The avenue known for luxury shopping in the Big Apple will be celebrating the legendary era and Italian style glorified by “la Dolce Vita” for 7 days.
The iconic avenue will celebrate “Made in Italy” for one week with a series of events centered around fashion, jewelry, food and design. The “Italy on Madison” initiative, launched by the ITA (Italian Trade Agency), is emblematic of the revitalization of post-Covid Manhattan, presenting the best of what Italy has to offer, from May 18th – 25th.
The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 18th in front of the ITA’s headquarters on the Upper East Side (33 East 67th Street), where a Lamborghini will be displayed during the presentation of Italian institutions in New York, along with the partners of this initiative, such as Madison Avenue BID, Grand Central Partnership and Flatiron. Over 30 shops and restaurants will host open houses and cocktails — the Italian aperitif is precisely one of the leitmotifs of the campaign.
Among the scheduled events (the complete list can be found at www.ItalyonMadison.nyc) will be “Italian Jewelry on Madison: The Golden Days Ahead”, centered around Italian jewelry, where 40 companies will present brand leaders in design, innovation, sustainability and technology. The event will take place at Piazza Italia’s main location at 346 Madison Avenue, in a building which dates back to the early 1900s, inspired by the Italian Renaissance.
“Italian Design on Madison”, instead, is a celebration of Italian artisanship and will host a roundtable on the evolution of Italian companies in the sectors of design and architecture, during which time different experts will share their thoughts about the “new normal” created by the pandemic, beginning with the reorganization of space due to remote working, as well as new living and hospitality models.
Regarding food and wine, instead, there will be various seminars entitled, “Glorious Italian Food & Wine”, dedicated to these two pillars of the Italian economy. The events, which will be held both at ITA headquarters and Eataly, will pertain to the role of women in the wine sector, their challenges and new opportunities.
Included in the program will also be a seminar about the prospects for food services and the safeguarding of authentic Italian cuisine, which will wrap up with a tasting of some DOP (protected denomination of origin) dishes at Eataly. A significant space will also be dedicated to soccer, with the initiative, “Calcio is back!”. The Serie A League will open a temporary museum for a week, where visitors can admire trophies and soccer jerseys, as well as enjoy the possibility of playing the Fifa22 championship on PS5.
Antonino Laspina, the director of ITA in New York, as well as coordinator for the United States, underscores the enormous importance of trade between Italy and the United States: “Italy closed out 2021 with about 12 billion dollars within the fashion sector (between accessories, shoes, etc.) – a 25% growth with respect to 2019. A similarly important outcome came from the food and wine sector, which demonstrates the vitality and importance of these areas,” he explained, pointing out that ‘Italy on Madison’ is “a springboard to announce the imminent campaigns and opportunities to support the enduring love story between Rome and Washington.”
Among the shops and venues that will participate in this initiative are Acquatalia, Aquazzurra, Armani, Buccellati, Canali, Davide Cenci, Ippolita, Isaia, Marina Rinaldi, Marina B, Max Mara, Monnalisa, Punto Ottico, Sermoneta Gloves, Tods, Zegna, B&B Italia, Molteni&Dada, Natuzzi Italia, OnMadisonPark/Arclinea NY, Poliform, Altesi, Bar Italia, Bocca, Eataly (Il Patio) Il Mulino Uptown, La Pecora Bianca, Poppi, San Pietro, Serafina Always, Tarallucci e Vino NoMad.
Translation by Emmelina De Feo
