MAECI at the Turin International Book Fair

From 9 to 13 May 2024, at the instigation of the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be featured at the Turin International Book Fair with its own pavilion, the theme of which will be "La Farnesina incontra…" (The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs meets…). A busy programme of events will be included.

"Culture is a bridge for dialogue and a source of shared growth: for a country such as Italy, which holds the world record for the number of UNESCO sites, soft power represents the real added value for conveying our interests and values in the world," said Deputy Prime Minister Tajani, who recalled the impulse given to cultural diplomacy actions since the beginning of his mandate, as an essential foreign policy lever.

Over the past year and a half, at Tajani's behest, the Ministry has in fact worked hard to strengthen cultural diplomacy: from support for publishing - Italy's leading creative industry - to the promotion of Made in Italy, from support for Italian archaeological missions abroad to strengthening the teaching of the Italian language in schools and university cooperation abroad, including through scholarships. All that will be illustrated in the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation pavilion, thanks to dozens of events and the testimonies of those who promote Italy in the world.

The Ministry will also organise a series of events in the exhibition's conference rooms.

On Thursday 9 May at 1:45 p.m., in the Sala Bianca, the Head of the Crisis Unit, Nicola Minasi, and General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, Head of the Inter-Forces Summit Operations Command - moderated by Beppe Severgnini - will recount how Italians abroad are helped in crisis situations through the lens of recent experiences in the field.

At 4:00 p.m. on the same day, the Sala Rosa will see a debate embracing diplomacy, culture, information and Artificial Intelligence; the Director General for Public and Cultural Diplomacy, Alessandro De Pedys, the Italian Ambassador in Kiev, Pier Francesco Zazo, the President of the Venice Biennale, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, the coordinator of the Italian Digital Media Observatory, Gianni Riotta, and the Director of the AI Hub of the Politecnico di Torino, Barbara Caputo - moderated by Sky TG24 journalist Chiara Piotto - will discuss the role and prospects of "soft power" in an increasingly competitive and conflictual international scenario.

On Friday 10 May at 12:45 p.m., in the Sala Lisbona, it will be the turn of the Italian System for the promotion of publishing abroad, which - through representatives of Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Italian Trade Agency, Centro per il libro e la lettura, Associazione Italiana Editori and Istituto Treccani - will present the strategies for the promotion of Italian books in the world.

Finally, on Monday 13 May at 11:30 a.m., in the Sala Avorio, the Director General for Italians Citizens Abroad, Luigi Maria Vignali, and author Simona Binni will present "Sotto lo stesso Cielo", the comic strip inspired by Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation's project of roots tourism.

Finally, special attention will also be devoted to children, with the reading of the book "Pimpa viaggia in Italia" (Sala Rossa, 9 May, 10:30 a.m., in cooperation with Franco Cosimo Panini) and the presentation by Geronimo Stilton of the book "Mille meraviglie in blu" (MAECI pavilion, 10 May, 11:30 a.m.) - two projects promoted by the Ministry to recount Italy to children from all over the world.