‘The Republic Day of Italy’ was celebrated by the Consulate of Italy in Karachi at Avari Towers Hotel.

Consolato Generale d’Italia a Karachi, (Consulate General of Italy in Karachi) hosted a widely attended reception to honor ‘The Republic Day of Italy’ on 7^th June 2024 at Avari towers, Karachi. The Republic Day of Italy is celebrated on 2^nd June every year.

This grand reception was attended by Honorable Governor Sindh Mr. Muhammad Kamran Khan Tessori, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Honorable Ms. Faryal Talpur, Honorable Agha Siraj Durrani, Honorable Syed Sardar Ali Shah Minister for Education Sindh, Sector Commander NI Rear Admiral Sohail Arshad, Commander Logistics (COMLOG) Commodore Muhammad Azeem Abbasi, Sector Commander NI Rear Admiral Salman Ilyas, Managing Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works and distinguished members of Sindh Provincial Assembly Mr. Sohail Anwar Sial and Mr. Qasim Soomro to name a few dignitaries and along-with them event also well attended by diplomats, businessmen, socialites and members of press.

To create an exclusive Italian evening – the venue was curated to display high end Italian excellence with product displays from Natuzzi Italia, Nova Color Pakistan, S. Abdullah Homes and Versace by Eleganz Luxury. The display space had been beautifully curated by M/S Axis Design.

Consul General of Italy in Karachi, Mr. Danilo Giurdanella in his welcome remarks expressed his gratitude to all the distinguished guests present at the ceremony and highlighted the important aspects of strong and friendly cooperation between Italy and Pakistan in Economic, Cultural and Social fields.

Italy is the second biggest export market for Pakistan in EU and in terms of remittances. The trade with Italy has risen significantly according to SBP statistics. Italy plays an important role being the host of largest Pakistani community in Europe after UK.

The Consulate of Italy has been also working to promote interfaith harmony in the fight against Islamophobia and to promote inter-religious dialogue. It is encouraging to see that also the Federal Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Mohsin Naqvi recently visited Rome and had a meeting with the Pope Francis.

The Consul General also congratulated the government of Pakistan on being elected in the UN Security Council as representative for the Asia Pacific region. Around 700 students from Sindh and Baluchistan only have gone to Italy to pursue higher studies. This will help Pakistan to overcome the lacking that it faces in technical expertise. The Consulate is also working closely with Public sector universities in Sindh to establish cooperation with similar counterpart institutions in Italy. In particular, the Consulate of Italy in Karachi has established successful partnerships with University of Karachi, NED University and Institute of Business Administration in Karachi and in Sukkur that have allowed the increase in the influx of Pakistani students to Italy.

At the occasion of the National Day of Italy, ‘Bella Italia’ Italian Food Festival was also organized from 04^th June till 09^th June for the people of Karachi. The Food Festival aims to celebrate Italian culinary heritage and gastronomical excellence and benefits of Mediterranean diet. Chef Vincenzo De Liso is in Karachi and is hosting the Italian Food Festival at Asia Live, Avari Towers.

In order to promote Italian food philosophy and gastronomical excellence a master-class for the Ho.Re.Ca segment was also organized where there was live cooking demonstration of traditional recipes of Italy from Naples. Chef Vincenzo De Liso originating from the vibrant culinary traditions of Naples showcased his culinary innovation and creativity during the master class.

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Consul General of Italy in Karachi, Danilo Giurdanella inaugurates 7th edition of the Italian Design Week at Habitt City.

The Consul General of Italy Danilo Giurdanella welcomed the guests at the 7^th edition of the Italian Design Week in Karachi on Thursday, 16 March, 2023 jointly organized by the Consulate of Italy with Habitt City – a community safe space for cultural initiatives and activities for Karachiites.

The event was organized to launch Don Corleone Objects in Pakistan by the renowned Sicilian ceramic artist, Antonino Forlin. Antonino Forlin and IBL/Habitt CEO, Munis Abdullah ventured together for a retail launch of the signature home textile and ceramic collections namely ‘Taormina’ and “Munis × Don Corleone” in Pakistan.

The event was attended by diplomats, foreigners, government-officials, prominent-architects, artists, selected members of press and notable members of business community. Some of attendees were Commissioner Karachi Mr. Iqbal Memon, Consul General of United States of America Ms. Nicole Theriot, Consul General of France Mr. Alexis Chahtahtinsky, Consul General of Japan Mr. Odagiri Toshio, Chairman Gul Ahmed Textile Mills, Mr. Bashir Ali Mohammad and many more.

