Gabriele Menegatti considers himself lucky that he will see the "Italian Year" program kick off just as he starts his second year as Italy's envoy to Japan.
For the 61-year-old Bologna-born ambassador, it has been a "long journey to Japan" after serving in several Asian posts, including China in the 1960s at the height of the Great Cultural Revolution, Vietnam, Hong Kong and then India where he was Italy's ambassador from 1990 to 1994.
Menegatti discussed the "Italy in Japan 2001" program during a recent interview with The Japan Times. It will be the most comprehensive and ambitious project staged outside of Italy, aiming to show through exhibits and live events the best of Italy's art, culture, design, fashion, music, science and technology.