The“China Hand”Filippo Nicosia Hopes to Continue with the Past and Open up the Future of the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing

□ Article/Journalist Xiong Yi Tr. by Li Hui

The“China Hand”Filippo Nicosia Hopes to Continue with the Past and Open up the Future of the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing

□ Article/Journalist Xiong Yi Tr. by Li Hui

“I volunteered to apply for work in Chongqing as soon as I heard that Mr. Sergio Maffettone, the first Consul General of Italy in Chongqing, was going to leave his post. Chongqing is very energetic and enjoys booming development. I also really like Chongqing hot pot!” On November 10, the new Consul General of the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing, Filippo Nicosia met with Chongqing media and showed his love for Chongqing.

In fact, all the work has been carried out efficiently after Filippo Nicosia arrived in Chongqing for 10 days: he has visited the Foreign and Oversea Chinese Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal People’s Government, gone to Sichuan Foreign Studies University to attend the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Italian Specialty,held the media meeting and the Press Conference of the 2nd World Italian Food Week, and jointly organized the “Investing in Italy” Fair together with Chongqing representatives from enterprises, fi nance profession and legal profession.

“l(fā) want to use a Chinese idiom to summarize the future work, that is,‘Jiwang Kailai’ meaning “continuing with the past and opening up the future”.

“You are welcomed to take of fi ce in Chongqing and I have heard that you are also a “China Hand” like the former Consul General Mr.Sergio Maffettone. And I am very glad to see that you have already started to work and play a role in the exchange and cooperation between Chongqing and Italy when you arrived in Chongqing for less than 10 days.” On November 14, Wu Kangming, director of Foreign and Oversea Chinese Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal People’s Government, has met Filippo Nicosia and said that the economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges between Chongqing and Italy have become increasingly closer in recent years. Especially, Chongqing and Italy have embarked on all-round and in-depth exchanges and cooperation since the founding of Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing on December 30, 2013.

Filippo Nicosia said in fluent Chinese: “I am honored to work in Chongqing, and I want to use a Chinese idiom to summarize the future work, that is, ‘Jiwang Kailai’ meaning “continuing with the past and opening up the future”. He has said that he will move forward with the achieved good results in various fi elds in the past,such as Chongqing-Italy Industrial Park and a series of cultural activities of “Love with the Autumn in Italy”. At the same time, we will forge ahead the new future of the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing and give full play to its role as the platform and bridge.In response, Wu Kangming said: “we will certainly support you as we supported Mr. Sergio Maffettone during your time in Chongqing.

During these four years, Chongqing Of fi ce of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Italy Visa Center have been set up successively; Chongqing and Rome have opened direct flights. Every year, dozens of Italian delegations visit Chongqing and carry out various forms of exchanges and cooperation with various professions in Chongqing. For three consecutive years, the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing have organized the cultural season activity “Love with the Autumn in Italy” and held various cultural exchange activities such as oil painting exhibitions, concerts and photo exhibitions, which have aroused the desire of Chongqing citizens for Italian culture.

On the annual “China Chongqing International Investment and Global Sourcing Meeting” and“International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF)”, the Foreign and Oversea Chinese Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal People’s Government and the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing have been organizing a number of Italian enterprises to exhibit in the form of national pavilions to enrich and improve the Chongqing International Exhibition. Chongqing has embarked on a rich and colorful exchanges and cooperation with regions of Lombardy, Veneto,Umbria, Liguria, Turin, Milan, Piacenza, etc. in Italy and significant achievements have been witnessed.In October 2017, the CPAFFC (the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries)approved Jiangbei District of Chongqing Municipality to establish friendly city relationship with the Piacenza City in Italy.

At present, there are 38 Italian-invested enterprises in Chongqing, among which are well-known Italian enterprises enjoying prosperous development, such as Fiat, Iveco etc. Chongqing Changan Automobile Group, Lifan Group and other famous enterprises have successively set up their branches in Italy. Driven by the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing, many SMEs (small medium enterprises) in our city have also gone to Italy for visits and negotiation one after another,and shown great interest in cooperation.

Filippo Nicosia has said: “we are looking forward to having more enterprises, professionals, researchers and Italian students come to this vibrant city of Chongqing to seize the development initiatives.”

“Italian flavor” Brings Cuisine Culture Feast to This Mountain City

“Pasta, pizza and ice cream are very familiar to people around the world. In fact, our culinary specialties include the diversity of dishes and drinks, moreover,the menu and recipes handed down by Italian family generations are of distinctive rustic flavor.”Filippo Nicosia has recommended the highlights of the 2nd World Italian Food Week on the media meeting. The Italian Food Week in this year, initiated by the Italian government and jointly implemented by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agricultural Policy, Ministry of Education and Economic Development Department, is held in more than 100 countries all around the world. From November 20 to November 26, the four food promotion activities staged at the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing,Intercontinental Chongqing Hotel and Niigogo Hotel respectively have made the audience exposed to the taste buds enjoyment as well as the sharing food culture.

On the seminar of “Italian Food Benefits the Health”,five experts have introduced representatives of the Mediterranean diets, such as wine, olive oil, coffee and truf fl es and their nutritional value and made the public exposed to the mysteries of “Italian-style life” as well as the Mediterranean diet. Topics of how to choose the ingredients, homemade Italian food and so on,have led the fi eld audience and guests into a heated discussion.

The fi lm Chocolate Class which was shot and shown in Italy in 2008 has helped to introduce Perugia, the Italian chocolate capital. There has been a grand chocolate festival every year since 1993. Before the screening,the audience have tasted the Italian national-treasureclass chocolate Baci. Through the introduction of Consul General Filippo Nicosia, the audience and guests also learned that the Italian dessert industry has set a record of nearly two million tons in 2016 with a total value of 13 million euros and become one of the largest dessert producers in Europe.

The Italian dessert chef has produced the “tallest”Tiramisu in Chongqing’s first Italian dessert shop on the 73rd floor of World Financial Center (WFC), the tallest building in the heart of Jiefangbei business district in Chongqing. Tiramisu is a world-famous Italian dessert made of egg yolks, mascarpone cheese and coffee-impregnated fi nger biscuits and cocoa powder and some additional tips. Visitors have also come into knowing the wine that perfectly matches with tiramisu when tasting the delicious desserts, and tasted the Italian Moscato white wine.The gold medal chef has carefully prepared the truf fl e feast, acrobatics pizza course, cooking show, buffet,etc. in the fi nal activity of cooking class, and presented the tradition and innovation of Italian cooking. Andrea Delzanno, the leading Italian chef, has delivered a cooking class for 60 guests present and created three dishes with the most Italian flavor: pasta with pesto and clams, Italian risotto with mushrooms, and the specialty, Italian-style stewed chicken in Tuscan region.The citizens who have tasted these delicious dishes said that they might become the followers of Italian cuisine in turn.

Filippo Nicosia is very pleased to see that Chongqing citizens are in favor of Italian cuisine, and also welcomes more Chinese tourists to travel in Italy.During his term of office, all his work targets are to constantly strengthen the bilateral relations between China and Italy, implement the “Belt and Road Initiative”, promote the Sino-Italian Industrial Park in Chongqing Liang Jiang New Area, carry out more large-scale projects in the Bishan Sino-Italian Innovation Park under the management of Università di Pisa and channel great efforts into celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Italy in 2020.

(Pictures are provided by the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing except the onymous ones.)