The 2009 edition of the Philadelphia Flower Show will celebrate Italian culture with a reconstruction of Italian gardens. The visitors will find themselves in settings evoking Romans ruins, Tuscans hills or the channel of  Venice. The exposition will feature a reproduction of an  Italian “Piazza”, were those present will have the opportunity to encounter producers and artisans who will be showcasing their works  in the United States for the first time.

The hosts might recognize some of the products exposed: they are the same carried in the most glamorous Roman boutiques at elegant Piazza Navona  or in Via Veneto (where Fellini's  "La Dolce Vita" was set). Some others are more similar to those found in Piazza dei Martiri and Via dei Mille in Naples... Samplings of Italian treats will be offered all day long in this new, cozy place where the visitors  will also have a chance to buy authentic Italian-made products such as pasta, cookies, chocolate, canned tomatoes, clothing, and ceramics.

This initiative has been promoted by the Italian Consul General in Philadelphia, Luigi Scotto, the Director of the North America Division of the Italian Tourism Board [2], Riccardo Strano and the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce [3].

The Philadelphia Flower Show, the oldest and largest indoor show of its kind, is produced by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society [4] and presented by PNC Bank. PHS has more than 15,000 members throughout the country. Offering hundreds of gardening programs year-round, it is considered the nation’s leading authority in the field of urban gardening. Its Philadelphia Green Program has served as a model throughout the country.

 More info: The Flower Show official web site [5]