After 40,352 miles traveled since the start of the campaign, the Vespucci ship is preparing to reach Qatar, in Doha, from 17 to 22 December, for the 30th stage of the World Tour and the VI stage of the Villaggio Italia, the international Made in Italy which brings together the “national teams of Italian excellence”, strongly supported by the Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto and which is joined, with the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, by 11 Ministries. The appointment with Villaggio Italia follows those of Los Angeles, Tokyo, Darwin, Singapore and Mumbai, and is held in Qatar with the support of the Italian Embassy in Doha, the Italian Trade Agency and local partners Qatar Tourism , Katara Cultural Village and Old Doha Port.
Expected at the Villaggio Italia in Doha are the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry Francesco Lollobrigida, the Undersecretary of Defense Matteo Perego of Cremnago, the Italian Ambassador to the State of Qatar Paolo Toschi, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto, the CEO of Difesa Servizi Luca Andreoli, the in-house company of the Ministry of Defense which implements and supports all phases of the initiative.
The arrival in Doha of the Vespucci World Tour and the Italian Village – as highlighted in a note – is part of the intense bilateral relationship between Italy and Qatar which has strengthened in recent years thanks to constant institutional dialogue. In fact, there were three visits to Italy by the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al Thani between 2016 and 2023 preceded, in January 2020, by the state visit to Doha by the President of the Republic while in September 2023 the Prime Minister Meloni she went to Doha to meet the Emir. . On the occasion of the last State Visit, last October 21st in Rome, it was the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella who announced to the Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani the arrival in Doha of the Vespucci ship, in conjunction with the celebrations of the Qatar national team, on 18 December 2024. A tangible signal – it is underlined – of the profound bond that binds the two Nations.
Gastronomy, culture and sports-disability will be the protagonist areas of excellence at the Villaggio Italia in Qatar, a country which, with its public works of art, many museums and world heritage sites as well as a skyline designed by the most famous architects in the world, is today, a place of great excitement in which places dedicated to culture are multiplying (museums, libraries, multifunctional hubs, theatres) and various types of events and exhibitions dedicated to fashion and design, cinema and art which they see many Italian professionals were involved.
Italian gastronomic excellence will be the protagonists with olive oil and the art of pizza, for a journey into Italian taste and artisan tradition thanks to a program of events promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests. Visitors to the Villaggio Italia in Doha will be able to participate free of charge, in the dedicated “Anima Italia” area, in the Italian olive oil tasting Masterclasses organized by Italia Olivicola, the National Consortium of olive growers and in the Veronafiere Masterclass dedicated to olives table and Sol d’Oro oils.
The “Star Pizzas” event, in support of the candidacy of Italian cuisine as a UNESCO intangible heritage site, curated by Italia Olivicola, will propose a selection of doughs and processing techniques curated by pizza chefs Michele Pascarella, Michele Circhirillo and Alfonso Saviello with a selection of paired oils proposed by the Christmas Chef. Finally, there will be show cooking by chef Emanuele Natalizio and sous chef Rocco Natalizio.
In the cultural sphere, the Villaggio Italia in Doha, in addition to design with the Italia Geniale exhibition and cinema with the film screenings selected in collaboration with the Venice Biennale International Film Festival, will present a rich musical program. The Arena di Verona Foundation, which recently closed its 2024 international promotion tour in Asia, will bring the excellence of its artists to Doha with the Italian opera heritage of humanity. Also in Doha were the Carabinieri Band, the Qatar Concert Choir & Friends and the baritone-tenor David Riccardo.
An exclusive space will be dedicated to the artist Jago (Jacopo Cardillo), a young Italian sculptor already famous throughout the world and the first artist to have sent a marble sculpture to the International Space Station, in 2019, on the occasion of ESA’s Beyond mission. In Doha Jago will exhibit the marble work “family” in which three forearms intertwine and embrace each other in a continuous and fluid movement which recalls the ancient symbol of the Ouroboros, where each hand clasps the other creating a seamless circle continuity that reveals the importance of cohesion and mutual belonging. And Italian marble, highly appreciated in Qatar, is among the protagonist excellences of the Villaggio Italia in Doha, with a masterclass organized by the ICE agency, Italian Trade Agency.
The theme of disability remains central in the Doha stage with the conference dedicated to sport and disability with the story of the protagonists of the “WoW” Project – Wheels on Waves Ruote sulle Onde – Around The World 2023-2025, the journey of the catamaran “Lo Spirito by Stella”, completely accessible and also on a world tour. The “Wheels on Waves” project, born from an idea by Andrea Stella, founder and President of the “Lo Spirito di Stella” Association, is promoted by the Ministry of Defense, the Defense General Staff and Difesa Servizi , and is aimed at military and civilians with disabilities who have suffered permanent injuries in the performance of duty, who, regardless of their physical, cognitive or sensorial characteristics, have the opportunity to live a unique sea and sailing experience with the mission to demonstrate that breaking down barriers is possible.