Uruguay, Italian Pavilion at Expo Prado

The Italian Pavilion at Expo Prado, Uruguay's most important trade fair, set a record for visitor numbers. Organised by the Italian Embassy and the Uruguay-Italy Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with Italian Trade Agency, the event concluded with a visit from Uruguay's Deputy Foreign Minister, Nicolas Albertoni, following an earlier visit by Minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries Fernando Mattos. "Thanks to its institutional visibility and exceptional public appeal, the Italian Pavilion at Expo Prado," said Italy's Ambassador in Montevideo, Fabrizio Petri, "proves to be a formidable tool for promoting Italy, supporting Italian businesses and products in the Uruguayan market, where trade is continuously growing."

In its fifth consecutive year at the fair, the Italian participation broke attendance records, with 144,804 visitors over the 10-day exhibition. The pavilion's façade, inspired by the iconic Bosco Verticale, the two Milan skyscrapers designed by architect Stefano Boeri, reflects the principles of innovation, sustainability, and the promotion of Italian heritage. The pavilion hosted stands from thirteen Made in Italy companies across various sectors, including satellite technology, commercial vehicles, agri-food, logistics, pet products, and education.

Significant emphasis was placed on the appreciation of Uruguay's large Italian community-it's estimated that over 40% of Uruguayans have Italian ancestry-which makes the country strategic for promoting Tourism of Roots. The pavilion served as a platform for promoting the Italea project, which encourages return tourism for Italian descendants, in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Italians Abroad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In terms of tourism promotion, thanks to a collaboration with ENIT, visitors could take a 3D virtual tour of Matera on a Vespa without leaving the pavilion.