Over 11,000 visitors flocked to the second Viva Italia Show at London’s Olympia Exhibition Centre, from 22nd to 24th September, as once again they ‘escaped’ to this beautiful Mediterranean country. The National Hall and the five show theatres buzzed with excitement and activity throughout the weekend, as the show brought a true celebration of all things Italian to London. Event Sponsor Fiat caused quite a stir by bringing the 'Oltre Fiat' concept off-roader that towered over a stunning display of vintage and modern cars. Peter Newton, Public Relations Director of Fiat Auto UK said: “As this year’s sponsor of the Viva Italia Show, we were pleased not just with the attendance figures, but with the number and quality of enquiries we received in relation to our products. Fiat is building a reputation for accessible Italian design, and visitors to Viva Italia clearly appreciated that.” As well as Oltre Fiat, the production model range on show included the Grande Punto, Sedici and the Panda Sport.

A few glasses to celebrate the renowned Italian fine wines were raised at La Cantina, sponsored by Miwine, where over 25 wine seminars, talks and tasting sessions were held under the expert supervision of Livio Italiani, Head of the Italian Association of Sommeliers in the UK and wine guru Charles Metcalfe. At the cookery theatre – La Cucina Caldesi sponsored by Lagostina UK – Giancarlo and Katie Caldesi, stars of the BBC2 series ‘Return to Tuscany’ demonstrated delicious traditional Italian food with guest appearances from Valentino Harris and Ursula Ferrigno.  The slick and chic Obika Restaurant served their signature mozzarella dishes together with their famous light and utterly delicious classic ‘antipasti.’  Stefano Potorti Obika’s General Manager commented that: ‘Viva Italia Show proved to be a great experience and marketing opportunity for OBIKA; A wider audience had the chance to taste the true flavours of our buffalo mozzarella, fresh salads and DOP products, and accordingly we shall be happy to be back again next year.'

The show played host to some of the representatives of the belpaese regions including Liguria, Marche, Campania, Emilia Romagna, Basilicata, Tuscany and Puglia, organiser of the seminar “Information as a Competitive Tool in Internationalisation: the Excellence of Regional Products ‘Made in Italy’“.
 

The seminar, sponsored by Panorama’s “Economy”, highlighted local products along with their historical and cultural characteristics. A notable interest from the visitors also for the Umbria representatives – Spoleto, Foligno, Valnerina – who presented the green territories of this beautiful area and its tourist offer. The exhibition was considered a notable success by the public and exhibitors alike and, according to Leonardo Simonelli, President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce for the UK, the co-organiser of the event the Viva Italia team is already working on next year’s event to bring even more representative of Italy’s colourful and vibrant life style and culture. 

With over 20 real estate agencies exhibiting at the show, Viva Italia has given to the thousands of visitors the chance to look for their perfect place in the sun, choosing from selected Italian properties and listening to the advice of experts at the Travel & Property Forum sponsored by i Grandi Viaggi. The main stage – Il Palco – ran a myriad of entertainments all weekend from fashion shows, to language lessons and history of art classes. Of particular success was opera singer Juliette Pochin who sang a selection of songs from her debut album ‘Venezia’ and was rapturously received by the crowds throughout the weekend.

The unexpected visit of former football player Gianluca Vialli excited many of the football fans present at the show and brought back a bit of that great excitement for the recent World Cup celebrations. Show manager Gianfranco Caputo commented: ‘I am delighted with success of this show – we are going from strength to strength – and the complementing combination of food, drink and entertainment was warmly received by the visitors, so we are confident we have a winning formula and are eagerly looking forward to next year.’