A celebration of all things Italian is held this week as Al Qasba—the premiere tourist, cultural and entertainment destination in the emirate of Sharjah—kicked off its Italian Festival Event on December 10th with an Art Exhibition hosted by Italian artist Silvio Vigliaturo at area D located near Starbucks. The festive week was inaugurated by H.E.Marwan Al Sarkal, CEO of Al Qasba, H.E. Mauro Marzocchi – Secretary General of the Italian Industry & Commerce office in Sharjah and Mr. Ricardo Leduna, Director of Total Quality Management.

Starting at 6:00 pm, the Art Exhibition featured twelve glass sculptures created and arranged by famed artist Silvio Vigliaturo. Hailing from the southern region of Calabria, Italy, Vigliaturo is renowned for his glass fusion technique for which he is considered one of the few master by many art critiques and art lovers both in his native country and the rest of the world. His masterpieces have graced the halls of many Italian museums as well as exhibitions in the UK, Spain, Austria, and the United States, to name a few. In addition to glass work, Vigliaturo has also spent many years developing multimedia pieces of steel and clay, and is also an accomplished painter.

Ms. Dina Al Nakhi, Events Manager at Al Qasba, says that the event showcases a unique medium of Italian art not often seen outside of the European art scene. “The intensity and intricacy of Vigliaturo’s work is truly incredible and will be a perfect complement to the other events hosted during the Italian Festival,” comments Ms. Nakhi.

The Italian Festival Week will run from December 10th – 20th throughout the Al Qasba complex For more information about Al Qasba and the Italian Festival Week, visit www.alqasba.ae.