Italian maestro Enrico Gerola had a performance in Niavaran Cultural Complex in Tehran accompanied by Iranian singer Parvaz Homay and members of his ensemble Mastan on July 26 and 27.

Homay, who is a Persian traditional singer and composer, is scheduled to perform a repertoire of his latest pieces as well as some of his hits.

Earlier last year, Gerola and Homay held a tour of the U.S. and in addition to his concert tour in America, they held some performances in Iran.

Mastan features Milad Alipur on tar, Moslem Alipur on kamancheh, Mohammad Nozari on santur and Pasha Hanji on ney.

Share your view!

The 7th night of 32nd Fajr Music Festival was devoted to joint performance of Tehran Symphony Orchestra and the Puccini Festival Orchestra from Italy, under the baton of maestros Shahrdad Rohani and Paolo Olmi.

The Puccini Festival Orchestra, one of the most prestigious orchestras of Italy, came to Iran with conductor Paolo Olmi and 40 musicians to dazzle the audience gathered at Vahdat Hall on Thursday night with a breathtaking performance together with an Iranian ensemble from Tehran Symphony Orchestra under the baton of acclaimed Iranian maestro Shahrdad Rohani.

All tickets to this highly-anticipated performance were sold out within the first hour and the beautiful 750-seated hall of Vahdat became enameled for the next two hours with the powerful, soul-moving and heartfelt notes of violins, cellos, contrabasses, oboes and clarinets.

Before the orchestra began, Rohani greeted the audience with a sad smile and dedicated the night’s performance to the injured and victims of Plasco building collapse in Tehran as well as those who lost their lives in an earthquake in Italy.

Following that, the audience all rose in respect to the national anthems of Iran and Italy played by the musicians on stage.

Rohani conducted the first three pieces including “William Tell” by Gioachino Rossini, his own composition “Persian Garden”, and “The Capriccio Italien” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. After a short intermission, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 was conducted flawlessly by Paolo Olmi.

The performance of “Persian Garden” had a special added beauty as Rohani invited Iranian violoncello solo performer Nasim Saad to bestow upon the ever hungry ears of the audience the soulful, plaintive notes of the wavering strings.

The piece ended with Rohani’s remark on the stage, “this cultural exchange between Italian musicians and Tehran Symphony Orchestra shows just how much these two nations have in common.”

He went on to add, “all human beings have something in common. Just imagine how more beautiful this world could be if we focused on our similarities instead of differences. We are all the same and it does not matter where we have come from.”

Rohani then revealed another surprise just before the intermission: “While the presence of two maestros at one concert is uncommon, I have to say that tonight we have actually three.” He then went on to introduce Alberto Veronesi who conducted a short piece composed by legendary Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini.

The performance was concluded by Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, performed in four consecutive sections, which gave Vahdat Hall a reverent, solemn air. Despite long, standing ovation, the performance was not followed by a bis, perhaps because the Italian ensemble needed to fly back to their country that night.

The composition of the musicians was so that each Italian musician was seated next to an Iranian in a symbolic move to stress on unity and commonality.

“The Italian musicians all spoke in praise of the Iranian musicians and admitted that they had not expected to witness such quality work from Tehran Symphony Orchestra,” Rohani had said in an interview prior to the concert.

“In the short period of time that I was in Iran, I felt that Persian music has influenced European music,” maestro Paolo Olmi said. “The kind of music that I heard at the restaurants in Iran sounded a lot like Italian pop music. The similarities are all there and this shows how different cultures can influence and be influenced by one another.”

Olmi went on to add, “I have had a good experience with Iranian musicians of Tehran Symphony Orchestra. They are young, energetic and professional. I am actually looking forward to having Tehran Symphony Orchestra in Italy and introduce them to our people.”

The 32nd Fajr International Music Festival, Iran’s most reputable music event, was held from January 11-20, 2017 in various avenues in capital Tehran. The international section introduced to the Iranian audience music from Azerbaijan Republic, India, Lebanon, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Japan. Winners of this edition of the festival will be announced on Sunday.

