 2019 and, having been selected, began to dedicate herself to an exciting job that would accompany the city of Matera and the entire region to achieving the ambitious title in 2014, overtaking 20 other Italian candidate cities.
In April 2015, Claudia was hired by the Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation, an entity that actuates the cultural programme expressed in the Matera 2019 dossier, taking on the role of Head of the Secretariat and Assistant to the Director.

Raffaella Pontrandolfi
Digital Communication (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Since April 2015, she has been the Digital Communications Manager for the Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation.
She manages the Foundation's digital communication tools (website, social networks, newsletters) and carries out the role of interface between creative businesses (graphic designers, photographers, video makers) and the Foundation.
Raffaella Pontrandolfi was born in Matera in 1976. After obtaining her artistic college diploma, she attended the Faculty of Physics at the University of Pisa. A course of study that reinforced her education, she was already predisposed to the attention to detail and the importance of the infinitely small. Raffaella has always been passionate about new technologies. She frequented specialisation courses in multimedia graphic design and web design, collaborating successively as a freelancer with graphic design studios and private clients in her own city and beyond.
Over the years, she has combined creativity and consolidated technique as a web and graphic designer, having extensive knowledge of new digital communication tools.
She attended two specialisation courses in “Web and Social Media Marketing”. Together with other young people from Basilicata, Raffaella formed the Matera 2019 web team in 2012. A group of “digital volunteers”, through social networks they have given voice to the values and themes of the candidacy of Matera as European Capital of Culture 2019.
In February 2013, Raffaella undertook a 6-month internship with the Matera 2019 Committee and after, until in March 2015, was the Head of Digital Communications for the said Committee.
She loves her work and considers it a great responsibility, as well as an opportunity, to commit to an ambitious project for the development of the territory. Raffaella loves to relax by listening to rock music, going to the cinema and taking romantic vacations with her husband.

Rossella Tarantino
Development and Relations Manager (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Born in Matera, economist, she is specialized in the design, implementation and evaluation of public policies, with a focus on education, culture and social innovation.
She is the Development and Relations Manager of the Foundation Matera-Basilicata 2019.
From 2002 to 2014 she worked in in the Public Investment Evaluation Unit of Basilicata Region. Under this post, she drafted Strategic Plans (i.e. Regional Economic and Financial Programmes), conducted evaluation studies on projects and policies, designed and developed pilot projects on local development empowered by creativity (i.e. Visioni Urbane, considered as one of the best practices in cultural policies also because of its emphasis on technology and community approach). In addition, she also took part in twinning experiences with Eastern Countries (Poland, Romania, Bulgaria) and ran a project on archeology and communities involvement in Jordan.
Because of her competences, in 2010 she was entrusted by Regione Basilicata to Matera 2019 Committee for the preparation of the bid for the title of ECOC. As Project manager, she defined and ran the pilot projects and residencies aimed to strengthen the EU dimension and to encompass it in the city and citizens dimension, developed all the plans aimed to ensure the budget allocation of the bid book (and of the bidding process as well), ensured a close coordination between the bid strategy and the regional and urban policies, took part in the drafting of the 2 bid books as to the aspects concerning finance, legacy and governance as well as to the 2 interviews with the Selection Panel. In addition, she took care of the preparatory work for the setting up of Matera 2019 Committee and subsequently of Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation.
From 1994 to 2001, she worked in Brussels and matured a long experience in running and assessing cooperation programmes with third countries (India, Mediterranean countries) in the cultural and education field. She took part in several monitoring missions on site both in Indian and EU Universities. In addition, she designed and ran a EU project on Museums storytelling and merchandising.
For the European Commission she took part in a number of selection panels of EC projects in the media and cultural sector. She is also the author of 3 publications (Feasibility studies on tourism and culture; on Visioni Urbane; on Open Matera-Open future, published on Symbola Annual Report).
European committed, she had the privilege of being one of the first Erasmus students (1988 University of Louvain la Neuve).

