Angelo Rizzoli

Early life

Rizzoli was born in Milan on 31 October 1889. Orphaned at a young age and raised in poverty, he rose to prosperity. He apprenticed in the printer trade and later became an entrepreneur in his twenties.

Career

In 1927, Rizzoli founded the company A. Rizzoli & Co. (later RCS MediaGroup). In 1927 Rizzoli acquired Novella magazine, a bi-weekly primarily for women that reached a circulation of 130,000 copies, After his initial purchase, he added several new publications including Annabella, Bertoldo, Candido, Omnibus, and Oggi e L'Europeo. His operations were moved in 1960 to a complex on Via Civitavecchia in Milan.

He was amongst the first producers of daily newspapers within the relatively newly established nation of Italy.

Active in film, he had control of the French company Francinex with which he co-produced Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960) and 8½ (1963), as well as French films such as Une Parisienne (1957). In 1964 Rizzoli opened the original Rizzoli International Bookstore in New York City at 712 Fifth Avenue, designed by architect Ferdinand Gottlieb. The bookstore was featured in various Hollywood films, most notably, Woody Allen's Manhattan and Falling in Love with Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. He also produced the controversial documentary film Africa Addio.

A museum about Rizzoli's life and career is located at Villa Arbusto within the guest house of that place, at Lacco Ameno. Within this are held 500 photographic-records or evidence of his activities taken on-set during production. The museum also holds the Pithekoussai Archaeological Museum.

Personal life

Rizzoli married Anna Marzorati with whom he had two children, Andrea and Giuseppina. Rizzoli died aged 81 years of age.

Selected filmography

• Red Roses (1940)
• We're Dancing on the Rainbow (1952)
• The Two Orphans (1954)
• Madame Butterfly (1954)
• Madame du Barry (1954)
• Paris, Palace Hotel (1956)
• La Dolce Vita (1960)
• All the Gold in the World (1961)
• 8½ (1963)

References

References

1. Deirdre Pirro. (29 September 2011). "Angelo Rizzoli. From magazines to movies". The Florentine.
2. (2000). "Le grandi famiglie: i Rizzoli". Mariateresa Truncellito.
3. (2007). "European Media Governance: National and Regional Dimensions". Intellect.
4. "Museo Angelo Rizzoli – Museums – Ischia – Napoli". InCampania.
5. "Google Drive Viewer".
6. (September 2011). "Viva l'Italia! The Risorgimento on Screen". Harvard Film Archive.
7. (21 November 2013). "Rizzoli Bookstore". Rizzoli USA.
8. link. (18 March 2012)
9. Giorgio Buchner. "Pithekoussai: Oldest Greek Colony in the West". Penn museum.