Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani opened the event “Moto d’Italia – Cultura oltre la pista” today at the Foreign Ministry. This initiative is dedicated to promoting motorcycling as an example of Italian industrial, technological, sporting, and cultural excellence, and as a tool of sports diplomacy to strengthen Italy’s image worldwide.
During the event, the docu-series “Moto d’Italia – Cultura oltre la pista” was presented. The series was produced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, ITA, ANCMA, EICMA, and the Italian Motorcycling Federation. The project explores the connection between competition, industry, innovation, design, and local areas, highlighting a supply chain that is one of the most recognizable expressions of Made in Italy.
During the event, Minister Tajani also awarded the plaques of Ambassadors of Sports Diplomacy at the Mugello International Circuit to Giacomo Agostini, Valentino Rossi (connected remotely), Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia, Marco Bezzecchi, Max Biaggi, and Kiara Fontanesi, thus acknowledging their contribution to promoting Italy’s image worldwide through sport.
The event was attended, among others, by Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group; Matteo Zoppas, President of the Italian Trade Agency; Giovanni Copioli, President of the Italian Motorcycling Federation; Mariano Roman, President of ANCMA; and Paolo Magri, CEO of EICMA, along with many Italian motorcycling champions.
A strategic sector for Italian exports
The Italian motorcycle industry continues to be one of the leading sectors of Made in Italy. In 2025 the sector’s exports reached approximately €2.8 billion, compared to imports of about €2.1 billion, generating a positive trade balance of nearly €650 million and total trade of approximately €4.9 billion. In the first quarter of 2026, exports stood at €704 million, thus confirming the sector’s international competitiveness, with significant growth in components, up nearly 9% compared to the same period of the previous year.
The Foreign Ministry and ITA support the motorcycle industry
The international promotion of the sector is one of the growth diplomacy initiatives promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Through the network of Embassies, Consulates, and Italian Cultural Institutes, initiatives dedicated to the sector’s major anniversaries, including the Ducati Centenary and the Vespa 80th anniversary, are supported by providing promotional materials and fostering events with companies, clubs, and enthusiast communities in various countries. The Foreign Ministry, together with Ducati and MUNER – Motorvehicle University of Emilia-Romagna, is also developing the international project “Design the Ducati of the Future,” targeted to foreign design and engineering students to attract new talent to the Italian Motor Valley.
The Italian Trade Agency (ITA) is also supporting the sector with intense internationalization efforts. In view of EICMA 2026, it will accompany approximately 120 foreign importers to Milan, by also promoting a communications plan dedicated to international markets and a dedicated area for innovative startups. In 2026 it has also organized, for the first time, a mission of foreign businessmen to the Motor Bike Expo in Verona and, in collaboration with ANCMA and FMI, it is promoting business meetings during the Malaysian MotoGP Grand Prix to foster B2B meetings between Italian companies and international operators, thus strengthening the presence of Made in Italy in Asian markets.
The event ended with the opening of an exhibition dedicated to some of the most iconic Italian motorcycles that featured in MotoGP, in the year of the celebrations of Ducati’s centenary and Vespa’s eightieth anniversary.
dedicata ad alcune delle moto italiane più iconiche protagoniste della MotoGP, nell’anno delle celebrazioni del centenario di Ducati e dell’ottantesimo anniversario della Vespa.
