“Italy’s artistic heritage and cultural tradition are almost unmatched in the world. But also innovation and creativity are distinctive traits of being Italian: these are the grounds on which we must continue working,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation when addressing the directors of the 83 Italian Cultural Institutes in the world, convened today and tomorrow at the Farnesina for their annual Conference.
The day’s agenda includes an event held at the Baths of Diocletian entitled ‘A Journey to discover Italy, Cultures, the Mediterranean’, a presentation in the form of a show containing an overview of the cultural events that will bring Italian art and culture in the Countries of the enlarged Mediterranean in 2018. Minister Alfano went on: “Culture is a bridge uniting people and promoting mutual dialogue and understanding. This is why we have developed ‘Italy, Cultures, the Mediterranean’, a programme that collects the best of Italy’s contemporary cultural narrative and that will involve the Countries of the Middle East and of North Africa in a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening their ties with our Country through the universal language of art.”
On 22 December, a working session will be held at the Farnesina entitled “In Italy’s Pipeline”, to be opened by Minister Alfano, together with Ministers Franceschini and Fedeli and the President of the Dante Alighieri Society, Riccardi. The discussants will also include Francesco Rutelli, president of ANICA and Paolo Baratta, president of the Biennale of Venice, in addition to representatives of the Italian world of culture, including Andrea Cusumano, Councillor for Culture for the City of Palermo, which will be the Italian Capital of Culture for 2018 and Paolo Verri, Director of the Matera Capital of Culture 2019 Foundation.
“We have wanted to discuss innovative cultural projects capable of projecting the entire national territory, from North to South, onto the global scene,” said Minister Alfano. He added: “Italy is confirmed to be a cultural super-power whose international success lies its creativity and culture. In this sense, the Conference of Directors offers a precious opportunity to debate and take stock of what has been done and to develop innovative promotional strategies for the future.”
