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Expo 2025 Osaka: Commissioner Vattani visits Wakayama Prefecture

Meets Governor Kishimoto, radio interview on the Pavilion

Redazione Ansa

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 4 - The Commissioner General for Italy at Expo 2025 Osaka, Mario Vattani, went to Wakayama for an institutional meeting with the Governor of the Prefecture Shūhei Kishimoto on the occasion of the recording of a Radio Wakayama special on the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka that will be broadcast in the coming days. Ambassador Vattani's visit to Wakayama, a prefecture rich in historical and cultural sites, received great attention from the local press and saw the presence of numerous journalists and television news outlets. It was an enthusiasm that confirms the growing attention for Italy in view of Expo 2025.
    During the interview on Radio Wakayama, Vattani illustrated the characteristics of the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, highlighting the importance of involving young university students, protagonists with innovative projects that intertwine local products, agriculture and rural communities. During the episode, a reflection emerged on how to promote local products and territories in a touristic key, also addressing the challenge of overtourism with the creation of thematic itineraries such as the "Wine Roads," routes that combine food and wine traditions and culture; the offer of immersive experiences, from tastings to artisan workshops; and the adoption of sustainable models such as 'widespread tourism', which enhances villages and actively involves local communities and the promotion of packages to encourage tourism in the low season. Finally, the importance of strategies to guide visitors towards lesser-known areas was highlighted, diversifying tourist destinations also thanks to the telling of authentic stories through social media and influencers specialized in sustainable tourism.
    Subsequently, in the meeting with Governor Kishimoto, Vattani highlighted the value of Universal Expositions as a development engine for territories, citing the positive experience of Expo Milano. He underlined how the exhibition route of the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka is designed to enhance the Regions, which will be presented in rotation week after week. The Commissioner General also anticipated that a detailed calendar of the participating Italian regions is being prepared, accompanied by references to their most representative universities, companies and production sectors. This material will be shared with the interested Japanese prefectures, stimulating collaborations and synergies, with a particular focus on the Kansai area. Among the initiatives discussed to strengthen relations between Italy and Japan are the mutual promotion of local products, through joint initiatives in the Italy Pavilion and in the space dedicated to Kansai, which also hosts Wakayama; the involvement of businesses and universities, with moments of meeting to promote exchanges of knowledge and good practices between Italian and Japanese companies; regional thematic events, such as tastings, exhibitions and demonstrations, to promote the excellence of the Italian and Japanese territories. Vattani then underlined the importance of collaborations between Italian Regions and Japanese Prefectures, presenting the proposal to bring to Wakayama the musical events scheduled at the Italy Pavilion during the six months of Expo, expressing interest in using the spaces of the Wakayama Castle Hall, which include two modern rooms, ideal for concerts and shows.
    Governor Kishimoto underlined how Ambassador Vattani's visit was an important opportunity to strengthen the ties between the Prefecture of Wakayama and Italy. During the meeting, the Governor proposed using Expo as a platform to invite students from Wakayama's primary and secondary schools to visit the Italy Pavilion, with the aim of broadening their horizons and encouraging cultural and international dialogue. Innovative ideas were also discussed, such as collaborations between Wakayama's traditional umeshu - a traditional Japanese plum-based liquor - and Italian wines and cuisine, as well as educational and cultural exchange projects related to Mount Koya. The Governor said he was certain that Expo 2025 will be an extraordinary opportunity to develop new forms of cooperation and friendship between the Wakayama region and Italy.
    "I would like to thank the Governor of Wakayama Prefecture Shūhei Kishimoto for his warm welcome. Wakayama is an important historical and cultural center of Japan, characteristics that are also typical of many of our territories and which are one of the levers for creating a strong synergy between Italy and Japan. This visit takes place at a particularly important time: thanks to the support of the director of Rcast - Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology, Professor Sugiyama Masakazu, we are very proud to announce that we will bring a special session of the Koyasan-Kaigi to the Italy Pavilion," said Vattani. "The event will develop as a thematic discussion followed by artistic interventions and aims to preserve the legacy of Expo for the younger generations. Identifying a "legacy" for young people, the society of the future, starting from the experiences of Expo 2025 Osaka at the Italy Pavilion, seems necessary and important to us and the prestigious forum of Koyasan-Kaigi is the ideal environment to develop this project".
    Koya-san, the sacred mountain home to the Buddhist and esoteric Shingon sect founded by the Buddhist monk Kukai, is one of the sacred places in Japan. Koyasan Kaigi is the cultural forum that brings together the most important personalities in the world of Japanese culture. Inspired by the teachings of Kukai, it promotes new cultural models based on the integration of art and science. The special edition scheduled for the Italy Pavilion next autumn will develop as a dialogue between ancient philosophies that look to the future and will offer the opportunity to reflect on the results of Expo 2025 and lay the foundations for developments beyond the Universal Exhibition.
    (ANSA).
   

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