Итальянец переехал в Армению после Спитакского землетрясения

Antonio Montalto was born in Palermo, received a medical education, and worked for a long time in Rome, where he participated in providing aid to victims of the Irpinia earthquake (Italy, 1979). In 1989, he visited Armenia for the first time as part of a team of medical professionals and led medical projects for those affected by the Spitak earthquake. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, during Armenia's humanitarian crisis, he was invited to participate in other humanitarian projects. During this time, he decided to make Armenia his permanent home. Shortly afterward, he founded the Family Care Foundation, aiming to support Armenia's economic and cultural development. Since 2001, he has served as the Honorary Consul of Italy in Gyumri. Antonio opened several boutique hotels in Gyumri and Yerevan located in historic buildings, worked on restoring Gyumri’s historic appearance, and founded a ceramic school. In an interview, I was curious to learn what inspired Antonio to dedicate his life to helping people and preserving the heritage of Gyumri and Armenia. My Instagram:   / ishkhan374   Support me on Patreon:   / ishkhan   Antonio Montalto on Instagram:   / montalto.antonio   Family Care Foundation: https://familycarearmenia.org/en/ Ceramics Production:   / armenian_ceramics   Boutique Hotels in Historic Buildings: https://armenianvillas.com/en/ Special thanks for help with the interview translation:   / karishokk   Timestamps: 0:00 - Start 1:12 - First impressions of Spitak after the earthquake 3:20 - First actions taken 4:19 - When did Antonio decide to stay and live there? 5:03 - I disagree with Antonio 7:27 - How similar are Sicilians and Armenians? 8:43 - Shared challenges of Sicilians and Armenians 11:53 - Touring the Villa Kars hotel 13:50 - Has Gyumri been developing more recently? 14:53 - Restoring an old door in Gyumri 15:29 - About George Gurdjieff 16:48 - Did Antonio learn Armenian over 30 years? 17:30 - How has Antonio’s character changed after living in Armenia? 19:26 - On the history of Armenian ceramic artists 21:10 - Why did Antonio start working with ceramics? 22:26 - On modern experts 23:07 - Entering the new cultural center 24:46 - Why is a cultural center being built? 26:31 - Ceramic house numbers around Gyumri 28:09 - Visiting the Armenian ceramics museum 29:37 - More on Antonio's activities in 1989 31:46 - Why is the hotel called Villa Kars? 32:41 - Why is it important to preserve historical heritage? 34:10 - A message from Antonio to followers 36:43 - Does Antonio feel Armenian?