(by Elisa Cecchi).
    (ANSA) - Rome, February 27 - Nearly 60 days ahead of the much-anticipated Milan Expo 2015 kicking off on May 1, Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini this week presented in New York the cultural program of the food-themed event.
    The world's fair will be a "great showcase for the country, with over 1,300 events ranging from opera to jazz, from dance to historic events, from exhibits to literary festivals," said the minister, who inaugurated the new headquarters of the Italian government tourist board ENIT and the Lorenzo Da Ponte library at the Italian Cultural Institute in New York.
    The cultural events in Italy will be publicized on a new website developed by the culture ministry to encourage tourism throughout the country during the six-month-long Expo.
    The 'verybello.it' website will be translated from Italian into eight other languages and will become permanent after the fair ends on October 31, Franceschini said during the presentation at the Italian consulate on Thursday.
    "Contrary to other countries, Italy has an enormous heritage that is not concentrated only in a few major cities but is spread throughout the national territory," Franceschini noted.
    "Beauty is everywhere, and we are working to offer significant cultural events in lesser-known locations as well".
    Indeed a survey published this week showed that 60% out of 500 companies polled by the Chamber of Commerce in Milan expected to post revenue increases of up to 10% thanks to the Universal Exposition. According to the study, one company in three - out of 80,000 in Milan - is preparing initiatives to coincide with Expo, which is expected to attract over 20 million visitors from around the world.
    About 8% of the firms will be presenting products during the fair, 7.8% will provide services and 4% will launch new products specifically aimed at Expo visitors, the poll said.
    Overall, 10,000 firms are directly involved in the event through the Chamber of Commerce, including 2,000 companies in the tourism sector and 2,000 in event planning.
    The world's fair, which runs under the banner 'Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life', will enable Italy to showcase its quality food products as well as promote tourism in Milan, the country's financial and fashion capital, and across the country.
    And the team of Expo's special ambassadors, which currently includes a host of Italian celebrity chefs as well as fashion deacon Gorgio Armani, will as of this week enlist two world figure skating champions - Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte.