On 1st and 2nd of March, the Italian Embassy in Riga organized for the first time three events on the occasion of the Italian Design Day.
The “First Italian Design Days in Latvia” were inaugurated on the evening of the first of March at the prestigious Riga Motor Museum, recently renovated. At the inauguration, Prof. Zbigniew Maurer (in the foto above) of the Polytechnic University of Milan held a conference entitled “Alfa Romeo Style Center, the protagonist of the Italian school in automotive design”, in which he illustrated the history of the Alfa Romeo Style Center di Arese and stressed the importance of using scale models for car design. Prof. Francesco Scullica – Professor of the Milan Polytechnic and Ambassador of Italian Design in Latvia – attended the inauguration, with a brief introduction of Italian design and of Prof. Maurer; as well as S. E. Ambassador Sebastiano Fulci, who gave a closing speech.
The following day, 2nd of March, Prof Francesco Scullica (in the foto below) gave two lectures on Italian design. 
The first in the morning at the Riga Technical University, entitled “Interior Design in Hospitality Scenario Through Italian Approach”, in which the Professor illustrated the design trends of tourist accommodation facilities, from luxury hotels to new sustainable trends (among which stands out the case study of the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa designed by Matteo Thun study, expert of sustainability in architecture and design). The second in the early afternoon at the Art Academy of Latvia, entitled “Interior Design: the Italian Way”, in which the Professor underlined the uniqueness of Italian design, which – starting from the study of local culture – also pays attention to details and to the multipurpose of spaces.
Photos of the events can be viewed here in the album dedicated to the “First Italian Design Days in Latvia” on the Facebook page of the Embassy (“Italy in Latvia”).
In conclusion, we take the opportunity to thank all those who participated in the initiative and showed interest in the organized events.
We also thank the Riga Motor Museum, the Riga Technical University, the Art Academy of Latvia and the Triennale di Milano, the Bocca Buona restaurant and Ferrero; with the hope of being able to repeat the pleasant experience also next year.
