Rome, 20 August (Adnkronos) – The Amerigo Vespucci, a historic sailing ship and training ship of the Italian Navy, ambassador of Made in Italy in the world, will stop for the first time in its 93-year history in the port of Tokyo, from 25 to 30 August. The Vespucci will be flanked by the Villaggio Italia, the “Multi-Year Traveling World Exhibition” of Italian excellence that will offer visitors a unique experience to discover the beauty of Italy through its art, culture, music, food and wine heritage, cinema, technology and scientific research. Among the Italian excellences on display in Tokyo are the Italian Opera Academy of Maestro Riccardo Muti, the musicians of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala, the “David” of the artist Jago, Italian cinema in collaboration with the Venice Biennale International Film Festival, the Navy Band and the iconic Italian wines in collaboration with Verona Fiere – Vinitaly. The inaugural ceremony of the Villaggio Italia in Tokyo will be held on Monday 26 August at 10 am.
The inauguration will be attended by the Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto, who strongly supported the project, the Japanese Minister of Defense Minoru Kihara, the Italian Ambassador to Japan Gianluigi Benedetti, Luca Andreoli, CEO of Difesa Servizi, the in-house company of the Ministry of Defense that creates and supports all phases of the initiative, Captain Giuseppe Lai, Commander of the Amerigo Vespucci ship. Also present will be the Deputy Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy Valentino Valentini, the Undersecretary of State for Defense Matteo Perego di Cremnago, the Chief of Staff of the Navy Admiral Enrico Credendino and the President of ICE – Italian Trade & Investment Agency – Matteo Zoppas.
Further strengthening the cooperative relations between Italy and Japan will be the presence of the ships that make up the Italian Carrier Strike Group. In particular, the Aircraft Carrier Cavour and the Frigate Alpino will be stationed in Yokosuka, while the Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Ship Raimondo Montecuccoli will be stationed in Okinawa, as part of the operational projection campaign in the Indo-Pacific with tasks of Naval diplomacy and promotion of the Country System and Italian excellence in the industry sector.
From Monday 26th to Thursday 29th August it will be possible to board the Amerigo Vespucci ship to experience first-hand the charm of the ship defined as “the most beautiful in the world”, guardian of the most ancient naval and seafaring traditions for over ninety years and emblem of the Italian Armed Forces. Visits on board are available on the following days: Monday 26th August from 4pm to 7pm; Tuesday 27th August from 3pm to 5pm; Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th August from 10am to 12pm and in the afternoon from 3pm to 5pm. The visits are free, to access it is possible to book your entry at the following link: https://tourvespucci.it/tokyo-26-30-agosto-2024/. For the visit, we recommend wearing comfortable shoes. Villaggio Italia will be open to the public every day from 10 am to 9 pm (with the exception of the opening day of the 26th when it will open at 4 pm and the final day of August 30 when it will close at 4 pm). Entrance to Villaggio Italia is free. On the website https://tourvespucci.it/tokyo-26-30-agosto-2024/ you can find more information and book your places for the activities scheduled at the Village with limited places.
Music will be a major protagonist of Villaggio Italia. Every day, from August 27 to 29, in the morning at 11:00 and in the afternoon at 17:00, it will be possible to attend the performance of the Banda Musicale della Marina Militare. On August 27 at 19:00 there will be an evening dedicated to the classical pieces of the Italian tradition with the Italian artist Serena Autieri. On August 28 at 19:30 in the Conference Hall of Villaggio Italia there will be a concert for string quartet with the musicians of the Italian Opera Academy of Maestro Riccardo Muti who promotes the teaching of Italian opera in every part of the world. On August 29 at 19:30, again in the conference hall, there will be a concert by the musicians of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala.
Villaggio Italia hosts some exhibitions, all with free access: “Italia Geniale”, dedicated to the history of Italian design. Created by the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy and the Ministry of Defense in collaboration with ADI Design Museum, the exhibition tells the story of Italian design that has conquered the world, through dozens of original objects that are protagonists of six decades of history. “Divina immersiva eccellenza”, created in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, offers a magical journey of colors, sounds and sensations dedicated to wine and Italy through an immersive screen that will envelop visitors. “Made in Italy”, dedicated to 23 ideas that have become businesses, with the stories of large and small companies, family-run and otherwise, that have distinguished themselves nationally and internationally for originality, creativity, courage and innovation and that well describe the success of the Italian economic model. There will also be a space dedicated to the most innovative Italian infrastructures, the Mose (the Experimental Electromechanical Module) in Venice and the project for the Bridge over the Strait of Messina.
