Parma, 4 April 2011

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Unification [of Italy],
an article appeared in the Corriere della Sera titled: “The Things
that Remain of Italy". It contains lists of prominent Italians divided
into seven categories (Literature, Cinema, Theater, Art, Architecture,
Music, Science/Inventions).

Among the ten scientists present in the Science/Inventions category
is Prof. Giacomo Rizzolatti, professor at the University of Parma,
who discovered in 1992 a class of neurons in the premotor
cortex of the monkey ("mirror neurons"), which may play a role in
the evolution of human language.

The inclusion of Prof. Rizzolatti in the "top ten" of the best Italian
scientists since the unification of Italy is particularly significant if
we take into account the other authoritative scientists mentioned,
which includes six Nobel Laureates: