Italy is the guest of honour at
the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, which got underway on
Wednesday.
The Italian pavilion presents 16 publishing houses and a
large number of authors, including mystery writer Donato Carrisi
and Mediaevalist Franco Cardini.
There is also a display of ancient texts from Rome's
Angelica Library including a Bible in Arabic and a Koran in
Latin.
Heinz Beck and Andrea Mugavero are among the celebrity
chefs who will present dishes inspired by famous Italian
literary characters and their authors.
Italy aims to boost cultural, economic and political
cooperation with Abu Dhabi through its participation in the book
fair.
To this end, culture undersecretary Antimo Cesaro has met
with local authorities to explore how Italy can help the
Emirates invest in quality tourism particularly with respect to
culture and museums.
"We can make an important contribution towards cataloguing
and valorising the remains that come to light during the
archaeological excavations planned by Abu Dhabi," Cesaro said.
"In addition, the Institute of Italian Culture in the
Emirates will be inaugurated in a few months' time, while the
first Italian assistant has taken up a position at Zayed
university this year," he added.
photo: crown prince of Abu Dhabi (left)
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