Notte Italiana 2024: a celebration of Italian excellence

On November 23, 2024, the China World Hotel in Beijing provided an elegant setting for the Italian business community in China to gather for the XI Edition of Notte Italiana"Night At The Opera”.

Organized by the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC) with the support of the Embassy of Italy to the People’s Republic of China and the Italian Cultural Institute in Beijing, the event set a record with over 500 participants, including CICC members, Chinese partners and friends, and representatives of the broader Italian system in China.

Media partners of the event: ClassEditori and China Federation of Economic Media. Among the media guests of the evening: RAI, Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, ANSA, Beijing Radio Television, China Media Group, Chinese Cuisine, That’s Beijing, Luxury Times and Madame Figaro.

The 2024 edition of Notte Italiana, themed Night At The Opera, celebrated the legacy of Italian opera and composer Giacomo Puccini. The evening commenced with a captivating performance by four dancers from the Shenyang Music Conservatory, set to Gioacchino Rossini’s March of the Swiss Soldiers. 

The Chairman of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, Lorenzo Riccardi opened the event with a welcome address: 

2024 has been significant for bilateral relations, with official missions from Italy to China and from China to Italy. Our Chamber represents Italian investments in China with 33 billion euros in turnover, and 130,000 employees in the country. The chamber is part of the Action Plan signed by the two governments, that together with the new tax treaty that will come into force in 2025 marks a new phase in trade and investment. In this spirit, Notte Italiana promotes the Italian excellence and Made in Italy—synonymous with art, beauty, and style.

Following, the speech of the Ambassador of Italy to the P.R.C., H.E. Massimo Ambrosetti:

The 11th edition of the Italian Night celebrated the qualified presence of our business community in China across a broad range of economic sectors, shedding light on the strength and relevance of the bilateral relationship at the level of both economic and trade cooperation as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges. A longstanding and solid bilateral friendship further strengthened this year by numerous high level political visits, including those by President Sergio Mattarella this month and President Giorgia Meloni in July. The Italian Night also marked the closing of the 9 th edition of the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World, a worldwide flagship initiative of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation which brought to China the best culinary traditions Italy has to offer.

Wang Yupeng, Deputy Director General of the European Department Mofcom, and Zhang Jun, Secretary General of Boao Forum for Asia, also took the stage to deliver a welcoming remark to all guests.

Afterwards, a vibrant dance break, brought by ballroom dancers Tiffany and Tony, animated this first part of the evening.

Notte Italiana 2024 was made possible through the support of its sponsors and partners, including Generali China Insurance, Diamond Sponsor of the evening, and Leonardo, Supporter of the night. Jack Yuan, CEO of Generali China Insurance, and Wang Lei, Ministry of Transport, Rescue and Salvage Bureau, each took the stage to share insights into their respective organizations and their contributions to China's business landscape.

Other event sponsors include: Cooperativa Ceramiche D’Imola, HGC International Travel Group, VFS Global, Violetta (Emerald Sponsors); Bama Tea, Bitron and FuturaSun (Bronze Sponsors).

This year’s Notte Italiana also served as the grand finale of the 9th Week of Italian Cuisine in the World, themed Mediterranean Diet and Root Cuisine: Health and Tradition, with the support of the Osservatorio Internazionale di Diplomazia Culturale, Comune di Siena and Consorzio per la Tutela del Palio di Siena.

In this context, central to the evening was the Michelin-starred menu curated by Chef Gaetano Trovato of the two-Michelin-starred Arnolfo in Siena and Chef Marino D’Antonio of the Michelin-starred Giada Garden in Beijing. The menu was complemented by premium wines from 100 ITA, Lunanera, SinoDrink, and VM Fine Wines. Both Chefs and representatives took the stage and guided guests through the wine pairings.

Numerous food and beverage sponsors contributed to the evening’s culinary experience, offering an array of delicacies before, during and after the gala dinner: AAC Wine, Aurora, Bama Tea, Brazzale, Campari Group, Carpigiani, DeLonghi, Deppolit, Dolomia, Finigate, ISU, Jara, Jiarui, Love In and Sediment.

Among the technical sponsors Santoni and Radici Design Studio respectively for the creation of the goodie bags and the design. Delonghi, Ferrari and Vespa contributed with beautiful corners and products display. Thanks to Chef Fabio Falanga from Sediment Restaurant who supported the creations of all F&B stations, Goglio and Vinci Cultura.

A performance of three arias from Puccini’s La Bohème, featuring soprano Xintong Li, tenor Chong Wang, and pianist Yu Haiyang from the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA), added a cultural crescendo to the evening. This performance was introduced by Federico Antonelli, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Beijing.

The Ospitalità Italiana Award Ceremony honored 22 Italian restaurants celebrating their contribution to Italian hospitality worldwide. Among the awarded restaurants: Giada Garden, Venezia Club Italian Restaurant & Winery, La Pizza Solana, Oggi Trattoria Pizzeria GZ, Oggi Trattoria Pizzeria Shenzhen, Bella Vita Bistrò Tianping (Shanghai), Bella Vita Foshan, Bella Vita Haifang (Shanghai), Bella Vita Pudong (Shanghai), Bella Vita Wuqing (Tianjin), TAVOLA Italian Dining, MIO Ristorante Italiano, Bonacasa Dongguan, Casamia SanyaBay (n.3), Casamia SanyaBay (n.2), CASA MIA Chengmai, Mammamia! Guangzhou, Mammamia! Kunshan, Mammamia! Stadium, Francesco Yabe Guangzhou, Pipa Trattoria Guangzhou and Il Faro Bar Ristorante Guangzhou.

After a second ballroom dance, the most awaited moment of the night arrived: the lucky draw raffle! The top five lottery prizes offered respectively by Voglia d'Italia, Ferrari, Valentino, Hainan Airlines and MSC Cruises were handed over on the stage by representatives of the diplomatic network and the managers of the companies to the five lucky winners.

Overall, 36 companies provided around 200 prizes in the Lucky Draws section. These include: AAC Wine, Alisferi, Basil, Beijing Postcards, BellaVita, Shanghai, Calzedonia, Catherine De France, China World Hotel, Ferrari, Goglio, Golden Goose, Hainan Airlines, Hyatt Regency, Intimissimi, Istituto Marangoni, Jenny Yang, Kemipiski Hotel Beijing, Kocoon Spa, La Petronilla , Mammamia Shanghai, Matilde Vincenzi, Mecap, Moleskine, MSC Crociere, Nannini, Notti, Oggi, On The List, Orobianco, Paoul Shoes, Shanghai Sava, Sediment, That's Mandarin, Valentino, Vespa and Voglia d'Italia.

The after-dinner saw the drawing of all the remaining lottery prizes and more music, with DJ Leo Furioso, dancing and tasting excellent cocktails, petit fourre, sparkling wine, and panettone.

Before leaving, goodie bags full of products were delivered to the guests. The products inside were kindly offered by: AAC Wine, Fiorellino, Basil, BellaVita, Calzedonia, Catherine De France, Chanteclair, Easail, EUSME Centre, Generali China Insurance, Kocoon Spa, La Petronilla, Marvis, Medavita, Moleskine, Paoul Shoes and Santoni.