Villaggio Italia will also host a series of conferences dedicated to topics ranging from tourism to world trade to sustainability. Among these: the conference “Underwater: how to enhance awareness and its sustainable use”, scheduled for August 27 at 10:00, organized by the Navy and Sasakawa Peace Foundation, will explore the theme of the strategic importance and growth and development potential of the underwater world, helping to start an important international debate. On August 28 at 15:00 there will be a meeting with tourism operators organized by the Italian National Tourism Agency and the Italian Ministry of Tourism. On August 29 at 11:00 there will be a conference dedicated to Expo 2025 Osaka with a particular focus on the Italian Pavilion, which will develop the theme “Art regenerates Life”. Also on August 29, at 15:00, there will be a conference dedicated to the “Blue and Space Economy”, organized by the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, the Navy and the Air Force. It will be an important opportunity for debate and sharing between international actors including the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Thales Alenia Space Italia, Deas as well as the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy.
The Villaggio Italia, thanks to the support of the Coni (Italian National Olympic Committee), will host an exhibition of the historical Torches of the Olympics that took place in Italy and Japan. Some great champions and supporters of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will also be guests at the Villaggio Italia. The Villaggio Italia will host the new bronze work “La David”, created by Jago, one of the greatest exponents of contemporary Italian art. On August 30th at 11 am a documentary dedicated to the artist’s creative work will be screened. Every day the Villaggio Italia program includes the screening of a selection of internationally successful Italian films curated by the Venice Biennale International Film Festival: on August 26th at 3 pm the film “Comandante” by Edoardo De Angelis will be screened, on August 27th at 1 pm the film “Felicità” by Micaela Ramazzotti will be screened and on August 28th at 1 pm the film “La Parte del Leone” by Baptiste Etchegaray and Giuseppe Bucchi. Cinema will also be the protagonist of the meeting that will be held on August 27th at 3 pm, dedicated to “The Pasolini Season”, a talk that also includes some screenings dedicated to the cinematographic work of Pier Paolo Pasolini.
The most beloved cuisine in the world will also be available to visitors of the Villaggio Italia with the “Ristorante Italia” curated by the Italian chef, well-known in Japan, Elio Orsara. Every day it will also be possible to taste the Aperitivo all’Italiana at the Ristorante Italia. On August 28th from 1 to 2 pm there will be a free show-cooking session. The Piedmont Region participates together with the Consorzio Piemonte Land of Wine with its wines on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Unesco recognition of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato, in the events organized within the Villaggio Italia, in collaboration with Ice and Vinitaly. In particular, for the entire duration of the event, the Ministry Lounge of Villaggio Italia will host a corner dedicated to Piedmont where it will be possible to taste a selection of wines from the Unesco areas of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato. The king of Piedmont wines, Barolo, will then be the protagonist on August 27 from 4 to 5 pm of the “Masterclass Vinitaly – Iconic wines of Italy: tasting six legends” at the “Ristorante Italia” organized by Veronafiere/Vinitaly together with other Piedmont labels. Piedmont will also be present at the gala dinner on August 27, which will also be attended by the President of the Piedmont Region, Alberto Cirio, and the President of the Piedmont Land of Wine Consortium Francesco Monchiero. The dishes of Italian cuisine will in fact be accompanied by Alta Langa, Roero, Barolo and Moscato d’Asti representing the UNESCO territories of Langhe-Roero Monferrato, ten years after their recognition as a world heritage site.
Every day at sunset it will be possible to watch the lowering of the flag of the Amerigo Vespucci from the dock. After Tokyo, the Villaggio Italia will be in Darwin, Australia from 4 to 7 October, in Singapore from 24 to 28 October, in Mumbai, India from 28 November to 2 December, in Doha, Qatar from 18 to 21 December, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 23 to 26 December and in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 20 to 24 January next year. In addition to the Ministry of Defense, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers – with the Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies and the Minister for Sport and Youth – the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism are participating in the Villaggio Italia initiative.