During his welcome speech, The Consul General of Italy Danilo Giurdanella welcomed the guests at the 7^th edition of the Italian. He termed this event as an important event. He added; “such is the importance of Designing in Italy that more than 64,000 Experts work in Design sector in Italy”. Italian consul further added that; “Italian consul in Karachi is collaborating with Pakistan in Textile and in Ceramic sector”.  

Munis Abdullah CEO Habitt City thanked Italian CG, staff at Italian Consul, IDC and his staff at Habitt City for bring Italian Design Day/Week which also includes Italian Markitt to life. He praised Italy for its exclusive and exquisite designs. Mr. Munis Abdullah also reminded that the concept of super-star (super-stardom) was first coined by Italians. Mr. Munis also shared that Habitt often referred as IKEA of Pakistan.

Commissioner Karachi Mr. Iqbal Memon said; “we have been seeing heavy rains for last couple of years, and this trend is expected to stay or maybe increase. To counter this, architects should design infrastructure like building, road, bridges etc in such a way that they can withstand heavy rains”

The Italian Design Day is an event conceived to promote Italian design abroad, to support exports and the internationalization of companies in this sector, to foster international know-how and exchange of technical and creative skills. This 7th edition focuses on quality, the ability to conceive and create products that combine aesthetic and functional needs using production processes that respect the environment and people’s health.

Besides the product launches of Taormina and Munis × Don Corleone collections in Karachi, the Consulate also organized the book launch and panel discussion of The FOLD – a book by Salman Jawaid, the first Pakistani architect invited in 2018 by the European Culture Centre to organize the Pakistan Pavilion at the International Venice Architecture Biennale, which created history for the people of Pakistan and opened the doors for others to follow. The book looks into the journey of a team of young passionate architects from Pakistan, who make a mark at one of the most prestigious international design event with their sheer determination and hard-work.

The Consulate together with Habitt City have lined up cultural events such as an Italian Markitt – a three day street food festival from 17-19 March, 2023 for people of Karachi to enjoy the Italian delicacies in their city. Furthermore, a ceramic workshop by Antonino Forlin has been organized for arts enthusiasts and students to get a chance to learn specialized technique and methods used in pottery and ceramics. An Italian Culinary Class has also been organized for ardent lovers of Italian cuisine to learn authentic Italian recipes, which will be demonstrated by Chef Gennaro Carrozza during the Italian Design Week.

The Italian Friends of the Citizen Foundation, a non-profit organization advocating the cause of TCF Pakistan in Italy has partnered with Indus Valley School for Art and Architecture and Salone del Mobile, the largest Annual Furniture and Design Exhibition in the world hosted in Milan. Dr. Faiza Mushtaq, Executive Director & Dean of Academics at IVS School of Art and Architecture took the opportunity to announce on the occasion of Italian Design Day, the ART4EDUCATION project, that aims to showcase award winning design pieces by Pakistani artists, architects and designers to be auctioned at Salone del Mobile in 2024 to support the TCF network in Pakistan.

Textile is a key sector between Italy and Pakistan – Danilo Giurdanella, Italian Consul General in Karachi

Under the patronage of the Consulate of Italy in Karachi, a presentation was organized for the textile industry to brief them on the forthcoming event ‘International Textile Machinery Association’ (ITMA 2023), which will be held in Milan from 08^th June ~ 14^th June 2023.  International Textile Machinery Association (ITMA) is the world’s largest international textile and garment technology exhibition, and the ITMA brand is owned by CEMATEX.

ITMA is recognized as the ‘Olympics’ of the textile and garment technology industry – a showcase of the latest technology and a vital meeting place for buyers and sellers from all over the world. ITMA 2023 is all set to be held at the Fiera Milano Rho Exhibition Centre, Milan, Italy from 08^th June ~ 14^th June 2023.

Mr. Alex Zucchi, President Association of Italian Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT) welcomed the audience on behalf of the (ACIMIT) and invited Ms. Eileen Ng, Deputy project Director, ITMA Services to talk about the upcoming exhibition and the impact of digitalisation and sustainability for the Pakistan Textile Manufacturing Industry.

The exhibition will feature over 1,600 exhibitors from 44 countries and a list of 100 companies are still waiting to be allocated space in their preferred sectors. There are around 20 product sectors covering the entire textile and garment manufacturing value chain, including textile composites. ITMA 2023 will be accompanied by several activities spotlighting industry innovation. The event aims to highlight automation and digital future, advanced materials, sustainability and circularity, and innovative technologies.