Rita Orlando
Management, Monitoring and Follow-up (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Rita Orlando is an architect, always on the search for something new, as a manifestation of her happy restlessness.
Since July 2015, she has been part of the Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation team, focusing on networking, management and follow-up of projects. During the application phase, on behalf of the Matera 2019 Committee, she oversaw innovative projects at a European level (Living on the Edge, unMonastery, Innovation Lab), the artistic residencies programme (devoted to co-productions for the Materadio festival) and the cultural entertainment initiatives of the territory dedicated to schools; in the post-designation phase, Rita has contributed to the administrative closure of the Committee and to the start-up of the Foundation. After graduating in Architecture from the Polytechnic Institute of Bari, she worked for many years at an international architectural firm in Matera, predominantly focusing on projects around the world (in the United States, Montenegro and China) and coordinating multidisciplinary working groups, having the opportunity to learn about different cultures, being her great passion.Successively, Rita worked freelance, even participating in innovative and experimental projects in the cultural field and cultivating her passion for design (also thanks to the “MIM” workshop by PoliMi - the Polytechnic Institute of Milan).
Rita strongly believes in the values of teamwork and the sharing of knowledge and experiences. She loves her job and singing her heart out, and always has her suitcase ready! She likes to think that: “The future is an open book”.

Massimiliano Burgi
Territorial Development (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Massimiliano E. Burgi was born in Matera, Italy on 31st July 1972. After graduating from artistic college, he earned his degree in architecture from the University of Florence, where he also attended the La Pira International Centre, a training ground for life with the belief that a united world is possible. Returning to Matera, he worked as an architect with IPOGEA, an Education Centre on Knowledge and Traditional Techniques, flanking architect Pietro Laureano in the drafting and creation of Italian projects, from which he discovered a scientific reading of the ancient cave dwellings of Sassi di Matera, that was interwoven with a love for the Ancient Neighbourhoods imparted by his father on long Sunday strolls.
Impassioned by working freelance, Massimiliano commenced operating as an architect in the field of restoration and salvaging of common and historical-monumental architecture, utilising traditional and innovative construction systems. Massimiliano places particular emphasis on water harvesting systems. He participates in conferences on traditional systems and processes of desertification. He has published texts and articles on the salvaging of the landscape, architecture of the past and desertification.
In 2009, he was appointed a member of the Technical-Scientific Committee of the Natural History Archaeological Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera, in the role of landscape architect. In Saudi Arabia's Riyadh for a presentation in June 2010 on the architectural system of Sassi di Matera, he discovered the fascinating Islamic world. In September 2011, Massimiliano participated in Tokyo, the first city he loved as a child, attending a work session on sustainable architecture promoted by the International Union of Architects. From 2012 to 2015, he has carried out the role of strict tutor for the graduation course in Architecture at the University of Basilicata.
In 2008, Massimiliano was among the group to propose the idea of nominating Matera for the title of European Capital of Culture 2019, seeing in this candidacy the chance for growth for Matera, for the Basilicata region and for the entire south. He thus commenced, firstly, by joining the Matera 2019 Association and then by working with the Matera 2019 Committee, dedicating himself, together with his colleagues and with all their hearts, so that the citizens of Matera and Basilicata may feel that they too are protagonists and participants in the candidacy pathway. He currently works with the Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation, focused on the citizen and city dimension.
Besides to his family, in his free time Massimiliano is devoted to cooking, reading and freestyle swimming.

Ariane Bieou
Cultural Manager (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Qualified architect, she worked for 15 years in Italy, first as associated architect and then in the management of cultural projects in the field of performing arts, particularly in designing, managing and coordinating art events in public spaces or in connection with heritage. She's also represented the italian partnership from 2006 of IN SITU, the European network for artistic creation in public space. Since 2011, she coordinates IN SITU, leaded by Lieux publics, centre national de création (Marseille – France), and run the ongoing projects META 2011-2016, IN SITU Platform 2014-2017 and IN SITU ACT 2016-2020 that gathers 25 partners from 17 countries throughout Europe. From 2003 and during the course of five projects financed by the European Commission, the activity of IN SITU covered project launches, artistic production, European residences, transnational programming as well as the development and evaluation of pilot actions promoting mobility.

