On 3 July, the Italian Festival in Russia kicked off in the city of Ekaterinburg. The festival is organized every year by ENIT – the Italian National Tourism Agency with the support of the Italian Embassy in Moscow and is now considered a tradition for Russian citizens. The two-day Festival was held on the square in front of the famous Yeltsin Center.
Visitors got a taste of Italy’s rich cultural heritage without having to leave Russia. The event included a vaste program of theatre shows, creative workshops for families, a food market with traditional cuisine from the various Italian regions, Italian language lessons with native speakers and entertainment for kids. All of this was accompanied by live performances and Italian music.
The opening ceremony of the festival was attended by the Ambassador of Italy in Russia Pasquale Terracciano, the President of ENIT Giorgio Palmucci, the Honorary Consul of Italy in Ekaterinburg Roberto D’Agostino and the Mayor of Ekaterinburg, Alexei Orlov.
The festival also served as a launch event for Innoprom 2021, the international industrial fair. This year Italy was chosen as the Partner Country of the fair, the first time for a European country. The fair, held from 5 to 8 July at the Ekaterinburg Expo International Exhibition Center, is considered one of the main global events in the industrial sector.
The Italian participation included a large delegation made up – according to Russia Beyond – of “over 50 companies specialized in the energy, environment, aerospace, automotive, mechanics, foundry and engineering sectors, and more than 10 start-ups active in the innovation sector, all characterized by very high technological capabilities.”
The goal of the Italian delegation was to “foster new commercial collaborations with Russia in those sectors of the economy where Italian know-how and experience can help achieve a green technological and digital transition”. This year’s data confirmed that, despite the pandemic, trade between Italy and Russia remains very relevant to both countries.
The Italian Minister of Economic Development Giancarlo Giorgetti arrived in Ekaterinburg on June 5 to inaugurate the Italian Pavilion. Mr. Giorgetti together with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov also launched the Italy-Russia Business Forum, an important avenue for dialogue between institutions and economic actors of the two countries.
Finally, several cultural events accompanied Innoprom 2021. Exhibitions, film screenings, street performances, food and wine tours and concerts celebrated Italian culture and the long tradition of cultural exchange between the Russian and Italian people. Among these there was the exhibition “Leonardo Da Vinci: Universal Man“, set up at the Yeltsin Center. Thanks to the exhibition, for the first time the public in Ekaterinburg was able to admire some original drawings of the Italian inventor and as well as the models of some of his most famous inventions.