Mr. Aarij Iqbal, President of Italian Development Committee (IDC), Italian Chamber in Pakistan apprised the audience on the role of IDC, together with the support of the Consulate of Italy in Karachi have dedicated channel for facilitating ITMA 2023 visitors.

The Consulate has been supportive in recognizing that the textile sector is the largest exporting sector of Pakistan and works very closely with Italy. Both countries complement each other to grow and expand their businesses. Hence, it is important to facilitate Pakistani Business Houses to participate in ITMA 2023 being held in Milan.

Mr. Sohail Tabba, Founding member of IDC and Chairman Lucky Core Industries was invited on stage to talk about the Pakistan textile Industry and the way forward.

The Chief guest for the event was Consul General of Italy, His Excellency Danilo Giurdanella, spoke on Italy’s excellence in innovation and constant R&D in the sector makes Italy a market leader. The exports of Italian textile machines accounts for Asia (42%), followed by Extra EU (20%) and European Union (19%). The value of Italian production in 2021 was Euro 2.4 billion, with exports worth Euro 2 billion. The process of internationalization and the vocation for innovation allows Italian companies to consolidate and further improve the leading position of Italy in the world textile machinery industry.

Textile is a key sector between Italy and Pakistan. In order to support the textile businesses in Pakistan, the Consulate has worked out a special arrangement together with Italian Development Committee to facilitate ITMA visitors to participate in the exhibition.

Italian Consulate in Karachi hosts ‘Extraordinary Evening of Italian Gastronomy’.

The Consul General of Italy in Karachi, H.E. Danilo Giurdanella and wife Ms. Antonella Bartolomucci organized an ‘Extraordinary Evening of Italian Gastronomy’ with Italian Chef, Marco Saracino, who came to Karachi to celebrate the World Week of Italian Cuisine in Karachi.

Chef Marco Saracino hosted an exclusive session of live cooking, where he created simple yet delectable recipes that are staple in Mediterranean cuisine. Chef Marco Saracino together with the Executive Chef at Avari and his team have been working closely for the last few days in an attempt to provide authentic Italian flavors in Karachi.

Chef Marco Saracino not only displayed his culinary excellence, but also imparted awareness about the benefits of Mediterranean diet. He also demonstrated two Italian recipes that are part of the rich Italian culinary tradition.

The theme of the event is “Knowledge and Flavors of the Italian Lands, 200 years after the birth of Pellegrino Artusi”, who is known as the father of Italian home cooking.

The recipes and menù prepared by the Chef Marco Saracino for the evening has been inspired from Pellegrino Artusi’s book titled ‘Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well’, a cookbook known as the gospel of Italian cuisine and was published in the late 19^th century.

To pay tribute to Pellegrino Artusi, the Consulate of Italy in collaboration with Paramount Books (Pvt.) Limited published a cookbook with selected recipes of the father of Italian home cooking to suit the local Pakistani palate and yet have an authentic Italian flavor.

The initiative is part of the “Vivere ALL’Italiana” plan, launched by the Italian Foreign Ministry to engage public and private entities in an integrated promotion of Made in Italy around the world.

The event has been organized in collaboration with Avari Towers as venue partners, Quality Aviation as Travel Partners and Italian Development Committee (IDC) along with its member companies, who came forward as sponsors for the event, namely Best Board Industries, Blue Mountain Trading, Axis Design, Bee Pure, Jitala Group of Companies, Horeca Systems, Gharyal by Collectibles, Novacolor by Innovators, Woodcraft.

The Consulate also promoted the joint economic cooperation between the government of Italy and Pakistan to promote locally sourced and processed Olive Oil under Italian expertise and cooperation. Selected products by Pak Olive were displayed at the event to create awareness about Italy’s engagement in Pakistan besides textiles, leather and engineering. Another interesting aspect of the evening was the honey tasting of a locally produced organic honey Beepure. The honey harvested in Pakistan is from a peculiar type of honeybee called ‘apis mellifera’ that was introduced in Pakistan from Italy in 1927.

The weeklong activities include the Chef’s appearance on electronic and digital culinary platforms in Karachi to promote Italian cuisine to the masses and to introduce new recipes besides Pizza and pasta that Italy is usually known for. Besides, these, the Chef during his stay in Karachi will train chefs from the HoReCa sector on Italian Cuisine.

Consulate of Italy in Karachi celebrates Italian Design Day 2020.

