Italian Pavilion Draws More Than 2.5 Million Visitors in 60 days

Visitors from all over the world discover the excellence of Italy

Just 60 days after its opening on May 1, the Italian Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010 has welcomed over 2.5 million visitors from across China and around the world, generating an average traffic of approximately 40,000 visitors a day into one of the most popular pavilions in Expo ground.

"I am really proud by what we have achieved in such a short time," expressed Mr. Beniamino Quintieri, the Commissioner General of Italy for the Shanghai World Expo 2010. "The response we have received from visitors have been very positive, despite having to wait patiently in line to get into our pavilion, it has not deterred enthusiastic visitors from visiting the Italian Pavilion. We continue to welcome all our guests, and hope to excite them with the rich programs in store for the months to come.”

Record numbers, above all if considered the queue waiting time – up to six hours – necessary to go inside the Pavilion. Despite the long wait, many believe that the visit to the Italian pavilion is definitely rewarding thanks to the quality of the exposition, which is able to show the whole panorama of Italian excellences in an interactive and engaging way.

Here below some significant numbers from the Italian Pavilion:

• 2.5million visitors in the first 60 days of exhibition
• An average of 40,000 visitors to the day
• Up to 6 hours the waiting time necessary to get in the Pavilion
• An exhibition area spread to 7,800 square meters and 18 meters high
• More than 40 politicians including Prime Ministers and State Leaders, 10 royal families and more than 500 incumbent members of the Chinese Communist Party have visited the Pavilion
• Chinese and international celebrities have graced the pavilion including Maggie Cheung (Hong Kong starlet), Patty Hou (Taiwanese TV host), Ma Yili (Shanghai actress), Liv Tyler (American actress known for her role in Lord of the Rings film), Natalia Vodianova (Russian supermodel and philanthropist) and Maria Grazia Cucinotta (Italian actresses internationally known as Bond girl)
• 31 cultural events have been organized inside and outside the Pavilion (at Europe Square, Expo Auditorium, and Shanghai Oriental Art Center). All the shows were sold out, particularly high turnouts were the performances by Ennio Morricone (one of the most influential and most prolific film composers of his era), Giovanni Allevi (Italian pianist and composer) and Ugo Ughi (where nearly 1800 people attended the Italian violinist’s performance at the Shanghai Oriental Center)
• More than 40 business events for the Italian companies and the sponsorship companies hosted inside the Italian Pavilion.