Italy to showcase arts, culture

The Italian Embassy in Hanoi will launch a programme to promote the culture and lifestyle of the Mediterranean country in Vietnam. The programme will include 14 events during 2011 covering music, dance, architecture, literature and cinema.

The programme aims at fostering a stronger connection between Italy and Vietnam, two countries that already share a strong tradition of friendship and sympathy, said Italian Ambassador in Vietnam Lorenzo Angeloni.

The programme will open with a performance by pianist Ludovico Einaudi on April 24. Other concerts will feature soprano Paola Stafficci, pianist Stefano Ragni, clarinetist Gianluca Campagnolo, and jazz artist Francesco Cafiso. On September 8-9, the Oplas Dance Company from Perugia will participate in the Vietnam-Europe Contemporary Dance Festival.

Three exhibitions will be held in May and October, with the first to run at the Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts on May 6-11.

"The exhibition is intended to illustrate the history, theories and techniques employed in several restorations, mainly in painting, sculpture and architecture," said Fabio Schina, head of the embassy's cultural section.

Following will be a Vespa exhibition and a photo exhibition of Italy's UNESCO World Heritage sites.

"A team of ten students from Vietnam Fine Arts College will work and employ all media to represent the Vespa world," Schina said. When the exhibition is over, three Vespas decorated by Vietnamese students would be sold at a charity auction, he added.

An Italian language week will also be among the events. This year will mark the 11th annual edition of Italian language week and will include the participation of journalist Beppe Severgnini and L'Espresso editorial group manager Lorenzo Fabbri.

In celebration of Italian cinema, the documentary Rain Stories will be screened in Hanoi during the Third International Documentary Film Festival from June 6-11. Four films reflecting the history of Italian society will be screened at the Hanoi Cinematheque in August.

The concept of this year's programme was based on the idea that cultural activity is not only a way to promote a country's image but also a way to bring different people together to understand one another better, said Angeloni.

"I hope the programme will be held annually to give young Vietnamese a chance to discover new culture," he said. (Source: VNS)