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Own Correspondent
The Italian Culture Week, organised by the Embassies of Italy and Switzerland, is underway with activities lined up at various venues in Harare. The festivities began on Monday. Italian cuisine will be showcased tomorrow and Thursday at Meikles Hotel, where internationally renowned Italian chef Lorenzo Mottalini will delight dinners with his traditional dishes.

Commenting on the event, Swiss ambassador Luciano Lavizzari said that the objective of the Italian Culture Week is to improve cross-cultural understanding of the Italian culture, within the Zimbabwean and the international communities, through activities that are educational and entertaining.

Italian ambassador Enrico De Agostini said, “2015 is the year when we reflect on the challenge to feed the planet in innovative and sustainable ways. “Thanks to EXPO Milan and the Milan Charter, the attention has been drawn to the importance of looking for new sources of food to feed an ever increasing human population.

“What we must do together — and what we will do during the Italian culinary week — is to make unusual kinds of food taste better than ever before.”

Together with chef Mottalini, international food expert Christophe Bruno Marziale and local Italian chef Marina Pillai, the Italian Ambassador will build on the experience of the Zimbabwean “Croco-burger” presented at EXPO Milan 2015, to explore new ways of using crocodile meat and game in Italian cuisine.

In line with the culture exchange focus of the initiative, chef Mottalini will run a workshop organised by Meikles Hotel to facilitate skills transfer and understanding among local catering industry professionals.

Chef Lorenzo Mottalini is based in South Africa and has 25 years catering experience gained at various restaurants and hotels, including a six-year stint as executive head chef at the Palazzo Intercontinental at Montecasino in Gauteng.

The Italian Culture Week will also see the screening of a thought provoking documentary entitled “Habemus Mister” by Italian film director Tiziano Russo.

The film will be screened at the Italian Club today and at Tristan Place in Highlands tomorrow.

“Habemus Mister” is the story of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation and uses a parallel technique to also tell the story of Mauro Raponi, a soccer coach who suddenly resigned after eight years at the helm of his community team.

Both resignations were unimaginable to all those who followed the two leaders and the film compares believers to supporters who share common emotions.

These include the fear of abandonment and the desire to start over again.

The screening at both venues will start at 6pm and will be followed by a question and answer session with the director, in order to facilitate a conversation on culture and the issues raised in the documentary.