Paolo Olmi began his career in 1979 as conductor of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. He has directed operas and concerts all over the world (Tokyo, Berlin, Paris, Chicago, Madrid, Lisbon, Venice, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Beijing, Shanghai). He has conducted almost all works by Giuseppe Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Gaetano Donizetti, and Umberto Giordano. From 1990-1993, he was the Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of RAI National Symphony Orchestra. From 2006-2011, he was the musical director and artistic adviser of the Opera National de Nancy et de Lorraine in France. Since 2002, he is a visiting professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London./ Mehrnews

Share your view!

Italy ranked first among European importers of Iranian goods in the nine months to December 20, 2016, Iran Customs Administration (ICA) figures showed.

Italy was first among European importers of Iranian commodities importing over 678,000 tons of Iranian goods worth more than $385 million in the nine-month period, announced Iran’s customs office, IRNA reported.

It further said that 40 European countries imported Iranian goods valued at $1.856 billion.

In late November, Italian Ambassador to Iran Mauro Conciatori in a meeting with Hormuzgan Governor General Jassem Jadari in Bandar Abbas voiced Rome’s willingness to expand economic and industrial relations with Tehran.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi met in New York which was the fourth meeting in the past years, he pointed out. During the meeting the two sides underscored the need to double efforts to broaden relations, Conciatori said during the meeting.

He reiterated that Iran and Italy have deep familiarity about each other and have been in contact with each other through Silk Road which can pave the way for boosting ties between the two countries.

Conciatori pointed to the berthing of Italian warship in Bandar Abbas, and said, “The presence of the Italian warship shows the positive development in relations between the two countries.”

Share your view!

Iran has managed to attract 7.2 billion dollars in finance from three foreign banks, the vice governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) announced on Saturday.

Gholamali Kamyab said attracting $10 billion of foreign finance has been defined as a project for the CBI in the area of Resistance Economy, Tasnim News Agency reported.

He made the remarks in a meeting with CBI officials, which was attended by First Vice-President Es’haq Jahangiri in Tehran.

The measures taken by the CBI in this regard include extensive talks with some foreign banks, such as the Export–Import (Exim) Bank of China, Italy’s Mediobanca and Denmark’s Danske Bank, he noted.

The CBI vice governor added that up to now, 72 percent of the project has been implemented.

There has been a new wave of interest in ties with Iran since Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries – Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany – reached a deal on Iran’s nuclear program in 2015.

The comprehensive nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), terminated all nuclear-related sanctions against Iran.

Share your view!

Deputy Head of the Commercial Development Section of the Italian Embassy in Tehran, Tony Giardini, said that Italians are ready to invest in Iran’s petrochemical industry.

He said since the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal in January, tens of Italian economic activists have visited Iran to explore investment opportunities in the country, IRNA reported.

The Italian official said that given Iran’s attractive oil and gas industries, stronger cooperation is expected to come about between major Iranian and Italian companies.

“The Iranian petrochemical industry, as a vanguard in economic growth, is in dire need of investment and development,” Giardini said.

Corradini said that Italian companies are also willing to invest in Iranian small- and medium-sized downstream oil and gas industries.

He added that Italy enjoys technology in the small- and medium-sized industries and Italian companies want to enter talks with Iranians for sale of equipment and investment in the industry.

After Germany, Italy is Iran’s second major trade partner, and it seems that cooperation between the two countries in the petrochemical field is not an unattainable goal, said the Italian diplomat.

Share your view!

Italian companies seem to be very keen to invest on Iran‘s marine industries, says the head of an Iranian company involved in building fiberglass recreational boats and marine gears on the Kish Island.

Two Italian manufacturers of sea light vessels and marine gears participated in the Eighth International Maritime and Offshore Technologies Exhibition held on the Kish Island from October 18 to 21, Hossein Jahangiri told the Islamic Republic News Agency in a recent interview.

We were looking for a technology transfer deal with the Italian companies, said the managing director of Fiber Sanat Darya Kish company.

