Collateral Mercanteinfiera | Spring Edition 2023

Created in collaboration with Massimo Cutò, is an exploration of the story of four immigrants with fearless biceps and spirit.

Bruno Sammartino, the wrestler from the Abruzzo region who electrified spectators at Madison Square Garden in New York on 188 nights, earning the name of The Living Legend. He was absolute king of the square ring for 4,040 days, and retired at the age 62.

Leone Jacovacci, from the Puglia region and of mixed race, one of the best middleweights of his time, who in 1928 in Rome won the European title – which the fascist regime then took away from him – beating the Milanese boxer Bosisio. Also, the life of the boxer Primo Carnera, from the Friuli region, a huge man weighing 120kg and standing 197cm tall (nicknamed “the walking mountain”), whose size brought him to Hollywood.

Finally, the story of Nino Benvenuti, who was voted best boxer at the 1969 Olympics ahead of Muhammad Ali. Elegant both in the ring and in a tuxedo, his boxing style was compared to a work of art.  The “tools of the trade” are on display, such as boxing gloves, punch balls, sandbags, boots and various memorabilia (e.g., the world champion belt won in the United States by the wrestler Bruno Sammartino).

The atmosphere of those days is recreated by clips from the film “La Strada” by Fellini, with Anthony Queen in the role of the itinerant strongman Zampanò.