“Italy and Japan have always maintained close relations and share many common traits, including the presence of many century-old companies, the will to preserve this heritage, the love for the creation of beautiful and high-quality products”. With these words Kazuyoshi Umemoto (Ambassador of Japan in Italy) accepted the “Key of Friendship 2016”, the traditional recognition that since 2006 the Italian Historic Companies Association bestows on “prominent figure or an institution’s representative who acquired special merits with his work in the cultural, civil, social and economic sphere, leaving a precious legacy and an enlightened sense of progress in Italy.”
The ceremony of the Key of Friendship 2016 was held during the traditional Winter Convivium at Palazzo Incontri in Florence, in the presence of several members of the Association and institutional representatives: among them, Leonardo Bassilichi, President of the Chamber of Commerce in Florence, and Eugenio Giani, President of Tuscany.
“For promoting the Japanese culture in Italy and contributing to further consolidate the relations between the two countries as an Ambassador”: this is the reason of the award bestowed on Kazuyoshi Umemoto, the highest diplomatic representative in Italy of a nation that has always had close relations with our country. This is proved by the fact that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Italy, with the ratification of the “Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation”.
“The conferment of the Key of Friendship to Kazuyoshi Umemoto has a strong symbolic value, and it also paves the way for new forms of collaboration between Italian and Japanese companies, to be discussed in the short term with a first meeting to be held in Italy at the beginnng of 2017, Eugenio Alphandery (President of the Association) said.
During the Winter Convivium the Association’s membership certificate was conferred to Aceto del Duca (Modena), the third historic company to join the Association in 2016 after Frilli Gallery, 1860 (Florence) and Villani Salumi, 1886 (Modena). The certificate was accepted by Mariangela Grosoli, owner of the Emilian brand that has been producing balsamic vinegar since 1891. This year wraps up with 48 companies from eight regions of Italy (Piedmont, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Campania, Puglia, Calabria and Sicily) being members of the Association.
The Winter Meeting event also including an interesting moment of entertainment with the presence of the Compagnia delle Seggiole, who presented a preview of the stage play titled “Leonardo and Michelangelo, rival geniuses”. Written by Riccardo Ventrella, starring Fabio Baronti and Luca Cartocci, the performance will be also held in Gifu on the occasion of an exhibition dedicated to Michelangelo Buonarroti and Leonardo da Vinci and scheduled for October 2017 during the celebrations for the 700th anniversary of the city.
