Italy presents 'Tourism of Roots' in Brazil

(ANSA) - SAN PAOLO, 29 GIU - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation's programme for the promotion of root tourism, Italea, made a stop at the Circolo Italiano in Sao Paulo, Brazil, a country with around thirty million Italian-descendants, one of the largest communities in the world, which celebrates 150 years of immigration this year.
    The event was attended, among others, by the Maeci project manager, Giovanni Maria De Vita; the consul general of São Paulo, Domenico Fornara; and the director of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Brazil in São Paulo, Fabio Selan.
    Italea's proposal, which is based on the concept of cuttings and the blossoming of Italian origins, aims to attract Italian-descendants wishing to discover the places and traditions of their ancestors, providing a set of services to facilitate the trip to Italy, thanks also to a capillary organisation of 20 groups - one in each region - that take care of informing and welcoming 'travellers of roots'.
    The initiative,' pointed out De Vita, 'is dedicated both to those who already know their Italian origins and want to organise a trip to discover and rediscover the places, customs and culture of their ancestors, but also to those who have yet to identify their roots, and who will be able to make use of a network of genealogists'.
    During the presentation, some of the project's main activities were illustrated, and in particular the Italea.com portal, where it is possible to explore the various offers and gather suggestions to build a tailor-made experience, and the Italea card, a 'passport' offering exclusive benefits, discounts and concessions.
    "The proposed trip is not a traditional tourist visit to large cities of art," noted the regional coordinator of the initiative, Luca Bruschi, "but rather a discovery of small towns," to understand the deep roots of Italian culture.
    The event was attended by the regional representatives of Italea Campania, Francesco Acampora, and Italea Puglia, Giorgia Salicandro, who invited them to celebrate the Feast of San Vito, the patron saint of Polignano a Mare (Bari), organised by the Polignano community of San Paolo, which year after year, increasingly involves the Italian community.