Culture? There is more to Italian culture than the Sistine Chapel

To celebrate The Year of Italian Culture, the Italian Trade Commission (Chicago Office)has organized several special events during BEA and NYBW.

From The Crocodile to a very special mouse/ publisher/editor-in-chief/chief journalist andwinged mythical creatures, here’s the scoop on the happenings at BEA and around town.

Italian illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti, winner of the 2003 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material, will sign and create a unique drawing for each fan, limited to first 100 people in line.

Thursday, May 30 11:00 am  

Italian Trade Commission Booth 802

Geronimo Stilton, best-selling author, and publisher/editor-in-chief/chief journalist the fictional newspaper The Rodent's Gazette and the president/owner of its publication "The Stilton Publishing" will meet and greet visitors at BEA.

Friday, May 31 11:00 am

Italian Trade Commission Booth 802

Crime fiction fans won’t want to miss Italian writer Maurizio de Giovanni, shortlisted for the 2012 CWA International Dagger award, who will sign copies of his latest book The Crocodile (Europa Editions).

Friday, May 31 3:30 pm  

Italian Trade Commission Booth 802

Mattotti will also discuss his latest work, Oltremai (Beyond Never), in a presentation at the Society of Illustrators on May 30 at 6:30 pm.

Thursday, May 30 6:30-8:30 pm

Society of Illustrators

128 East 63rd Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues)

Presented in collaboration with the Society of Illustrators

To purchase tickets, visit www.societyillustrators.org.

2013 has been declared The Year of Italian Culture in the United States by the Italian government/Italian Embassy. In cities across the United States, events and exhibitions will showcase Italian culture in areas including art, music, theater, landscaping and architecture, cinema, literature, science, design, fashion, and food.

The Italian Trade Commission is the government agency entrusted with promoting trade, industrial and technological cooperation, and disseminating economic information regarding Italy abroad. The Chicago Office is responsible, among others, for the publishing sector, as well as maintaining and regularly updating its publishing website: www.italbooks.com.