By IANS
Mumbai : A month-long Festa Italiana 2007 (Italian Festival), showcasing many unknown facets of Italy in the field of construction, metals, environment, information technology, innovation technology, nano-technology, education, fine arts and cuisine has opened in Mumbai.
Italian Ambassador Antonio Amellini, who inaugurated the festival Friday evening, said successful cooperation had been witnessed in the political, cultural and commercial fields between India and Italy during the last year. Commercial relations had grown particularly closer and the two countries have launched a new challenge to double the trade volume by 2010.
Italian Trade Commissioner in Mumbai Erica Di Giovancarlo said the festival would be a window to the many facets of Italy, its institutions, legislation, economic activities, culture, outlook towards the world and help strengthen relations between the two nations.
Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce president Narinder Nayar said Italy is renowned for its lifestyle, food, art, fashion, and culture. “However, it is also a land of advanced technology and innovation,” he said.
According to a spokesperson for the Italian consulate here, between 1991-2007, foreign direct investment worth 392 million euros ($575 million) flowed from Italy to India, while India approved 484 technical collaborations with Italy.
Till March 2007, trade between the two countries stood at 5.20 billion euros, including India’s exports to Italy worth 3 billion euros. The trade between the two countries encompassed a wide range, including food, beverages, tobacco, textiles, apparels, and knitwear. Italian wine companies are hopeful of a growth in the Indian wine market that is expected to touch 9 million litres by 2010.
Nearly 150,000 Indian tourists visited Italy in 2006 and the forecast for 2007 is 180,000, or upto 20 percent increase, the spokesperson added.
An added attraction at the festival is an exhibition on ‘100 Objects of Italian Design – 1945-2005’ which was inaugurated by the Italian consul-general in Mumbai Fabio Rugge at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
It includes items like Vespa scooter, the Olivetti typewriter, Grillo telephone, Blow armchair and Tizio lamp, all from the permanent collection of the renowned La Triennale di Milano. After Nov 25, the exhibition will travel to Ahmedabad and Bangalore.