Minister Giulio Terzi chaired a meeting today in Rome with representatives of prominent Italian firms operating in the United States and various cultural institutions to present the Year of Italian Culture in the USA: a calendar of over 100 cultural and promotional events to be presented in a range of American cities throughout 2013.
The aim is to present the best of Italian culture and enterprise and, at the same time, to encourage encounter at all levels of the society, economy and institutions of that great nation. “”Italy Forward: research, discovery, innovation” is the theme of a programme that aims to showcase Italy as a modern innovative country dedicated to quality, whose present excellence has deep roots in a glorious past. The initiative’s main target is young people, with an approach that, as witnessed by the participation of Italian enterprises at today’s meeting, are banking on substantial collaboration between the public and private sectors.
“The participation of these prominent firms is an important sign”, Terzi said, “of support for the full realization of this programme”. “At the same time, especially at this difficult economic moment, there is an awareness that, for business and for growth, the Italian culture represents an essential factor in the overall promotion of the country as a system”.
The Year of Italian Culture has already garnered considerable interest in the United States, where, as Minister Terzi underscored in his speech, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton referred to it in her 2 June message for the Festival of the Republic.
Those attending the meeting included executives from the firms Ferrero, Zegna, Versace, Cantine Ferrari, Barilla, Tod’s, Trevi, Beretta, Snaidero, as well as major Italian cultural institutions such as Director of Milan’s Piccolo Theatre Sergio Escobar, Artistic Director of the La Scala Philharmonic Ernesto Schiavi, Superintendent of the Regio Theatre of Parma Maruo Meli and actor Tony Servillo.
