Six months before the start of Milan Expo 2015, construction work has been completed on 80% of infrastructures and is well underway on most of the 53 single-nation pavilions at the food-themed event, Expo chief Giuseppe Sala has said.
Apart from the "last six or seven last-minute additions" from a record-breaking 53 countries, construction on most single-nation pavilions is making good progress over an area of more than 100 hectares near Milan's huge Rho Pero trade fair exhibition center, Sala said on Thursday.
One of the last countries to begin construction was France, whose pavilion will be located next to the Italy's and will be made almost entirely from wood from the Jura region.
Sala on Thursday said that it was largely to the credit of Italy's anti-corruption czar Raffaele Cantone, who was given powers during the summer to vet Expo business, that things were moving ahead as planned. "Ever since he has been with us, things have greatly improved", he said.
The Expo chief was presenting on Thursday the institutional ad campaign for the food-themed World Fair, which is set to run May to October 2015. A video clip, produced by Havas Worldwide Milan, will be broadcast on national television starting on November 2 and a radio ad as of November 14.
Both feature leading Italian actor Antonio Albanese discussing different types of food and their meaning - from pasta to grasshoppers - to conclude that food is "life, work and play". Sala has just returned from a trip to China - a country which has invested a reported 60 million euros in the event and where over one million Expo tickets have already been sold. He also recently met with Culture Minister Dario Franceschini, who stressed at an informal meeting with his European counterparts held in Naples on Thursday that the Universal Exposition is "an opportunity for Europe", as well as Italy.
Speaking at the 13th European Tourism Forum - a two-day event on "Tourism and culture in Europe: innovative actions for jobs and growth" wrapping up Friday - Franceschini said the "objective is to make sure that non-EU tourists, once in Italy, remain in Europe thanks to a high-quality cultural offer" and joint strategies.
The government is expecting 20 million visitors at Milan's Expo, based on the fact that 5.8 million tickets have already been sold.
The theme of Milan Expo 2015, which opens on May 1 through October 31 next year, is "Feeding the planet: Energy for Life", and deals with food security, fighting hunger, and promoting global food-production practices that are economically, environmentally and socially sustainable.
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