Amerigo Vespucci arriving Tuesday

The Amerigo Vespucci, the historic sailing and training ship of the Italian navy, is arriving in Qatar for the first time in its 93-year history.

The vessel will be in Doha from December 17-22, the 30th stop on the Vespucci World Tour, which started from Italy on July 1, 2023.

During its stay in Doha, the Amerigo Vespucci will be flanked by the Villaggio Italia, the international exposition of “Made in Italy”, which brings together the “nationals of Italian excellence”.

The “Vespucci World Tour – Villaggio Italia” initiative combines the traditional training and naval diplomacy of the training ship with the promotion of Made in Italy excellence in the main ports covered by the campaign.

This is the sixth appointment with the Villaggio Italia, following those in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Darwin, Singapore and Mumbai, held in Qatar with the support of the Italian embassy in Doha, the Italian Trade Agency and local partners Qatar Tourism, Katara – the Cultural Village and Old Doha Port.

Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests Francesco Lollobrigida, Italian Defence Ministry Undersecretary Matteo Perego di Cremnago, Italian ambassador to Qatar Paolo Toschi, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto, and Difesa Servizi chief executive Luca Andreoli, are expected at the Villaggio Italia in Doha.

Difesa Servizi is the in-house company of the Italian ministry of defence that creates and supports all phases of the initiative.

The arrival in Doha of the Vespucci World Tour and the Villaggio Italia is part of the bilateral relationship between Qatar and Italy that has strengthened intensely in recent years, thanks to constant institutional dialogue.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani visited Italy three times between 2016 and 2023.

In January 2020 Italian President Sergio Mattarella visited Doha, while in September last year Prime Minister Meloni was in Doha where she held a meeting with His Highness the Amir.

On the occasion of His Highness the Amir’s State Visit to Italy on October 21 this year, President Mattarella himself announced the arrival in Doha of the Vespucci, in conjunction with the celebrations of Qatar National Day on December 18.

During the stopover in Doha, the Amerigo Vespucci and the Villaggio Italia will be open to the public free of charge, with prior booking on the website https://tourvespucci.it/en/doha-17-22-december-2024

The Villaggio Italia, with all its exhibitions, will be open to the public every day from 10am-11pm (with the exception of December 17, when it will open to the public at 5pm after the inaugural ceremony, and December 22 when it will close at 12pm).

Every day the Italian Carabinieri band directed by Maestro Massimo Martinelli (at 11am – with the exception of December 17 when it will play at 12noon and 5pm) will perform.

The concert “Navigating under the stars” by Qatar Concert Choir & Friends will be held on December 17 at 7.30pm.

On December 18 at 7.30pm, the concert “Il Villaggio” by the baritone-tenor David Riccardo, together with the Once Upon a Time Orchestra, will perform some of the most famous Italian songs and music of all time.

On December 21 at 7pm, the artists of the renowned Fondazione Arena di Verona, will present the World Heritage Italian opera.

At the Villaggio Italia in Doha there will be an exclusive space dedicated to Jacopo Cardillo (Jago), a famous, young Italian sculptor.

Jago will exhibit the marble work Family. There will be a masterclass on Italian marble, curated by the ICE Agency (Italian Trade Agency), on December 19 at 3pm.

At the Villaggio Italia in Doha, three works created as part of the research project, developed by the Department of Master of Fine Arts (MFA) of VCUarts Qatar (Doha) in collaboration with Studio Nucleo of Turin, will also be exhibited.

The “Italia Geniale” exhibition dedicated to Italian design will also be presented in Doha, created by the Italian ministry of enterprise and Made in Italy and the ministry of defence in collaboration with ADI Design Museum.

At the Villaggio Italia there will be film screenings selected in collaboration with the Venice International Film Festival (La Biennale di Venezia).

On December 18 and 20 at 9pm the movie Comandante by E De Angelis will be screened; on December 19 and 21 at 9pm the movie The Lion’s Share by Baptiste Etchegaray and Giuseppe Bucchi will be screened.

A programme of events promoted by the Italian ministry of agriculture, food sovereignty and forests will take place in a dedicated area, “Anima Italia”, which will also host a corner of nature dedicated to typical Italian crops.

Daily from December 17-21 at 6pm there will be free masterclasses on olive oil by Italia Olivicola, the National Consortium of Olive Growers (free reservations on the website https://tourvespucci.it/en).

On December 19 at 4.30pm there will be a masterclass curated by Veronafiere dedicated to table olives, Sol d’Oro oils proposed in combination with three different types of bread.

On December 19 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm there will be an event in support of the candidacy of Italian cuisine as an intangible heritage of Unesco, curated by Italia Olivicola which will offer a selection of doughs and processing techniques curated by pizza chefs Michele Pascarella, Michele Circhirillo and Alfonso Saviello with a selection of oils paired with the dishes curated by Chef Emanuele Natalizio.

On December 19 and 21 at 6pm there is a show cooking curated by Chef Natalizio and sous chef Rocco Natalizio.

On December 17 at 5.45pm, the Italian press agency Ansa will organise a forum on bilateral relations between Qatar and Italy.

On December 21 at 11am, there will be a conference dedicated to sport and disability, featuring the adviser for international relations of the Italian ministry for disability Pier Luigi Zamporlini; McClaren’s Andrea Stella; and some representatives of the Defence Paralympic Sports Group.