Italian
“About Venezia, the most ancient smart city” is the claim of the exhibition space of the City of Venice within the Italian Pavilion during the opening week of Expo Osaka 2025
VENICE. Through a visual and auditory journey, Venice will showcase to the world its extraordinary cultural, artistic, historical, and productive excellences. A unique opportunity to display the “know-how” and the wonders of the metropolitan area to a global audience, thus reinforcing its role in the international scene and promoting a dialogue among cultures and peoples.
This morning, the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, presented the program for the inaugural week of Expo 2025 at the headquarters of the Metropolitan City of Ca’ Corner. He was accompanied by the rector of the University Iuav of Venice, Benno Albrecht, the pro-rector for International Relations of Ca’ Foscari, Chiara Saccon, the director of the Civic Museums Foundation of Venice, Chiara Squarcina, the president of the Venice International University Umberto Vattani, the president and founder of H-Farm, Riccardo Donadon, the COO of Vela spa, Fabrizio D’Oria, and the superintendent of the Teatro La Fenice, Nicola Colabianchi. The meeting was also attended by partners and institutions that will make the space dedicated to the Serenissima vibrant.
Venice’s presence at Expo 2025, according to Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, “will not only strengthen our image in the world, but will also facilitate new international collaborations on key issues such as sustainability and innovation. Venice is not just a historical heritage, but also innovation and research – the mayor emphasized – This is why it is essential to promote it in an international context, highlighting its role as a trend-setting city. Collaboration with the metropolitan area – from Padua to Treviso, from Vicenza to Rovigo and Belluno – is essential to enhance our excellences. At the Expo, we will showcase a Venice capable of looking to the future with ambition and a global vision.”
During the first week of the World Exposition, Venice will indeed have the opportunity to coordinate and promote initiatives involving cultural, economic, and social entities, creating a unique direction for all activities carried out in the Italian Pavilion, designed by Mario Cucinella.The operational director of Vela spa, Fabrizio D’Oria, illustrated the program of the week: “During the first week of Expo2025 Osaka, Venice will be present, and it will be a very important opportunity for a collective communication of the entire city within its system.”
In Osaka, those who enter the Italian Pavilion will find themselves immersed in an iconic Venice, with glimpses of the territory projected in an ethereal setting thanks to video projections that will lead visitors to get lost in the historical beauties of our city. “The space is designed to offer an intense and layered vision of the city. The setup uses overlapping projections and images to narrate Venice as a place of knowledge, innovation, and future vision, in line with the general theme of the Expo,” explained Rector Albrecht. “The goal is not to propose a nostalgic representation, but to highlight how Venice, by anticipating the future through its own past, continues to be a model of development and creativity.”
Ca’ Foscari University of Venice will focus on the younger generations with the presence of students from the Department of Asian and Mediterranean African Studies. “The university, active in Japanese studies since 1973, will also be a key player in two events: the presentation of the MIKIA project, dedicated to enhancing Italian artistic heritage, and the speech by Rector Tiziana Lippiello at the conference of university directors in Ghana. A concrete commitment to cultural dialogue and innovation,” explained Vice-Rector Chiara Saccon. In the role of linguistic and cultural mediators, the students will therefore have the opportunity to put into practice their knowledge of Japanese and English language and culture, supporting Expo visitors in enjoying the Pavilion from April 13 to 19.
But knowledge of the city will also come thanks to the Venice International University with the project “Navigating the Venice archipelago. Lagoon stories for sustainable futures”: “Venice is an amphibious city, unique and cosmopolitan, which diverted rivers and dug canals, a city like no other, at the forefront of study and research, which over the centuries has welcomed nations seeking a homeland, an example for the world of how the spirit of brotherhood is so important – President Vattani recalled – with this machine all visitors will be able to get to know the city beneath its superficial veneer and truly understand how the city has always relied on the most advanced technology to address its problems”.
Objects belonging to the collections of the Civic Museums will also be displayed, capable of recounting the tradition and history of Venice throughout its centuries: among these the Bucintoro, the Winged Lion, the marsina, the Murano glass, and the brocade. As explained by the director of MUVE, Squarcina: “The selected works come from the collections and symbolically identify Venice, its history, the multiple ‘know-hows’ that make it unique. There will also be the three vases made in Murano based on the design by Yoichi Ohira in 1998-1999: a tribute to Japan but above all a reaffirmation of the value of our artisans who today, as in the past, are a unique and essential reference point.”
The audience will also be confronted with the Venice of the future thanks to artificial intelligence, curated by H-Farm, which will interact by providing scenarios on progress, as illustrated by H-Farm’s president Riccardo Donadon: “I thank you for this demonstration of inclusivity, which represents the strength of our territory. AI will change the world in the coming years, accelerating many changes. In Osaka, this dialogue resumes, interpreted by the figure of a Venetian “Maestro” who has opened the doors to dialogue between cultures, creating an interaction that will offer guests an opportunity to discuss modern themes, with strong roots in tradition.”
An exhibition enriched also by installations that will guide the visitor through the great narratives of the lagoon. In addition, the Teatro La Fenice Foundation will bring Italian bel canto to Japan, performing at the prestigious “Festival Hall” in Osaka on April 22nd. “It will be an honor to participate in the Osaka Expo with our choir, a symbol of Venetian musical art,” explained Superintendent Colabianchi. “A significant moment will see the union of our choir with a Japanese choir to perform together the famous Va’ Pensiero, a symbol of cultural collaboration, followed by the Japanese song Sakura Sakura. Furthermore, a musical selection from La Traviata will be performed by Italian singers, contributing to create a synthesis of Italian music, uniting the traditions of Venice and Japan in a moment of great symbolic and cultural value.”
Inside the Pavilion, there will also be space for talks with a dedicated program to delve into various topics related to the city.
Sunday, April 13th will be dedicated to the inauguration, the following day, at 11 am, there will be a discussion on the Sistema Cultura Venezia by the Fondazione di Venezia focusing on the M9 Museum, the entire museum system of the Municipality of Venice, and the Venice Pavilion; at 3 pm H-FARM will discuss the frontiers of AI, at 4:30 pm the Port System Authority, the Authority for the Lagoon, the Venice Foundation World Capital of Sustainability, and Confindustria VENETO EST will introduce the theme of the Lagoon, port activities, and sustainability, while at 7 pm the Chamber of Commerce Industry and Handicrafts of Venice and Rovigo in collaboration with AEPE Venice and the Bilateral Tourism Organization of Venice Metropolitan City will shed light on the excellences of the area between Venice and Rovigo through a narrative of images and flavors. Finally, on Tuesday, April 15th, in collaboration with Mimit, the Municipality of Venice, and Vela spa will present the sixth edition of the Nautical Salon, which will open its doors at the Arsenale from May 29th to June 2nd.