Ida Leone
Build up project coordinator (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Born in 1966, graduated from Law school, passionate about digital technologies and new forms of online communication, blogger since 2003. Since 2005, she has worked on the Basilicata regional culture policies (Short List Cultura and Visioni Urbane projects). From 2011 to 2015 she was the coordinator of the webteam Matera 2019, which had the function of spreading and pushing the promoter committee initiatives on social media. She also coordinated the online community design and implementation, which allowed citizens to propose projects to support the Matera 2019 candidacy, and to discuss issues that were the core of the dossier that allowed Matera to be selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2019. She is interested in all the topics related to the web usage as a tool of freedom and participation: open street map, open data, data re-usage, coding for children, online discussions on common topics, and mobilization of collective intelligences. From 2004 and 2015 she was a member of the Strategic Team for POR Basilicata 2000-2006 and PO FES Basilicata 2007-2013 at Basilicata Region, with support functions for upper management and the management activities.

Rebecca Raponi
Organization, production and logistics (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Having obtained her Diploma in Interior Architecture at the European Institute of Design in 1997, she initially collaborated until 2001 with the Valentino Haute Couture fashion house in the design and realisation of shop fittings within the world of visual merchandising in the company-owned boutiques around the world.
This experience lead her to frequent a cosmopolitan environment that was alive and multifaceted, evolving into a permanent partnership with the RomaEuropa Festival, an international event of contemporary theatre, music and dance that takes place in the principal theatres of the city. Here, for almost ten years, she was responsible for all organisational sectors, from the interpretation of stage sets, to production in close contact with the artists, through to the promotion of the scheduled events. Meeting the love of her life in 1997, Rebecca came to know Matera. After such extensive professional experience and the birth of her first two children, in 2010 she decided to move here. This was the year in which the city became a candidate for European Capital of Culture for the year 2019. Initially chosen to work on the Radio3 festival, Materadio, her collaboration became permanent, overseeing large and small events of the Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation.

Giuseppe Romaniello
Administrative and Financial Manager (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

A business school graduate, Mr Romaniello is the Special Commissioner for the APOF-IL, the Province of Potenza’s Agency for Orientation, Education and Labour after having been, since 2010, its General Manager. His responsibilities included planning, management and control of the agencies activities, coordinating the activities of 130 work units, including employees and collaborators. He managed an annual budget of an average of 10 million euro from EU, national and regional funds.
An expert in programming, management, monitoring, procedures and control of the Structural Funds, his expertise is in economic and financial planning and the management of public administrations. While he was its head, the Province’s in-house Agency consolidated its role of territorial control over educational policy via the creation of annual Programme Plans (Piani Programmi) aimed at some 8,000 users annually.
From 2004 to 2009 he was a member of the Technical Assistance Group for the activation procedures of the POR Basilicata 2000-2006 and the PO FES Basilicata 2007-2013 at the Department of Education, Labour, Culture and Sports, with support functions for upper management and the management authority in the field of action planning, the monitoring of financial, fiscal and procedural data of the Programme, as well as managing the finances and operation controls to ensure proper management and surveillance of the PO.

Antonella Buono
Administration (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Antonella Buono is a dreamer and a creative mind - these not generally the characteristics of someone having been involved in administration and accounting for so many years. Her educative pathway saw her first graduate from Matera's “Antonio Loperfido” Business Technical Institute, before her studies led her to Bari, where she attended the University of Economics and Business and completed a specialisation course in “Business Administration and Management”, with its relative six-month internship at the Banca Popolare in Mezzoggiorno. Training courses in Macroeconomics and Asset Management were followed by courses in Bancassurance plus Elements of Communication and Sales. Antonella now works for Financial and Accounting Consultancy firms, where her knowledge and training is enhanced and consolidated.
She can attest to having always wanted to concern herself with numbers, papers, accounting and company balance sheets. It is a job she loves to do, in a responsible and professional manner. Yet she loves even more to travel and to play outdoor sports so as to enjoy the nature that surrounds her. In 2014, Antonella joined the team of Matera 2019 Committee, today known as the Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation. A different organisation from her previous places of employment, it is an environment she likes to define as being “creative”, where she may develop personal relationships that form a source of growth and contrast.