Diplomacy

‘Napoli città mondo’ is launched to promote the city’s culture and businesses

An initiative promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and organised by the Neapolis 2025 Committee

by Vera Viola

18 September 2026

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4' min read

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Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

‘Napoli Città Mondo’ is being launched – a new cultural promotion programme developed as part of the project sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through the Neapolis 2500 National Committee. The Committee was established around a year ago to mark the anniversary of the founding of Naples and to turn it into an opportunity to promote the city internationally through culture, diplomacy, research and the business sector. The Committee is chaired by the Prefect of Naples, Michele Di Bari, alongside Filippo La Rosa (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation – MAECI) and Marilù Faraone Mennella (entrepreneur).

Building on the experience gained in 2025 – the year marking the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of Naples, when cultural events (history, art, performing arts and science) were organised in the city and abroad, which attracted considerable interest, the decision was taken in 2026 to launch a new programme with a stronger international focus. The projects increasingly link the city’s cultural and creative heritage with institutions, businesses, universities and international organisations.

Napoli Città Mondo brings together the city’s heritage, expertise and resources, using culture as a genuine form of soft power, capable of transforming the value of its history and identity into relationships, new opportunities and development. The aim is to build a network of relationships designed to grow stronger over time, bringing together institutions, universities, businesses, international organisations and scientific communities. The various initiatives are conceived as distinct yet complementary: parts of a unified strategy aimed at establishing lasting partnerships and raising the city’s global profile.

This context includes the recent mission to Brazil and Argentina and the signing of a collaboration agreement between the Teatro di San Carlo and the Teatro Colón.

Publishing project

As part of this strategy, ‘Napoli Oltre Napoli’ has been launched: a publishing project that offers an international perspective on the city through the work of scholars, writers and prominent figures from various fields, and which complements the programme’s activities. Translated into English and Spanish, the book will, in the coming months, be at the centre of institutional missions abroad to the United States, the Mercosur countries and Latin America, and will be presented at the Guadalajara International Book Fair. The same supply-chain approach underpins ‘Kyma – Mediterranean Hub for the Content Industry’, scheduled to take place in Naples on 23 and 24 September. Kyma will bring together representatives from the publishing, film, audiovisual and broadcasting sectors, alongside institutions and businesses, at the Royal Palace to discuss the changes currently taking place in the cultural and creative industries, ranging from artificial intelligence to co-productions and the international circulation of content.

Mediterranean Dialogues

The programme will continue with the ‘Mediterranean Dialogues’, an initiative organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in collaboration with ISPI, scheduled to take place for the second consecutive year at the Royal Palace from 19 to 21 November; ‘MediNà – Avitabile & Co. in Morocco, in Rabat, featuring Enzo Avitabile’s project and Black Tarantella, combining music, film and meetings with local artists and professionals; and the Ars Nova Napoli tour in Australia, visiting Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Bellingen, through festivals and the network of Italian Cultural Institutes.

Other productions

Napoli Città Mondo will also be developing other products. One such product is Partenopedia, which will offer content about the city through the English-language podcast ‘Partenopedia – Tales of Naples’ and the digital platform ‘Partenopedia 2500’. It is also set to be promoted internationally through events planned between Naples and the Italian Cultural Institutes in New York, Istanbul, Paris and London.

Cultural diplomacy

Institutional missions and international events provide concrete opportunities for businesses, operators and stakeholders to meet, with the involvement of the diplomatic network, embassies, the Italian Cultural Institutes, Chambers of Commerce and ICE. The aim is to transform international visibility into operational relationships, partnerships and new opportunities for development.

It is within this framework that the UNESCO Heritage Biennale takes place, serving as a forum for international discussion on the protection and promotion of cultural heritage, alongside the dialogue with the network of scientific attachés at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), which brings together diplomacy, research and innovation.

Patronage and fundraising

It is within this context that Napoli In&Out fits in – a project that connects Naples’ leading cultural institutions with the business sector and with international networks of foundations and partners. The aim is to move beyond the logic of one-off sponsorship and build more stable relationships, in which support for culture goes hand in hand with shared objectives, projects and value for the local area. The relationship between cultural heritage and the business sector will be at the heart of the exhibition scheduled to take place at the Capodimonte Museum and Royal Park, dedicated to art, business and patronage. The exhibition, starting from the manufacturing tradition and the emergence of the Neapolitan entrepreneurial class, will explore the contribution that the business world and private support have made over time to artistic production and the development of the city’s cultural heritage.

A global fundraising platform, spanning Italia, the United States and South America and aimed at institutions, businesses, foundations and partners, will ensure the continuity of the relationships forged through the programme. This fundraising initiative is not intended merely as a means of raising funds, but as a tool for diplomacy and for building stable partnerships.

Institutions

Napoli Città Mondo draws on the city’s major cultural institutions: the Teatro di San Carlo, the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, the Capodimonte Museum and Royal Park, and the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

“The vision set out by the Minister right from the start of the project has proved to be far-sighted,” says Marilù Faraone Mennella, a member of the Neapolis 2500 Operational Committee. “Naples’ 2,500 years of history and its extraordinary cultural depth have shown us in practice just how well-known, appreciated and sought-after around the world. Now the aim is to transform this strength into lasting relationships and concrete opportunities, linking culture with the productive sector and supporting the international expansion of our supply chains. This is the path on which we intend to continue working together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).