Ignazio Marino Mayor of and Chief Executive of Expo 2015 spa

sign the agreement

Wednesday, 18 June 2014, 4.30 p.m. Rome, Musei Capitolini, Esedra del Marco Aurelio Piazza del Campidoglio (entrance from the Portico of Vignola)

PRESS RELEASE

Rome is a showcase of extraordinary prestige offering the Expo the utmost coverage and involvement of the general public through its central position on the tourist circuit and naturally international vocation further enhanced by the presence of embassies and cultural institutes. It thus constitutes a unique channel to offer visibility to the over 140 countries taking part in the forthcoming Expo. Hence the birth of ROME towards EXPO MILANO 2015, a rich and varied programme of exhibits, conferences, events and tastings that will enable these countries, through the involvement of their embassies, between September 2014 and October 2015, to present their plans for participation in the Expo as well as their image and points of excellence in the fields of production, culture and tourism in exclusive locations.

ROME towards EXPO MILANO 2015 is developed under the auspices of the Italian Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry with the participation of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism in collaboration with Aeroporti di Roma. Zètema Progetto Cultura and Comunicare Organizzando are responsible for general organization.

The capital’s efforts on behalf of the Milan Expo of 2015 also envision a unified plan of promotion and an organic development project jointly organized with the Lazio Region and the Regional Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Handicraft and Agriculture of Lazio. Rome and the Lazio region will both be present in the Italian pavilion.

The initiative envisages the use of numerous locations inside the city. The exhibition spaces involved will comprise the Museo dell’Ara Pacis, which houses one of the world’s finest works of classical art, the Monumental Complex of the Vittoriano (Brasini Wing), which attracts over a million visitors a year, and Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Fiumicino (Terminal 3), the key central hub for Roman and Italian tourism. These will host exhibits, conferences and events devoted to the countries participating, which will be offered an unparalleled opportunity to present themselves and their points of excellence as well as the themes addressed in their respective pavilions at the Expo.

Another focal point of the project will regard information on the Milan Expo of 2015 through info islands and banners with specific multilingual promotional and explanatory material set up in a whole range of different places from the historical centre of Rome to its outskirts. In particular:

• the city’s nine tourist information points (PIT), open 365 days a year to offer information in five different languages, which have become the primary point of reference for Italian and foreign tourists visiting Rome • Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Fiumicino, which handled nearly 14 million passengers in the first five months of 2014 • Ciampino Airport, which handles an ever-increasing number of passengers (nearly two million in the first five months of 2014) • Municipal Museum System, a group of museums and archaeological sites visited by people from all over the world • the Vittoriano, located in the heart of the city, one of Rome’s best-known and most immediately recognizable monuments • the 28 municipal libraries situated all over the city • the suburban cultural centres located in areas of very high residential density, comprising Laurentino 38, San Basilio and Via Tiburtina • the city’s play centres – Casina di Raffaello and Technotown – with the aim of increasing awareness of the Expo and its themes among the very young too.

Press Office: Roma Capitale ufficiostampa@.roma.it 06 67102211 - 06 67103255

Press Office: Expo 2015 SpA [email protected] 02 89459400

Press Office: Zètema Progetto Cultura Giusi Alessio [email protected] 06 82077327 – 340 4206562

Press Office: Comunicare Organizzando Paola Polidoro [email protected] 06 3225380 – 328 4116985