Celebrating the Italian Festival

First published in ELEQT on 25 June 2012.

Two weeks ago marked the opening of the Italian Film Festival, and there is nothing in the world that could deter us from participating! Michelle and I eagerly rushed over to their night long celebration on Thursday, 7 June 2012, which kicked off with a wonderful cocktail at W Hotel's lovely Sing Yin Restaurant. After tucking in some mouthwatering canapés and Italian wines, we headed over to the Grand Cinema at Elements to watch I Love You in Every Language of the World by Italian director Leonardo Pieraccioni, whom they are paying tribute to this year. He also played the male protagonist in the film, and the comedy was lighthearted and entertaining, making a great watch after a long day of mind-draining work.

The film festival comes under the big bracket of Italian 2012: Quality & Lifestyle, a initiative by Italian Chamber of Commerce, covering everything from the theatre to music to gastronomy. A tavola, literally meaning come to the table, is their attempt to bring over an authentic selection of regional dishes, so that we lucky Hong Kongers can sample the variety and richness in lesser known Italian regional cuisines.
Newly introduced this year to their events list is the Design Italiani: the Taste of Class, which brings you to cocktails around the most renowned Italian showrooms in town, aiming to shed light upon the values and peculiarities of Italian designs over a decent glass of Italian wine. There is almost a cocktail every other day from now till the end of June, so whether you are a designer or not, don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity!