Milan, 7 May 2025 – In a global context marked by geopolitical and economic uncertainties, House of Made in Italy is affirming itself as a cultural diplomacy project that focuses on the intangible value of Italy: its ability to generate beauty, tell identities, and build relationships. Presented yesterday in Milan, the project was created to bring to New York, on the occasion of the 2026 World Cup, a choral and contemporary narration of our country, far from stereotypes and simplifications.
From 29 June 2025 to 19 July 2026, the historic headquarters of the Columbus Citizens Foundation – an iconic neo-Renaissance style building in the heart of the Upper East Side – will host a rich programme of cultural, educational and relational events. House of Made in Italy presents itself as a true Italian home, inhabited by stories, products, people, territories: a physical and symbolic place where Italy meets the world.
“A brilliant idea, in iconic locations, in a strategic period. Congratulations to the organisers!” commented Consul General of Italy in New York Fabrizio Di Michele. The press conference, hosted by Mediaset journalist Mino Taveri, was attended by Alessandro Schiatti (I Love Italian Food), Simone Barazzotto (SB PR), Carmen D. Hacker (Columbus Citizens Foundation), Fabrizio Di Michele (Consulate General of Italy in New York), Sara Padoan (Italian Trade Agency, sponsor of the initiative), Alessandro Apolito (Coldiretti) and journalist Claudio Brachino, editor of The New Yorker. Among those present was also the Italian artist Benito Macerata, who created a live work inspired by the project: the work will be exhibited in New York at the House of Made in Italy headquarters from June.
A CULTURAL RESPONSE AT A STRATEGIC MOMENT
‘Italy is not just a brand, it is a vision of the world made of authenticity, know-how and an idea of beauty that unites, and this is the ideal historical moment to invest in the American market,’ says Alessandro Schiatti, president of I Love Italian Food and co-creator of the project. “With House of Made in Italy we want to build a bridge between our country and the United States, based on content, experience and depth. We are not promoting products, but spreading culture. And we are doing it at the place and time when global attention will be at its highest.”
The project takes shape in a crucial period for relations between Europe and the United States. The recent tensions over customs duties and the growing pressure on European agri-food products bring the need to enhance, protect and narrate Italian excellence with greater awareness back to the centre of public debate. House of Made in Italy will be an immersive and narrative environment that puts the Italian identity at the centre: not a commercial exhibition, but a cultural itinerary designed for professionals and stakeholders, in which to get in touch with the authenticity and richness of Made in Italy, between history, territory and innovation.
“House of Made in Italy will gather the best of Italian identity, giving space to excellences and stories that deserve to be shared. Realising this project together with I Love Italian Food is an exciting challenge, which will allow us to tell the story of Italy in New York with authenticity and vision,” commented Simone Barazzotto, co-creator of the project.
THE COLUMBUS CITIZENS FOUNDATION: A HOME FOR ITALY
Founded in 1944, the Columbus Citizens Foundation is a reference institution for the promotion of Italian culture in the United States. Based in a historic townhouse between Madison Avenue and Park Avenue, in the heart of the Upper East Side, for over seventy years the Foundation has played a fundamental role in supporting scholarships, educational activities and initiatives that enhance the Italian contribution to American society.
The choice of the Columbus Citizens Foundation as the venue for House of Made in Italy represents the encounter between heritage and contemporaneity, between the Italian-American community and new generations, between roots and future. Through this collaboration, the project fits into a context of prestige and authenticity, strengthening its cultural vocation and its relational impact on the New York scene.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: AN ITALY THAT IS TOLD
The House of Made in Italy programme is developed through a dense calendar of appointments from June 2025 to July 2026: inaugural evenings, educational meetings, thematic masterclasses, cultural talks, and in-depth moments dedicated to territories, wellness, the Mediterranean diet, and sustainability, but also to design, sport, craftsmanship, fashion, and Italian creativity.
A constantly evolving schedule, built to dialogue with the press, buyers, food & wine professionals, opinion leaders, designers, cultural stakeholders and representatives of the Italian-American community. Each event represents an opportunity to generate authentic connections between Italy and the United States, enhancing artisan knowledge, territorial identity, talent and excellence in the various sectors of Made in Italy.
At the heart of the project is the all-Italian aptitude for transforming tradition, creativity and expertise into a recognisable style, capable of speaking to the world with authenticity and depth. The journey will symbolically end in the summer of 2026, on the occasion of the World Cup in the United States: a moment of global visibility, in which House of Made in Italy will propose itself as the cultural home of contemporary Italy in the heart of New York.
PARTNERS AND PATRONAGE
The project is realised under the patronage of ITA – Italian Trade Agency and with the active contribution of some of the most significant realities of the Italian agro-food industry:
Agriform, Mulino Caputo, Casa Modena, Ciao Pomodoro, Coldiretti, Filicori Zecchini, Acetaia Giusti, Granterre, Lurisia, Monini, Parmareggio, Effeuno.
With the support of: Coldiretti and Filiera Italia.
Technical and media partners:
La Gazzetta dello Sport, il Newyorkese, Marino PR.
