(19 June 2017) The Lombardy Region participates in the Expo Astana with a rich cultural programme: Massimiliano Finazzer Flory, winner of the Rosa Camuna Prize, will direct and interpret two theatrical performances, one dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci and the other in honor of Giuseppe Verdi. The participation of the region was announced by the Regional Councilor for Culture, Identity and Autonomy, Cristina Cappellini, who will lead the Lombardy delegation. Lombardy will participate in the Astana Expo from 21 to 24 June, on its "protagonist week" at the Italian Pavilion. Cappellini will hold some bilateral thematic and institutional meetings organized by the Embassy, with the Vice Governor for Culture, the Director of the National Museum and the Director of the Opera Theatre, which will be an opportunity to illustrate the region's policies on culture with particular reference to the enhancement of Unesco sites. On June 21, Cappellini will meet representatives of countries hosting Leonardo's works (France, Russia, Great Britain, Poland, USA and Vatican City) in order to begin a first talk on possible cultural events of international relevance to be organised in view of a special recurrence: on May 2, 2019, it will be 500 years since the death of the greatest Italian genius, Leonardo da Vinci, born near Florence and died in Amboise, not far from Paris. Also on June 21st, at the Italian Pavilion in Astana, there will be "Being Leonardo da Vinci", the show that reconstructs the true life of the Italian genius through theatre with the history of art and science. Through an 'impossible interview', Finazzer Flory "physically" becomes Leonardo, wearing costumes of the period, with a real reconstruction Da Vinci's face. He will recite original text by Leonardo in Renaissance Italian, including the famous Painting Treaty. On the evening of June 23rd, at the Astana Opera House, Finazzer Flory will instead perform "Verdi reads Verdi", which he directed and constituting a theatrical tribute to the greatest Italian composer through Verdi's original words and letters. In this performance, Finazzer Flory will be accompanied by a soprano, string quartet and piano all coming from Astana Opera. The artist becomes voice and face of the composer, with extraordinary make-up art, taking on the semblance, playing on the evocation of memories, recited through a direct dialogue with our time. Verdi on stage tells his life from his early years until his testamentary dispositions. It is a singular story in nine episodes spanned by its most beautiful music selected in relation to stage dramaturgy. (Red)

LOMBARDY AT THE ITALIAN PAVILION

Inside the Italian Pavilion in Volta Square, there will be an interactive multimedia video that will be screened on a 12-meter elliptical screen that, using modern kinetic technologies, will attract the audience showing a hypothetical hydroelectric power generated by the visitor's arm movement, played on the screen in the form of avatars. This energy will be measured by a counter and symbolically compared to the one produced in Lombardy. The environment on the screen will recall the landscape of Lombardy (nature and monuments) while the avatars will be submerged in an aquatic environment. On the opposite wall, some interactive totems will provide visitors with information and images about innovative forms of energy produced in the Lombardy Region. An information desk will provide visitors with a number of Russian and English leaflets on Expo topics as well as on some Lombardy excellence, both in culture and in the field of environment.