The Vespucci in Tokyo kicks off the maxi Made in Italy village

A great opportunity to promote Italian products in a strategic market, but also an occasion to consolidate political relations between Italy and Japan. The landing in the port of Tokyo - for the first time in its 93 years of history - of the historic sailing ship Amerigo Vespucci, which set sail from Genoa in July last year, has this double value, both economic and political, as witnessed by the numerous presences, including institutional ones, at the inauguration, on Monday morning, of Villaggio Italia, the travelling exhibition which, inside the ship, will present the excellence of Italian culture, art, sport, research and industry.

An initiative desired by Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, who was present in Tokyo, and supported by ten other ministries, realised thanks to the work of Difesa Servizi (the in-house company of the Ministry of Defence) and the Ninetynine agency through a public-private partnership agreement.

A 'concentrate of Italianness', as the CEO of Difesa Servizi, Luca Andreoli, has defined it, which will take shape in 40 events scheduled until Friday 30 August: from the Venice Biennale, to La Scala in Milan, the Academy of maestro Riccardo Muti, and the Italian Institute of Design. The project (a 'mini-Expo' that also works a bit like a dress rehearsal for Sistema Italia in view of the Osaka 2025 Universal Exhibition) is spread over four floors, for a total of over 22 thousand square metres, almost double the 12 thousand of the Italy Village set up in Los Angeles, the first stage of the initiative last July.

"The Vespucci's world tour and the Italy Village bring to Tokyo a piece, a small piece, of Italy's art, culture, food, wine, technology, and design," said Minister Crosetto during the inauguration, who recalled the importance of this initiative also on a geopolitical level, i.e. to "guarantee security in the Indo-Pacific region and safeguard Italy's interests in a strategic area of the globe".

In addition to the Vespucci, in fact, all the ships that make up the Italian Carrier Strike Group (ltalian Carrier Group) are in the port of Tokyo these days, including the aircraft carrier Cavour and the Frigate Alpino, which are at a halt in Yokosuka, while the Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Vessel Raimondo Montecuccoli is at a halt in Okinawa, as part of the operational projection campaign in the Indo-Pacific with Naval diplomacy tasks and the promotion of the Country System and Italian excellence in the sector industry. "There is an entire Italian Navy system that is carrying out exercises in the Indo-Pacific, precisely to demonstrate how important defence and security in this area is for Italy, and how these can only be maintained, as well as peace, through cooperation between great nations," added Crosetto.