by Enrico Tibuzzi
After a 16-day long voyage across
the waters of the Indian Ocean that had started in Phuket,
Thailand, the Italian Navy's training vessel Amerigo Vespucci, a
worldwide ambassador of Made in Italy, has reached Mumbai, the
28th leg of its tour that kicked off last July in Genoa.
The official ceremony to welcome to India the Vespucci, which
had never docked here in its 93-year-long history, was
celebrated with the national anthems of the two countries.
The Italian anthem by Goffredo Mameli was played by the Italian
Navy's band for local authorities, including Italy's general
consult in Mumbai, Walter Ferrara.
The Indian city that welcomed the Vespucci is the country's main
commercial and financial hub - the true beating heart of an
economy that is growing at a higher rate than China's and which
constitutes the largest market in the world.
And during this stopover as well the training ship is
accompanied by the exhibition Villaggio Italia, an initiative
launched and promoted by Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, with
the participation of 11 ministries.
Here, over a surface of 6,000 square metres in the port's area
overlooking the Vespucci, the local public, from November 29
until December 2, will be able to see up close a significant
representation of Italian excellence in the fields of design,
art and innovation.
"Our presence and Villaggio Italia amplify the message we are
bringing around the world on the quality of Italian
excellencies", stressed the Vespucci's executive officer,
Commander Tommaso Faraldo.
"Mumbai was chosen because it is the vital point of the
socio-economic evolution which is going through a particularly
important moment in this country", he noted.
The same opinion was shared by Luca Andreoli, the CEO of Difesa
Servizi, the in-house company of the defence ministry that
supports and organizes all phases of the initiative starring the
Vespucci and Villaggio Italia.
The stopover in Mumbai, said Andreoli is "essential" and has
"particular relevance in the framework of the role India is
taking in the international context.
"The will to develop and have a privileged, significant
relationship with India has characterized the organization" of
the 'Italian' days, he added.
The former Bombay is today for the most part an open-air
construction site which, according to residents, has changed the
city's appearance over the past few years.
It is the expression of the evolution experienced by the country
- which has a population with the youngest average age among
great economic powers and important technological resources - at
higher rates than those experienced by a China eyed by the West
with growing caution.
It is no coincidence that, over the coming days, to represent
Italian excellence and meet with Indian authorities, Business
and Made in Italy Minister Adolfo Urso will travel to Mumbai
with Defence Undersecretary Matteo Perego di Cremnago, Italy's
Ambassador to India Antonio Bartoli and the CEO of Difesa
Servizi Luca Andreoli.
Meanwhile, the business world is not waiting.
Many Italian companies are already present, including with
important initiatives in Mumbai, where a new subway line, a
project with a major Italian participation, is scheduled to open
in March.
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