by Maximiliano Crocamo
Interview: Chiara Barbo, president of La Cappella Underground; Paolo Condò, journalist from Trieste with an extensive career including work at Il Piccolo, La Gazzetta dello Sport, La Repubblica, and Sky, and currently serves as an editorialist for Corriere della Sera and is the only Italian journalist on the Ballon d’Or jury.
La Cappella Underground, one of Italy’s longest-running film societies, and Paolo Condò, a Trieste-born journalist with a prominent national profile in sports writing, were awarded the 59th San Giusto d’Oro on Tuesday in a ceremony at City Hall that highlighted the city’s enduring ties to cinema and journalism.
The annual prize, promoted by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Press Association and the Gruppo Giuliano Cronisti in collaboration with the Municipality of Trieste and supported by the Fondazione CRTrieste, has been awarded since 1967. It includes a gold statuette by the sculptor Tristano Alberti. This year’s edition also featured a special plaque recognizing Condò’s career.
Before the public ceremony, Mayor Roberto Dipiazza met privately with Chiara Barbo, president of La Cappella Underground, and Mr. Condò in the Salotto Azzurro of the municipal building. Both signed the city’s Libro d’Oro, the official register reserved for notable guests and honorees.
The event, attended by civic, military, and religious authorities, opened with remarks from Francesco di Paola Panteca, president of the City Council, followed by Francesco Peroni, a member of Fondazione CRTrieste’s board, and Mayor Dipiazza. In his address, the mayor recalled the origins of La Cappella Underground and described it as a defining presence in Trieste’s cultural life.
Founded in the late 1960s, La Cappella Underground has become synonymous with film culture in the city, with activities ranging from repertory screenings and experimental audiovisual projects to educational programs and international collaborations. Its work includes programming at venues such as the Cinema Ariston, managing the Mediateca, and organizing events like the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival. The association tailors its initiatives to different audiences, from students to cinephiles, combining film exhibition with critical discussion and production.
Mayor Dipiazza also traced the professional path of Mr. Condò, who began his career at Il Piccolo of Trieste in the early 1980s and went on to write for major national outlets. Over the years, he has been a leading voice at La Gazzetta dello Sport, later moving to La Repubblica, and has become a familiar presence on Sky Sport broadcasts. In January 2025, he joined Corriere della Sera as an editorialist. He is also the only Italian journalist to serve on the international jury for the Ballon d’Or, football’s most prestigious individual award.
Carlo Muscatello, president of Assostampa FVG, framed the choice of honorees within a broader reflection on culture’s role in uncertain times. He described cinema and the arts as both a space for escape and a form of cultural resilience amid global conflict and crisis. La Cappella Underground, he noted, is among the two oldest cineclubs in Italy and remains a central reference point for film lovers in Trieste. Its recent assumption of management of the restored Cinema Ariston, a historic art-house theater, was cited as a new chapter in a long institutional history.
Mr. Muscatello also introduced the special plaque awarded to Mr. Condò, calling it recognition of a career marked by steady progression and national influence, from local reporting in Trieste to a leading role in Italian sports journalism. He noted Mr. Condò’s work as an author and his long-standing participation in the Ballon d’Or jury.
The plaque was presented by Furio Baldassi on behalf of the Gruppo Cronisti. In brief remarks, Mr. Baldassi recalled Mr. Condò’s formative years not only at Il Piccolo but also at Trieste Sport, a weekly publication that played an outsized role in the city’s sports journalism scene. He described Mr. Condò as Italy’s foremost football commentator.
Accepting the award, Mr. Condò expressed gratitude to his colleagues and to the city where his career began. He observed that professional recognition at home can be elusive and said that the San Giusto d’Oro held particular meaning because it came from fellow journalists in Trieste. He credited the city’s schools, cultural institutions, and early mentors with shaping his professional discipline, and reflected on the importance of mentorship in journalism, a tradition he suggested has become less common.
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the San Giusto d’Oro statuette to Ms. Barbo. In her remarks, she revisited the origins of La Cappella Underground in December 1968, when a group of young people set out to bring innovative and experimental forms of cinema to Trieste. Over time, she said, the association anticipated trends and built a strong social and cultural mission around film.
Today, La Cappella Underground is recognized nationally and internationally for promoting auteur cinema through screenings, festivals, educational workshops, exhibitions, and audiovisual productions. Ms. Barbo emphasized the organization’s commitment to cultural continuity and to future generations, thanking both past leaders and current collaborators for sustaining an institution that has become a cornerstone of Trieste’s cultural identity.
