(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 10 - The 2023 Ryder Cup at Rome this autumn offers a major chance to promote Italy and showcase its treasures on a global scale ahead of Italy's hoped-for hosting of Expo 2030, Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Friday.
    "The Ryder Cup offers a great impetus for commerce, a special opportunity also to boost tourism and reveal the treasures of our home to the entire world. And at the same time, the event offers an extraordinary opportunity to raise awareness about the 'Sistema Italia' (Italy's team of institutions) should our nation, as I hope, be designated the host country for Expo 2030", Tajani underscored on the eve of a double event that will bring "Golf in Piazza" to Rome Saturday on Via delle Magnolie in the heart of Villa Borghese, and to Milan in the equally iconic Piazza del Duomo.
    For Tajani, the biannual contest between Europe and the USA, to be held in Italy for the first time this year, will be an encounter with history not only for the fans who will come from all over the world to the capital, but also for Italy.
    "This is thanks to the worldwide popularity that the Ryder Cup boasts. The event draws global interest and the Eternal City will show a new face to the world by hosting one of the biggest global sporting events," said the deputy premier, adding that "this is an extraordinary event which, combined with the great organizational operation that is already in motion for the (Catholic) Jubilee (in 2025), will demonstrate the receptive and organizational capacity of Rome and the entire country.
    "The Ryder Cup and other major events the government has already planned show, in my opinion, the foundations of the future initiatives planned for Expo 2030." This year's Ryder Cup will take place at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club outside the Italian capital from September 29 to October 1. (ANSA).