Bethlehem hosts an Italian Design Day event

Bethlehem hosted an event entitled “Design and the City of the Future” to celebrate the Italian Design Day in the World, promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, now at its third edition. Following the lecture delivered by Architect Carlo Micono, the Ambassador of Italian Design in Israel, the Italian Consul General to Jerusalem, Fabio Sokolowicz, said: “We wish to highlight the key role that design plays in shaping the sustainable and harmonious cities of the future, by combining the Italian taste and style with innovative and environment friendly solutions.” The event was attended by the Mayor of Bethlehem, Anton Salman, the Dean of the Business Administration School of the Bethlehem University, Fadi Kattan, and the head of the Jerusalem Office of the Italian Development Cooperation Agency (AICS), Cristina Natoli. AICS is financing a project to “enhance the city’s energy efficiency, redesign the lighting of Manger Square and use renewable energy to power the Christmas tree that every year attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world.” The Italian Consul General also pointed out that “Bethlehem will be the Arab Capital of Culture in 2020. We want to shed light on the best of our companies and professionals in contexts that can have great visibility, as in the case of lighting up Bethlehem’s Christmas Tree. Italy is already playing  a leading role in the promotion of cultural projects in the Holy Land. It is projects like this that emphasize the potential that lies in combining taste, style, environmental sustainability and a vision of the future.” The event enjoyed the support of the Institute of Hotel Management and Tourism of Bethlehem University which has a history in cooperating with other initiatives included in the programme entitled “The Italian Way of Life”, especially during the Week of Italian Cuisine in the world.