By Europei Mediterranei Press Office: After having achieved great success in Italy, the exhibition “From Rocco Marchegiano to Rocky Marciano” will be organized in the United States, starting next September 21. Promoted by Francesca Mancini, with the support of the Province of Chieti (a local government), the exhibit centers around the life of Rocky Marciano, whose father was from Ripa Teatina, a small town close to Chieti, in Central Italy..
From April 20 to 27, Francesca Mancini was in New York to find the right place for the exhibition. In her business trip, she was joined by Vice-President of the Province of Chieti Umberto Aimola, general secretary of the Italian Boxing Commission (FPI) Riccardo De Girolami, executive of the Italian Olympic Commission (CONI) Claudio Certosini, businesswoman Valeria De Cecco and journalist Luca De Franco whose connections with the New York boxing community were necessary to make the trip happen.
After seven days of hard work, that’s what Francesa Mancini said: “I’ve been in New York, Baltimore and Brockton and I met some great people who will guarantee the success of the exhibit. The Italian Consul in Baltimore was really enthusiast and will bring the show to his city. In Brockton, I met Marciano’s family lawyer who was more than willing to cooperate. In New York, Luca De Franco introduced me to Mr. Steven Acunto who has an impressive amount of memorabilia about Rocky Marciano. I was also glad to meet promoter Joe De Guardia, who came up with many great ideas about how to promote the exhibit. I signed a contract to rent Gleason’s Gym for three days, starting September 21 (the day of Rocky’s last fight). On Tuesday, September 23, we’ll held a big press conference at Gleason’s with one very special guest I got through Luca. I cannot say the name, but he is so famous that his presence will bring journalists from major newspapers, radios and tv networks. From September 24 to October 13 the full show will be hosted by a major art gallery. I visited eight places and most of them would be perfect. It’s just a matter of choosing the best one. In the next two months, I’ll sign all the contracts and the Rocky Marciano exhibition will go on as planned.”
In Italy, the exhibit “From Rocco Marchegiano to Rocky Marciano” was promoted in four cities:
Ripa Teatina (Abruzzi): from April 21 to September 2, 2007.
Siena (Tuscany): from July 12 to July 29, 2007.
Pescara (Abruzzi): from September 8 to September 20, 2007.
Roseto:(Abruzzi): from February 25 to March 3 2008.
Next August, the exhibit will join the Italian boxing team during the Olympic Games in Bejing (China). Considering how popular Rocky Marciano is in the United States, there’s no doubt that the exhibit will be a success in New York and Baltimore.