L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 4 E v e r y y e a r , a r o u n d t h i s t i m e , I t a l y enters its most c o l o r f u l s e a - son: market stalls are filled with peonies and poppies, b a l c o n i e s a r e t h i c k w i t h geraniums, and entire hill- sides bloom in coordinated palettes of wildflowers. The country's connection with flowers, however, goes well beyond gardens, deco- ration and natural beauty and, to understand it, we only need to consider the key role floriculture plays in the national economy and in d a i l y l i f e . F l o w e r s a r e a commercial product, a form of public art, and a central element in many community rituals; they are cultivated in greenhous- es, traded across borders, a n d l a i d o n c o b b l e s t o n e s during religious feasts. In towns, floral displays mark anniversaries, processions, and civic celebrations. What many people, per- haps, don't think about, is how, behind these events a n d m a r k e t s , t h e r e i s a dense network of grow- ers, exporters, and artisans k e e p i n g t h e s e c t o r a l i v e . I t a l y ' s f l o r a l i n d u s t r y i s made of numbers, but also habits, rhythms, and long- standing traditions. This spring, Genoa host- e d t h e 1 3 t h e d i t i o n o f E u r o f l o r a , I t a l y ' s m o s t prestigious international e x h i b i t i o n d e d i c a t e d t o f l o w e r s a n d o r n a m e n t a l plants. Founded in 1966 by S e n a t o r C a r l o P a s t o r i n o , then president of the Fiera di Genova, Euroflora was inspired by the great flo- ralies of Ghent and Nantes. It quickly earned recogni- tion from the Internation- al Association of Horti- c u l t u r a l P r o d u c e r s (AIPH) and became part of the official calendar of inter- n a t i o n a l h o r t i c u l t u r a l events. F r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g , Euroflora brought together technical expertise, land- scape design, and artistic d i s p l a y . O r i g i n a l l y h e l d every five years, the event followed a regular schedule from the 1960s through the early 2000s, with editions in 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006. Each of these took place in the vast pavilions of the Fiera di Genova, which a l l o w e d f o r l a r g e - s c a l e installations and interna- tional participation. Its most successful edi- t i o n c a m e i n 1 9 8 6 , w h e n o v e r 7 3 0 , 0 0 0 v i s i t o r s a t t e n d e d , a n d m o r e t h a n 2 6 0 e x h i b i t o r s f r o m 1 9 c o u n t r i e s t o o k p a r t . T h e event drew national atten- t i o n a n d w a s v i s i t e d b y high-profile guests includ- ing President Sandro Pertini and Marella Agnelli. During this period, Euroflora solid- i f i e d i t s r e p u t a t i o n a s a trade fair but also as a cul- t u r a l e v e n t , w i t h s t r o n g visual and civic appeal. After the 2011 edition, the format was reconsidered: Euroflora returned in 2018, but in a new open-air for- mat, relocating to Genoa's Parchi di Nervi due to reno- v a t i o n w o r k s a t t h e f a i r - grounds. The outdoor set- t i n g o f f e r e d a m o r e immersive, landscape-ori- ented experience and con- tinued for the 2022 edition as well. T h e 2 0 2 5 e d i t i o n m a r k e d a f u l l - c i r c l e m o m e n t : the exhibition r e t u r n e d t o t h e F i e r a d i Genova, now redeveloped as part of the Waterfront di Levante project designed by Renzo Piano. The new s e t t i n g o f f e r e d 8 5 , 0 0 0 square meters of exhibition space –more than double that of the previous edition – and hosted 144 floral gar- dens and installations under the theme Nature Takes its Space. Around 200,000 visitors attended the event, 45 percent of whom were first-time participants. Beyond its public appeal, Euroflora reaffirmed its role as a key commercial plat- form: in partnership with t h e I t a l i a n T r a d e A g e n c y (ICE) and the Genoa Cham- ber of Commerce, over 60 international buyers took part in B2B meetings aimed a t s u p p o r t i n g I t a l i a n exporters and promoting cross-border collaboration in the floriculture sector. It is clear that floriculture continues to be a strategic sector within Italian agri- c u l t u r e , c o m b i n i n g h i g h p r o d u c t i o n v a l u e w i t h a s t r o n g e x p o r t p r o f i l e . I n 2023, the combined nursery and flower industry generat- ed roughly €3.14 billion (around $3.4 billion) in output. Floriculture alone accounted for €1.465 bil- lion (about $1.58 billion), representing approximately 2.2 percent of the national agricultural economy. The sector includes more than 27,000 businesses, employs around 100,000 people, and covers nearly Behind Italy's blooms: a floral economy rooted in tradition FRANCESCA BEZZONE NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS CONTINUED TO PAGE 6 To keep the art vibrant, the images made with flowers at infiorate are sprinkled with water (Photo: Maria Uspenskaya/Dreamstime)

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