Ali del Levante N.56 Maggio 2013 - Aeroporti di Puglia

Apulia’s
Hot Edge
Sporting Sharp
Wings
An English summary
by Gino Lorenzelli
Apulian airports head for success
Aeroporti di Puglia latest financial
figures look bright despite the international
crisis and a general business and
passengers contraction throughout the
Italian airport system. According to the
latest Apulian airport agency’s shareholders
meeting, 2012 showed an interesting
figure of more than 1 million
Euro operating income (over 10 % more
than the same 2011 figure), with an increase
in terms of sales and services revenues
of more than half a million Euro.
2012 traffic figures were positive too,
considering that the modest +0,72%
increase must be compared with the
average Italian decrease (-1,3%), with
particular regard to domestic traffic,
which during 2012 marked a -5,2% reduction.
More than 5.8 million passengers
touched the Apulian soil last year, a
steadily growing figure than cannot be
ignored by international travel brokers
and public institutions alike.
The recent “change of the guard” at
Aeroporti di Puglia top leadership, with
the appointment of Giuseppe Acierno
as sole director, is first of all recognition
of past success and unquestionable
quality-and-quantity improvement of
the entire Apulian airport system. As
Giuseppe Acierno (44, an internationally
qualified administrator and aerospace
policies manager) recently remarked,
“we have the challenging task of leveraging
from past success and enhancing
our Region’s economy in order to meet
and exceed the Mediterranean market’s
expectations. For more than 10 years,
Apulian airports have furnished ample
evidence of being capable to not only
keep the economic balance right, but to
provide an essential engine to make Pu-
glia the success story it undeniably is”.
Washington: Home
of the American Dream
by Sergio De Nicola
Usually quoted for just being home to
the President and other world-renowned
institutions (the Pentagon, the CIA
and the Congress), Washington indeed
hosts some of the most historical
landmarks of the United States. One
cannot start an historic tour without a
long stroll around the National Mall, the
central point of most sightseeing visits
to the Capital city of the U.S. The treelined
open space between Constitution
and Independence Avenues extends
from the Washington Monument to the
U.S. Capitol Building. Ten of the museums
of the Smithsonian Institution are
located within the heart of the nation’s
capital, offering a variety of exhibits
ranging from art to space exploration.
The U.S. Capitol Building, the meeting
chambers for the Senate and the
House of Representatives, is one of the
most recognizable historic buildings
in Washington. It is a prominent landmark
and an impressive example of
19th-century neoclassical architecture.
In addition to the Capitol Building, six
Congressional office buildings and three
Library of Congress buildings make up
Capitol Hill. With 540 rooms divided
among five levels, the U.S. Capitol is a
massive building. Under the dome in
the center of the Capitol Building is the
Rotunda, a circular space that serves as
a gallery of paintings and sculpture of
American historical figures and events.
The third floor is where visitors can watch
the proceedings of Congress when
in session. The National Mall is not just
a great place to visit world class museums
and national landmarks, but also
a gathering place to picnic and attend
outdoor festivals. Americans and visitors
from all over the world have used the
expansive lawn as a site for protests and
rallies. The impressive architecture and
natural beauty of the Mall make it a unique
place that celebrates and preserves
our nation’s history and democracy.
From there, the view of the Washington
Monument, honoring the first president,
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English summary
George Washington, is astonishing. The
Monument is the tallest structure in the
nation’s capital and towers over 250
meters above the National Mall.
While in D.C. (as most Americans refer
to their beloved Capital) do not miss
the incredible array of museums. And
do start from the Smithsonian, which in
fact is a federal institution with multiple
museums scattered throughout
Washington. Ten of the buildings are located
on the National Mall from 3rd to
14th Streets between Constitution and
Independence Avenues, within a radius
of about one mile. There is so much to
see at the Smithsonian that you can not
see it all in one day. IMAX movies are
especially popular, so it is a good idea
to plan ahead and buy your tickets a
few hours in advance.
The National Gallery of Art is a world-class
art museum with one of the
largest collections of masterpieces in
the world including paintings, drawings,
prints, photographs, sculpture, and
decorative arts from the 13th century to
the present. Because of its prime location
on the National Mall, many people
think the National Gallery is a part of
the Smithsonian. Another landmark
exhibit in D.C. is the Newseum, a sixlevel,
high-tech and interactive museum
tracing the history of news reporting
from the 16th century to the present
day. In 250,000 square feet of exhibit
space, the Newseum offers visitors 15
theaters, 14 major galleries, two stateof-the-art
broadcast studios and a 4-D
time-travel experience. The exhibition
galleries explore news history, electronic
news, photojournalism, world news
and how the media have covered major
historical events.
National Monuments and Memorials
are also historic landmarks honoring
America’s past, its presidents, founding
fathers and war veterans. They are
wonderful to visit in nice weather and
the views from each of them are unique
and special. The easiest way to visit the
monuments is on a sightseeing tour, as
the memorials are very spread out and
to see all of them on foot involves a lot
of walking. The monuments are also
spectacular to visit at night when they