This morning, we met with Elisa Rosso of Torina Internazionale.  She talked with us about strategic planning in Torino.  Torino is the fourth largest city in Italy and the metropolitan area has 1.7 million inhabitants.  There are 53 municipalities in the metro area.  There are four rivers in Torino, one of which of the Po River.  I asked if drinking water was taken from the rivers, and Elisa said she hoped not.  She said they are close to the Alps so she thinks the city's drinking water comes from there.

Torino, in the past, has been Italy's main industrial city with FIAT motors.  I never knew this, but FIAT is an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino.  Until 1980, Torino's economy was still strongly linked to the car industry.  But, over the past 10 years, the area has undergone a transformation.  A strategic plan was developed in 2000 to redefine the city's identity.  Torino Internazionale was created to implement the strategic plan.  Here are some of the changes that are taking place in Torino:
Creation of a railway link
Construction of a subway system
Expansion of TRAM system
Underground parking




A second strategic plan was developed in 2005.  This plan focuses on developing a society oriented to the production and delivery of high-value-added products and services.  The key to achieving this goal is investment in human capital and innovation. 


Here's the group with Elisa.  It's a little blurry. 



After this meeting, we went tovisit a non-profit organization called SiTI - the Higher Institute on Innovation Territorial Systems (http://www.siti.polito.it/eng/siti.htm).  They produce research and training for innovation sustainability and socioeconomic growth.  They have a few different programs, but the one I was most interested in is called ITHACA.  This stands for  Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation, and Action.  They develop tools and technologies for providing immediate response to natural or man-made disasters.  They work with the United Nations World Food Programme.  We only received a 10 minute briefing on this, but I want to learn more about it. 

After visiting SiTI, we had lunch and a short break.  We then met Antonio Strumia, Managing Director of the Mario Boella Institute (www.ismb.it).  He was very excited to have visitors from the United States.  ISMB is a collaboration between universities and industry.  They develop technological prototypes.  For example, they have developed something called eHealth.  This looks like a wristwatch, but measures pulse, blood pressure, and temperature to help monitor the health of people.  At the end of our visit, he presented each of us a lovely book on Torino.  


To end the day, we visited the Cinema Museum.  There is an elevator ("liift") that takes you up about 80 meters.  From here we could see the whole city.  There is a lot of haze.  I don't know if it is a natural phenomenon, air pollution, or a combination of both.  No one I ask seems to know....








We had a dinner scheduled for tonight, but it was cancelled.  THANK GOODNESS, maybe I can get some much needed rest!!  Tomorrow, I am scheduled to meet with someone who deals with bird flu/pandemic flu.  The details are fuzzy, so I'll let you know how it goes.  Until then...here's a photo of an ice cream shop. Delicious!