Che mondo sarebbe senza Nutella? or A world without Italy?

When we were children, there was an ad: Che mondo sarebbe senza Nutella? Would it be a world worth living in?

I guess the question I want to ask, along with the fabulous planners of the Italian Pavilion at Expo, is:

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Is that even conceivable?

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The dazzling Italian pavilion, Expo 2015 Milan

A visit to the Milan Expo – which, by the way, merits a trip from wherever you are right now because it is SPECTACULAR! – shows just what a beautiful and marvelous treasure trove Italy is, with its incredible bio-diversity, landscape, art, music, food, people, wine, culture in every manifestation.

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Italy is the most bio-diverse country on the planet. Why does this not surprise me? It is in our DNA to be different, to embrace variety. They say that if you have two Italians in a room, you have three opinions. The plethora of political parties is well-known. We love individualism!

Evviva la differenza!!!

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The great variety of plants was reflected in the display, but even with real live samples growing inside the pavilion!

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Do I have to tell you again that there are over 440 varieties of grape to make wine in Italy? Now that is what I call biodiversity!

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And get a load of these Arcimboldeschi sentinels guarding the entrance to Expo!

 

 

 

 

A visit to Expo teaches you that ‘once is not enough’: you have to go back for more! And I will certainly post about it again.
Lesson for the day: Celebrate biodiversity! Protect the planet! Enjoy healthy, delicious food that makes life so worth living in the respect of all that is living!
Look at the kaleidoscope of Italian culture…

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Suzanne Branciforte

has one foot firmly planted on either continent
is New York born and Harvard educated
is Italian and American and Italian-American
has resided on the Italian Riviera for the past 15 years
has a Masters degree and a Ph.D. from UCLA
is a writer, translator and interpreter
interpreted for the President of the Bundesbank and Nobel Prize winning economists and authors
is the author of the international best-selling textbook Parliamo italiano!
has lived extensively in California, France and Italy
knows that good wine doesn’t grow in ugly places
is convinced that living is your greatest work of art