ROME (ITALPRESS) – Great success of the Vespucci World Tour and the Italy Village for the Middle East stages of Doha (Dec. 17-22, 6th stage) and Abu Dhabi (Dec. 27-31, 7th stage) with nearly 110,000 visitors (over 52,000 for Doha and over 55,000 for Abu Dhabi).With the conclusion of the seventh leg of the Italy Village in Abu Dhabi, the total number of visitors between Los Angeles, Tokyo, Darwin, Singapore, Mumbai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi is about 365,000 of which more than 180,000 have boarded the Navy School Ship. The total number of users following the social accounts of the Vespucci World Tour reached and exceeded one million just during the Abu Dhabi leg. More than 13,000 is the total number of publications among Italian, local and international media that have reported on the project, which was desired by Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and to which 11 ministries, along with the Prime Minister’s Office, adhere.In Abu Dhabi there were many institutional visits, from the President of the Chamber of Deputies Lorenzo Fontana to Defense Minister Guido Crosetto who received, for a bilateral on board Nave Vespucci, the visit of his Emirati counterpart HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed, confirming how Nave Amerigo Vespucci and the Villaggio Italia have also increasingly become a place for meetings and institutional dialogue between countries.Also visiting were Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Maria Tripodi; Undersecretary of State for Defense Isabella Rauti; Italian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Lorenzo Fanara; Commander in Chief of the Naval Squadron Admiral Aurelio De Carolis; and Luca Andreoli CEO of Difesa Servizi the in-house company of the Ministry of Defense that implements and supports all phases of the initiative.Two exceptional visits took the visitors of the Abu Dhabi Italy Village by surprise: soccer legend Alessandro Del Piero and Lega Serie A President Ezio Simonelli boarded the Nave Amerigo Vespucci with the “Coppa campioni d’Italia” trophy symbolic of Italian soccer and the tricolor, and the famous tenor Andrea Bocelli who surprisingly paid tribute to the audience present by singing in the spaces of the Italy Village the National Anthem and the very famous “Con te partirò” song symbolic of the Vespucci World Tour and the Village. For the Italy Village in Abu Dhabi two exceptional godmothers: Serena Autieri and Veronica Maya.Doha was visited by Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry Francesco Lollobrigida, Undersecretary of Defense Matteo Perego di Cremnago, Navy Undersecretary Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto, Italian Ambassador to Doha S.E. Paolo Toschi, Defense Services CEO Luca Andreoli and Sheikh Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.Also present at both stops was Andrea Stella, founder and president of the “Lo Spirito di Stella” Association, the first fully accessible catamaran also engaged in a world tour as part of the “WoW” Project – Wheels on Waves Wheels on Waves – Around The World 2023-2025 promoted by the Ministry of Defense, the Defense General Staff and Defense Services, aimed at military personnel and civilians with disabilities who have sustained permanent injuries in the performance of duty, who, regardless of their physical, cognitive or sensory characteristics, have the opportunity to live a unique sea and sailing experience with the mission to prove that breaking down barriers is possible.Undersecretary of Defense Isabella Rauti, speaking at the Closing Ceremony of the Italy Village in Abu Dhabi, called the Nave Vespucci World Tour “an Italian identity icon” and continued, “The Vespucci World Tour and Italy Village project is an example of all-Italian soft power, from music to gastronomy, from art to cinema. A traveling expo and a showcase of Italian-ness that has been a full success everywhere, which makes our nation proud. The Vespucci is a concentration of beauty, history and fascination that has not waned for 93 years. Today, more than ever, she is an ambassador and messenger of Italian values and a symbol of dialogue and harmony among peoples. “In 2024, the Amerigo Vespucci sailed through a sea of affliction and suffering in the affairs of the world, carrying a strong message of hope and beauty with her splendid sails. We are happy to share these values with our Emirati friends, who joyfully contributed to the success of the Abu Dhabi leg of the Vespucci Tour. With the beauty of the Navy’s sailing ship, the sensitivity of the many cultural events organized at the Italy Village, and the enthusiasm with which the Emirati public participated, I am convinced that Italy and the United Arab Emirates can work side by side for a 2025 that is more serene and more respectful of the universal values of humanity,” commented the Ambassador of Italy to the United Arab Emirates Lorenzo Fanara.”That of the Vespucci is an extraordinary feat that here in Abu Dhabi, the seventh stop of the Italy Village in the World Tour, has given me unique emotions that in 42 years I had never experienced. My wish to all Italians can only be good winds for a peaceful and fruitful 2025. It will certainly be a very busy year for us in the Navy, in full continuity with the past one. We will contribute as much as possible to maritime security, in and outside the Mediterranean, and to the stability of all the areas in which we are involved together with the other Armed Forces, and we will continue our commitment to our personnel, to their welfare and to attracting young people to come to the Navy,” said Commander in Chief of the Naval Squadron Admiral Aurelio De Carolis at the end of the closing ceremony of the Abu Dhabi leg.”The Italy Village was once again sold out, sold out, even in Abu Dhabi, a true ‘Vespucci phenomenon.’ Abu Dhabi welcomed us in an extraordinary way. Thanks to the partnership with the port, it was possible to realize the Italy Village perfectly. The expo was literally taken by storm by visitors, a sign of the historical and consolidated friendship between the two countries and between the two peoples testified also by a very important institutional presence and by the institutional relations that were also consolidated on board the ship. Now the Italy Village will move to Jeddah, for the last leg of the initiative before returning to the Mediterranean. We are doing this with an enthusiasm and strength that has given us seven extraordinary stages,” said Luca Andreoli, Ceo of Difesa Servizi, who added. “Instead, 2025 will mark the return home, to the mare nostrum, with the first Italian stop scheduled for March 1 in Trieste. If 2024 made the Vespucci phenomenon known around the world, 2025 will certainly be the year of the Vespucci in Italy, sealing a planetary campaign that has been extraordinary for our country. This ship is a symbol of Italy and above all of Italian-ness.”
– Press office photo Vespucci World Tour and Italy Village –
(ITALPRESS).