‘The two Italian companies also believed that the Persian Gulf Island provides them with a good opportunity to manufacture and market their products,’ Jahangiri said.

As no country in Asia represents the two companies, striking deals with the two Italian fiberglass boat and marine gear manufacturers is going to provide Iran with a chance to market the products jointly produced with the help of Italian companies across the region, he said.

Share your view!

A team of Iranian and Italian experts have begun restoration work in Pasargadae in Iran’s Fars province.

Director General of Iran’s Bureau of International Databases Farhad Azizi said Iran and Italy are cooperating more than a year and a half to restore Pasargadae constructions.

This year, he added, the Italian delegation in collaboration with Iranian counterpart started field works to study and protect the palace of Cyrus the Great and Winged Figure.

Italian experts in renovation, architecture, physics, chemistry, documentation, biology and geology as well as Iranian experts discussed the problems and the protection methods of the site’s stone monuments.

The Italian and Iranian teams kicked off cooperation according to an agreement signed between Iran’ Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO), The National Institute for Conservation and Restoration (ISCR) and Italy’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism.

Pasargadae: UNESCO World Heritage

Pasargadae was the first dynastic capital of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus II the Great, in Pars, homeland of the Persians, in the 6th century BC. Its palaces, gardens and the mausoleum of Cyrus are outstanding examples of the first phase of royal Achaemenid art and architecture and exceptional testimonies of Persian civilization.

Particularly noteworthy vestiges in the 160-ha site include: the Mausoleum of Cyrus II; Tall-e Takht, a fortified terrace; and a royal ensemble of gatehouse, audience hall, residential palace and gardens.

Pasargadae was the capital of the first great multicultural empire in Western Asia. Spanning the Eastern Mediterranean and Egypt to the Hindus River, it is considered to be the first empire that respected the cultural diversity of its different peoples. This was reflected in Achaemenid architecture, a synthetic representation of different cultures.

Share your view!

Italy has voiced willingness to expand economic and industrial relations with Tehran.

Italian Ambassador to Iran Mauro Conciatori said in a meeting with Hormuzgan Governor General Jassem Jedari in Bandar Abbas that Iranian president (Hassan Rouhani) and Italian prime minister (Matteo Renzi) met for the fourth time over the past year in New York last week during which both sides underscored the need for doubling efforts to broaden ties, wrote Fars News Agency.

Noting that Iran and Italy are quite familiar about each other and have been in contact through the Silk Road, he said this can pave the way for boosting ties between the two countries.

Conciatori pointed to the berthing of Italian warship in Bandar Abbas, and said the presence of the Italian warship is a positive development in relations between the two countries.

In mid-July, Iranian and Italian officials in a meeting in Sari, Mazandaran Province, signed four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to expand cooperation in areas such as trade and economic sectors.

The MoUs were signed in a ceremony attended by governors of Iran’s Mazandaran Province and Italy’s Marche Province.

Marche Governor Luca Ceriscioli was accompanied by a 50-member trade delegation which included 43 CEOs, manager of an Italian bank and chancellors of two Italian universities.

In mid-April, Iran and Italy signed 12 contracts to boost cooperation in trade and economic fields.

Chairman of Iran-Italy Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Mines Ahmad Pourfallah said the agreements were signed in a ceremony attended by Italian Prime Minister Renzi and Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade, Mohammadreza Nematzadeh.

He said negotiations are also underway between Iranian and Italian trade delegations to discuss further cooperation in economy, trade and banking.

According to the official, the discussions include cooperation in oil, gas, electricity, power plant, steel, textile, fashion, car, infrastructure, urban planning and architecture, telecommunication, railway, airport construction, shipping, refinery, and petrochemicals.

He said the Italian economic delegation, including 70 economic firms, is the ninth delegation to visit Iran after the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions.

A day earlier, President Rouhani had reiterated the need for the timely and precise implementation of the nuclear agreement by the world powers.

“The nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 (the US, Russia, Britain, France and China plus Germany) was a success for all countries which believe that talks is the solution to the international problems and we should well protect the achievements of this agreement so that all people opt for the path of talks as a role model to settle the problems in the world,” Rouhani said, addressing a meeting between high-raking Iranian and Italian delegations, also attended by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, in Tehran.

