A filmmaker, expert on Italian culture and an Italian deputy minister join forces to discuss the future of Italy. Italy is a country of dreams for many in the UK and for millions of visitors from other parts of the world.  Its history, architecture, beauty and food promise a more fulfilled life to the outsider. Many places, such as Venice and Florence, are overwhelmed by visitors, so just how much does tourism impact on Italy? And what can be done to ensure that the country’s natural and historical treasures remain intact for future generations?

Sarah Marder is a corporate manager turned filmmaker focused on sustainability. She is filming a feature-length documentary, The Genius of a Place, about the ancient town of Cortona’s attempts to promote development without losing its way of life. Cortona was catapulted to notoriety by Frances Mayes’s book Under the Tuscan Sun and the subsequent film. Preview extracts of the documentary will be shown during the event.

Fred Plotkin is one of America’s foremost experts on opera and an expert on all things Italian. He has written six renowned books on Italian cuisine, including Recipes from Paradise: Life and Food on the Italian Riviera and Italy for the Gourmet Traveler.

Ivan Scalfarotto is a centre-left Italian politician and activist, vice-president of the Democratic Party and Under Secretary of State (deputy minister) at the Ministry of Constitutional Reforms and Government Liaison to Parliament.

Discussions are chaired by writer Polly Coles, who appears at an earlier event on Venice.

This event is part of the festival’s Italian Day.