Saudi Gazette

THE Consulate General of Italy in Jeddah celebrated the "Italian Design Day" in Jeddah recently.

The guest of honor was the ambassador of Italian Design, Luca Capuano.

The event at the Italian Cultural Center showcased an exclusive contemporary Italian furniture exhibition and a variety of distinctive Italian designs, photography and Saudi corporates who work in the field.

Many dignitaries, diplomats, designers, Italian expatriates and Saudi design lovers attended the celebrations.

Italian Consul General Elisabetta Martini noted: “This is the second edition of the Italian Design Day. Our minister of foreign affairs together with the minister of economic development decided to pick 100 cities around the world, and selected for each city an Italian Ambassador for Design. This year they selected Luca Capuano, an Italian architectural photographer, to be the Italian Ambassador for Design in Jeddah."

Capuano exhibited two works, one called homes and studios, and the other about Italian UNESCO sites.

"We always want to create cultural ties along with economic and commercial ties, so I decided to display Saudi corporates and distributors who sell Italian furniture, made by Italian designers for the Saudi taste,” Martini said.

One of the participants was Chief Architect of Urban Design Group Vincenzo Provenzano. “We are displaying the best of Italian furniture in design and quality. We have many Italian brands. Our aims is to bring more high-quality design pieces to Saudi Arabia,” he said.

One of the visitors was British Consul General Barrie Peach, who said: “It was a lovely evening. I was very happy to hear about the work that the Italian consul general is doing with the Italian photographer and the Saudi Arts Council.”