On April 27, in Dubai, Italy inaugurated its Expo 2020 Pavilion with a brief ceremony attended by Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio. The event, which was broadcast live on Italian tv channel Rai Uno, was also attended by Italian Commissioner General for Expo 2020 Dubai, Paolo Glisenti, the President of Fincantieri, Giampiero Massolo and the mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, accompanied by local authorities.
The Italy Pavilion is still under construction, but it will be completed in time for the opening of Expo 2020, which is planned for October. The universal Exposition was to be held last year but was rescheduled due to the pandemic. Expo 2020 hopes to become the global symbol of a new beginning. Certainly, this is what the Italian government expects it to be. Italy is set to conclude its vaccination campaign in September, and it is ready to support Italian companies in the global market, hoping this will help it boost employment and relaunch its economy.
“Expo 2020 is a unique opportunity to valorize Italian competencies, stimulate cooperation and promote Made in Italy” said Mr. Di Maio after his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, HE Sheik Abdallah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, adding that Italian firms look with interest to the UAE as a potential connection hub for the Middle Eastern, North African and Asian markets.
During the ceremony, Mr. Di Maio inaugurated the three hulls that, as we explained here, will cover the roof of the building, forming the biggest tricolore (this is how Italians refer to their flag) ever created. As explained by Giampiero Massolo, the three hulls symbolize Italy’s vitality and desire to keep up with this challenging times. The hulls, build by Italian company Fincantieri, were inaugurated with a proper launching ceremony that included the breaking of a bottle – containing a non-alcoholic drink, in respect of Islamic prescriptions.
Later, Di Maio entered the Pavilion and unveiled “David’s Twin”, the wonderful and faithful artistic reproduction of Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the statue of David. The Twin was created in Florence by a team of restorers and experts and was later transported to Dubai. “What we see in front of us – said Mr. Di Maio admiring the statue positioned at the center of the Pavilion – is Italy’s greatness. Our participation to Expo 2020 Dubai is an opportunity to show the world that Made in Italy is not only a label, but also a way of thinking and expressing quality and excellence.”
Quality and excellence, together with sustainability, are the pillars of Italy’s participation to Expo 2020. The Pavilion, created with contributions by companies that represent Italian competence, innovation ability and commitment to sustainable values, was built to be totally recyclable. The building, with the Twin at its center symbolizing Italian genius, underlines Italy’s ability to coniugate art and culture with science and technology, to mix beauty with innovation. It is no coincidence that “beauty that connects people” is the slogan Italy chose for Expo 2020.
