Podcast

Gearing up for Milan

Updated: 2010-10-29 14:27

As Expo 2010 Shanghai draws to a spectacular conclusion, the Italy Pavilion is getting ready to receive the World Exposition baton and embark on its journey toward Expo 2015 Milan, based on the theme of "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life."

"Expo 2010 Shanghai has been an extraordinary celebration of global business and culture, and it has set the bar high for future World Expositions," said Roberto Formigoni, president of the Italian region of Lombardy, of which Milan is the capital. "It has also provided a fantastic model for Milan in terms of managing and organizing events of this scale. We are excited for 2015, and we have high expectations for what it will achieve."

The Milan Expo will be located on a 1.7-million-square-meter site in the northwest of the city that includes parts of the municipal territories of Pero and Rho, according to Formigoni's master plan.

The next Expo Garden will come in the form of a large island surrounded by canals, where pavilions will be divided into six main exhibition areas. There will also be an amphitheater, 12 catering service areas and a botanical garden, featuring a greenhouse with plants from all of the participating countries.

Expo 2015 Milan will offer a great communication and promotion platform for primary-producing communities, farmers, food firms, catering companies and other companies seeking to make the most of innovative technologies in the food industry, he said.

"The process will be inspired by traditional Italian food. It will evoke the flavors and colors of our land and our food, which is homely, genuine, but also rich and beautiful," said Formigoni.

In Lombardy's countryside, innovation and tradition merge through new practices in the farming industry. This has propelled the region to the forefront of agricultural production in Europe.

Official statistics by Lombardy officials show that 60,000 farms in the region employ innovative technologies to cultivate a variety of crops, while about 8,000 agro-food companies produce and export their products all over the world.

Each nation will have a distinct space where they can show their agriculture, technology, food research, and areas of excellence in the food production chain, as well as paradigms and contradictions inherent to the sphere of food.

Six months of concerts, exhibitions and cultural events will bring tourists closer to Milan and its landmarks, such as La Scala Theater.

Over 50 countries have already approached Milan about joining the Expo, but official agreements cannot be signed before Nov 23.

Questions:

1. Where is the World Expo headed next?

2. What will the theme be?

3. What are some of the plans for Expo 2015?

Answers:

1. Expo 2015 Milan.

2. "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life".

3. The Milan Expo will be located on a 1.7-million-square-meter site in the northwest of the city. The pavilions will be divided into six main exhibition areas. There will also be an amphitheater, 12 catering service areas and a botanical garden.

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（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Gearing up for Milan

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.