He underscored the importance of precise and timely implementation of all undertakings accepted by the other side in the nuclear agreement with Iran.

President Rouhani also appreciated Italy for its goodwill and support during the Iran-P5+1 talks. iran daily

Share your view!

President Rouhani officially welcomed the Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi in Sa’dabad Cultural Complex in Tehran on Tuesday 12 April 2016. Mr. Matteo Renzi, the Prime Minister of Italy and his entourage met with Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Revolution, Tuesday afternoon. Chairman of Expediency Council of Iran Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Tuesday met with visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Tehran.

President Rouhani described the signing of 36 cooperation documents between Iran and Italy in the recent months as the illustrator of the firm resolve of the two countries for developing ties and cooperation and said: “Italian Prime Minister’s trip to Tehran is a significant start for developing Tehran-Rome ties in different economic, scientific, technological and tourism fields, as well as consultation and coordination in important regional and international issues”.

Tehran, Rome to restore trade to pre-sanctions level

President Hassan Rouhani said Iran would like to see its trade ties with Italy restored to the level that existed before the Islamic Republic came under nuclear-related sanctions.

President Rouhani made the remarks at a joint press conference with visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Tehran on Tuesday, Press TV reported.

“Italy was Iran’s biggest trade partner in the European Union prior to the sanctions, and today we want the country to perform its previous role,” the president said.

The EU lifted its sanctions against Iran under a nuclear agreement reached between Tehran and the P5+1. The deal was reached last July and went into force in January this year.

Renzi arrived early Tuesday at the head of a 250-strong political and economic delegation, making him the first Italian official in such capacity to travel to the Islamic Republic since 2001.

Italian foreign minister, minister of infrastructures and transports, minister of economic development, and minister of agriculture, food and forestry policies as well as businessmen and personalities from Italy’s public and private sectors are accompanying Renzi in the visit.

Seven documents for cooperation were signed by the two sides earlier in the day.

President Rouhani visited Italy in January for two days, during which the two countries signed deals worth up to 17 billion euros (18.42 billion dollars).

In his Tuesday remarks, Rouhani said his visit to Italy and Renzi’s travel to Iran “both carry a clear message of the two governments’ resolve to expand relations in the areas of economy, science, and culture.”

The Italian premier has described his visit to Iran as a political “investment,” saying friendship with Tehran could contribute to the fight against Daesh, which has staged deadly attacks across Europe.

Italy was one of Iran’s leading economic and trade partners before sanctions when annual exchanges amounted to 7 billion euros compared with $1.6 billion euros now.

European governments have scrambled to renew business ties with Iran since the EU, the US, China, and Russia reached the nuclear agreement with Tehran in July last year.

Share your view!

With the reduction of the corona pandemic crisis, Isfahan has been welcoming foreign tourists for some time.

Isfahan is in the 50 Most Beautiful Cities in the World

The traveler  Mag introduce the 50 Most Beautiful Cities in the World and Isfahan is one of it.

Isfahan by Traveler

We seek beauty in many forms: through art and architecture; from water views and mountain highs; in its people and its history. This list circles the globe, finding the most beautiful cities in the world from Italy to Iran. Vote for your favorite cities in the 2016 Readers’ Choice Awards survey.

Once one of the largest cities in the world, Isfahan had such serious cosmopolitan clout in the 16th century that it inspired the phrase Isfahan nesf-e jahan, or “Isfahan is half the world.” Today, it’s is one of the country’s largest metropolises, and has wide, tree-lined boulevards, significant Islamic architecture, and hidden Persian gardens, all perfect for exploring.

cosmopolitan clout in the 16th century that it inspired the phrase Isfahan nesf-e jahan, or “Isfahan is half the world.” Today, it’s is one of the country’s largest metropolises, and has wide, tree-lined boulevards, significant Islamic architecture, and hidden Persian gardens, all perfect for exploring.

Share your view!