Malta has been at the centre of this year's edition of the Festival della Letteratura di Viaggio, a prestigious annual event organised by the Società Geografica Italiana in Rome. The festival, now in its ninth edition celebrates all forms of artistic expression inspired by travel, from travel writing and journalism to music, photography, cinema and design.
Malta's contribution, which was co-ordinated by the MTA's tourism office in Rome, consisted of a number of activities held throughout the festival. An exhibition of photographs by Maltese photographer Daniel Cilia was set up within the library hall of Palazzetto Mattei, headquarters of the Società Geografica Italiana. The selection of images on display conveyed Malta's diverse offer, portrayed in the palette of colours characteristic of the Maltese islands and wonderfully captured through Cilia's lens.
In addition, a panel discussion was held on one of the days. Vanessa Frazier, Ambassador of Malta to Italy, spoke about Malta's geo-political importance at the centre of the Mediterranean. Claude Zammit Trevisan, MTA Marketing director for Italy gave an overview of the destinations and its many attractions for the cultural tourist.
Andreas Steiner, director of Archeo and Medioevo and an intimate connoisseur of Malta's history and archaeology, related his personal experiences with Malta ever since he started visiting the islands in the 1990s, relating how he would return on several trips to conduct studies and publish articles.
Finally, Massimo Savoia, director of tour operator specialist Note in Viaggio gave an insight of Malta and its music, with particular emphasis on the Valletta International Baroque Festival.
The conference was also attended by a number of invitees of Note in Viaggio, who were later treated to a reception held on the terrace of Villa Celimontana, where the new Malta programme prepared by Note in Viaggio for the 2017 edition of the Valletta Baroque Festival was launched, accompanied by the baroque tunes of Italian ensemble iBaroque.
Mr Zammit Trevisan said: 'It is indeed a privilege for us to participate in such a prestigious festival which is so highly regarded in the Italian cultural calendar. Our participation marks our willingness to promote our rich cultural heritage, in an effort to widen our client base here in Italy. Malta's association with this festival enabled us to reach a new audience with a great interest in culture and travel, making it a perfect match."