The Consulate of Italy in Karachi organized the fourth edition of Italian Design Day 2020 at Beach Luxury Hotel, Karachi on Monday 16^th November 2020. The Italian Design Day is the annual theme-based review launched in 2017 by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in collaboration and with the support of the Ministry for Heritage, Cultural Activities and Tourism.

The theme of the 2020’s Italian Design Day was “Designing the future. Development, innovation, sustainability and beauty” and it is closely linked to the proactive capacity of Italian design and the extended Made in Italy system to think up ever newer development scenarios, capable of overcoming self-referential rhetoric and keeping the improvement of our lives and the protection of the planet at the centre of what is on offer. This is an even more topical issue when considered in the context of the health emergency due to global pandemic the world currently experiencing.

The event was organized in open air space with social distancing and SOP’s as per guidelines of the Government of Sindh.

Recently arrived new Consul General of Italy in Karachi, His Excellency Danilo Giurdanella welcomed the participants and expressed his gratitude to people of Karachi for a warm welcome that he and his wife received after their arrival in Karachi. The aim of organizing this event was to engage the cross section of the business community based in Karachi, and provide a stepping-stone for enhanced commercial engagement between Italian and Pakistani companies in the Design and Architecture sector.

Newly arrived Consul General of Italy in Karachi, His Excellency Danilo Giurdanella with his wife.

Mr. Giurdanella also mentioned about the presence of Italian Design and Architecture history present in Pakistan that dates back to the years 60’s and 70’s when an Italian architect Alfredo Kotzian designed few houses and a church in Pakistan. His works in Karachi and other cities of Sindh are being documented by a team of young architects from Indus Valley School of Architecture and will soon be published in collaboration with the paramount books.

Renowned architect Mr. Akeel Bilgrami in his presentation talked about “Sustainable, Game Changing Urban Project in Karachi, by developing a Kolachi Wetland Reserve and Chandni Park under the People and Nature Initiative (PANI), is a group of Pakistani’s who want to address environmental degradation of the rivers and coastlines of Pakistan.

As part of this project, the 118 acres of mangroves area along Mai Kolachi would be made into Kolachi Wetland Reserve, within which the Chandni Park on 12 acres, would be the first eco-friendly Park in Pakistan.  This initiative is intended to be a prime example of good environmental practice and sustainable development, seeking to provide for the varied and conflicting factors of conservation, tourism, education and recreation, accessible to all including the physically and visually handicapped.

Mr. Michele Premoli Silva through zoom link from Milan talked about “sustainability of architecture in Relation to Respect for the Genius Loci”. Mr. Silva shared his experience as an architect working in different countries and stressed the need of involvement of local partners and artisans preserving the local culture and traditions while working on any project. In his presentation, he mentioned European cities, which are the result of millenary stratifications where the greatest compositional “defects” occurred in moments of post-war reconstruction dictated by real housing needs. However, those moments have not cancelled the cultural and urban history, rooted over the centuries. In his opinion, a good contemporary architecture helps to project history into the future. He stressed that we cannot run the risk of making mistakes in order not to compromise the future of a country, which could risk eliminating its own cultural tradition in a few years.

Ms. Roberta Vecci from Novacolor Italy gave her thoughts via zoom-link and talked about Novacolor’s journey in Pakistan and the road to innovation, sustainability and aesthetics. Mr. Hafeezulllah Shaikh, CEO of Novacolor Pakistan with his team gave a live demo of design technique and Novacolor products.

Mr. Iftikhar Shallwani, Commissioner of Karachi in his speech welcomed the new Consul in Karachi. He shared his aspirations with audience as administrator of Karachi and welcomed ideas from Italian partners about collaboration and development of Karachi on sustainable footing.

Mr. Iftikhar Shalwani, Commissioner Karachi addressing guests at Italy Design Day.

Mr. Hassan Askari, the Vice President of Italian Development Committee gave vote of thanks. The event was followed by an Italian aperitivo and networking session. Local representatives of Italian companies also displayed their design products, namely: BuildPro showcasing high end luxury Murano glass basins from Glass Design Italy and aluminium windows by ALU K, the leading international brand with its headquarters in Italy. Novacolor Pakistan displayed their elaborate product line for wall finishes. YOCA Design studio displayed their tables that won a design award in Italy.

From left Mr. Hasan Askari, Mr. Iftikhar Shalwani, Mr. Danilo Giurdanella, Mr. Nassar and Mr. Hafeezulllah Shaikh