The Directorate General for Growth and Export Promotion coordinates Italy’s promotional activities, working closely with public and private partners and the various branches of the Italian system, to foster the country’s growth and the internationalization of Italian companies. The promotion of Italian excellence around the world showcases Italy’s lifestyle, way of being and know-how, with the aim of presenting to an international audience the values, talents, wisdom, beauty, variety, originality, and drive for innovation that have always characterized the various aspects of Italian culture, economy, science, and technology. This narrative portrays a diverse, industrious, resilient country, built on its past and oriented toward the future.
Each initiative stems from a theme that is developed and explored in its various dimensions, using different languages and tools. The result is the conception, design and production of original content for an international audience, to be disseminated in a variety of ways and formats, ranging from experiential exhibitions to audiovisual products, publishing, and gaming. Since 2020, we have produced over 100 original projects with the contribution of more than 400 players, including companies, associations, local authorities, artists, and creatives, giving life to over 20,000 events worldwide.
The Directorate General also supports and promotes, within an integrated approach, major international events held in Italy, using them as valuable levers for promoting Italy.
THEMATIC EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS: DESIGN, HAUTE CUISINE, SPACE AND SPORT
- Italian Design Day: annual event launched in 2017 by the Directorate, in collaboration and with the support of the Ministry of Culture, for the promotion and internationalisation of a strategic sector for Italian exports.
- Italian Research Day in the World: annual event organized on April 15, the birth anniversary of Italian genius Leonardo Da Vinci, which aims to enhance the Italian researchers’ contribution to international science and promote the dissemination of the results of their research. The first one was launched in 2018 by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Education, University and Research and the Ministry of Health.
- Italian Cuisine Week in the World: annual event organized since 2016 by the Directorate, which is an opportunity to promote Italian food and wine excellence, the Mediterranean diet and scientific innovation in the agri-food sector, as well as to combat the phenomenon of Italian sounding.
- National Space Day: established in 2021 to celebrate the launch of Italy’s first satellite, San Marco 1, which took off in 1964 from the US base on Wallops Island. The event aims to show how science and technology applied to space contribute to improving the human condition and how the sector provides returns in terms of economic growth, well-being, sustainable development and environmental protection.
- Made in Italy Day
- Italian Sports Day in the World: launched in 2024 and to be held in the second week of September, the event will be an opportunity to showcase, through sport and its protagonists, Italian excellence, districts and industries in the sector, as well as to valorise young people and Italian communities.
- Italian Fashion Days in the World: a series of events launched in January 2025 to promote Italian fashion internationally, with events scheduled in various cities around the world. Organized in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) and various fashion industry trade associations, they aim to showcase Italian production and support the internationalization of fashion companies.
INITIATIVES UNDERWAY
- “Growth“: an immersive and interactive structure designed to narrate Italian exports in a simple and engaging way. Strategies and tools for the internationalization of the Italian system are described.
- “Industrial Districts, Italian Values. The Pace of Made in Italy“: six video stories describing Italy’s most important industrial districts through the fundamental values of Made in Italy: style, innovation, heritage, passion, family, and variety.
- “The Taste of Well-Being, Three Italian Menus“: 10 video recipes inspired by Italian culinary tradition, revisited with a light touch, illustrating how a conscious and responsible choice of ingredients can improve the quality of life. Produced with Giallo Zafferano.
- “Italy is Fashion“: an immersive film project created with Virtual Reality (VR), conceived to emotionally communicate the values of excellence of Italian fashion. Watchable with headsets.
- “CostumItaly”: a documentary film exploring the profession of costume design through the stories of great Italian professionals of the past, those still working in Italy and abroad, and the great tailors working for the audiovisual sector and theatre.
- “Ideas”: an original web series, now in its third season, that explores contemporary Italy, giving voice to stories of entrepreneurial innovation, creativity, respect for the environment, and social inclusion.
- “ An Italian Journey into Beauty and Personal Care”: a panel and interactive exhibition, a journey through the evolution of beauty and personal care in Italy. The journey unfolds from the historical roots of cosmetics to the most recent sustainable innovations.
- “The World of Italian Rice”: A panel and interactive exhibition offering a monographic focus entirely dedicated to Italian rice, with the aim of conveying its historical depth and current complexity.
- “Audiovisiva”: a digital platform that collects and makes available a selection of the best documentaries dedicated to the protagonists of Italian creativity and excellence, with an extensive and constantly updated catalogue.
- “Fashion Panorama 2”: a panel exhibition, featuring photographs and videos, curated by Vogue Italia to give voice to the new generations of Italian fashion designers, helping to spread their vision and style worldwide.
- “ Women of Italian Graphic Design. From the Origins to the Present Day”: posters, books, sketches, drawings, photographs, and video interviews showcasing the figures and contributions of female graphic designers active between the 1950s and the present day in Italy, between the booming economy and changing customs.