On Friday, 1st October, the spectacular inauguration ceremony of Expo 2020 was held at the Dubai Trade Center. The capital of the United Arab Emirates opened its doors to 192 countries, gathered under one roof – or rather – one common theme: Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.

Connecting minds, creating the future is the theme of sustainability. Expo 2020 wants to be the starting point of a path that will see the next ten years as an essential period to find solutions to fundamental issues; to leave a mark of social, economic and environmental transformation; to aim at progress and prosperity without affecting the future of the next generations.

Creating smarter and more productive connections. Italy has already distinguished itself in this, winning over visitors with a pavilion that is futuristic, yet connected and inspired by its past. With a circular shape, which recalls the theme of reuse and virtuous recycling, the Pavilion is located between the thematic areas “Opportunities” and “Sustainability”. Memory” is one of the values on which the Italian experience in Dubai is based. The merit of having connected past and future goes to Davide Rampello, artistic director for Italy, who declared that «Without memory man has no word».

«In the 1960s we thought that in the future we would only eat freeze-dried food. No prediction could have been more wrong. Food is still fundamental for the same reason we are in Dubai today, because it connects people», explains Carlo Ratti, co-designer of Padiglione Italia.

In the Innovation Space, a vegetable garden has also been created which is constantly monitored – remotely – by students from the University of Parma. From this green space, vegetables, fruit and vegetables will be cultivated for the entire duration of the exhibition. The aim is to study the possibility of cultivating on alternative soils to the terrestrial ones.

Moreover, the climate change we are witnessing confronts us with a commitment that can no longer be postponed: make peace with nature and rediscover harmony with the environment. ITA0039 works to ensure that the food of tomorrow is produced taking into account the earth that hosts us, its fragility. Therefore, following increasingly sustainable criteria, raw materials will play an essential role, ensuring reduced energy consumption and healthier products.  Characteristics that Italian food already has and that ITA0039 wants to enhance and support.

The future is not only Made in Italy, but also – and above all – Made with Italy.