In celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the unification of Italy, the Embassy of Italy in Washington, DC, hosted a two-day event highlighting the culture, history, and industry of Italy.
During the early 1800s Italy was a series of city-states until nationalistic sentiments led to a civil war that unified all the states, except for Rome, in 1861. Rome was incorporated in 1870.
Featuring a wine tasting as the main theme of the event, the Embassy provided wines from all parts of Italy as representatives of wine-producing families explained the past and future of Italian wine-making. The first night of festivities was a small, intimate affair sponsored by Vinitaly, the largest wine fair in the world based in Verona, Italy. After sampling eight Italian wines ranging from Santa Marghartia’s Proseco as an aperitif to the Angialis 2007 Bianco dessert wine IGT Isola dei Nuraghi by Argiolas, the Embassy showed the 1961 Roberto Rosselini film, Viva L’Italia, which follows the Italian hero Giuseppe Giribaldi through his battles to liberate Sicily from the Bourbon royal family. The second night was a grand celebration in the Embassy’s main hall. Nearly 1500 people showed to celebrate Italian unification and all things Italy. The high ceilings and stone floor led to a loud but convivial event, and no Italian would expect less.
The centerpieces of the evenings were four bottles of wine, specially made for the occasion. Named Una, Italian for “one,” the wines take one grape variety from each of Italy’s twenty regions to create two bottles of red and two bottles of white wine. Also showcased throughout the evenings were a variety of Italian merchants, from clean energy developers to luxury designers that have turned the “Made in Italy” label into a status symbol, like Ducati, Fiat, and Beretta.
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Italian Embassy Celebrates 150 Years of Unified Italy
June 5, 2011
In celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the unification of Italy, the Embassy of Italy in Washington, DC, hosted a two-day event highlighting the culture, history, and industry of Italy.
During the early 1800s Italy was a series of city-states until nationalistic sentiments led to a civil war that unified all the states, except for Rome, in 1861. Rome was incorporated in 1870.
Featuring a wine tasting as the main theme of the event, the Embassy provided wines from all parts of Italy as representatives of wine-producing families explained the past and future of Italian wine-making. The first night of festivities was a small, intimate affair sponsored by Vinitaly, the largest wine fair in the world based in Verona, Italy. After sampling eight Italian wines ranging from Santa Marghartia’s Proseco as an aperitif to the Angialis 2007 Bianco dessert wine IGT Isola dei Nuraghi by Argiolas, the Embassy showed the 1961 Roberto Rosselini film, Viva L’Italia, which follows the Italian hero Giuseppe Giribaldi through his battles to liberate Sicily from the Bourbon royal family. The second night was a grand celebration in the Embassy’s main hall. Nearly 1500 people showed to celebrate Italian unification and all things Italy. The high ceilings and stone floor led to a loud but convivial event, and no Italian would expect less.
The centerpieces of the evenings were four bottles of wine, specially made for the occasion. Named Una, Italian for “one,” the wines take one grape variety from each of Italy’s twenty regions to create two bottles of red and two bottles of white wine. Also showcased throughout the evenings were a variety of Italian merchants, from clean energy developers to luxury designers that have turned the “Made in Italy” label into a status symbol, like Ducati, Fiat, and Beretta.
