Saturday 08 / August / 2026
Muscat: This summer, the scent of Oman is travelling across Italy.
It is present in stories of ancient frankincense routes, in memories of encounters with Omani people, in a film that traces centuries-old links between Venice and the Arabian Peninsula, and now in a book that is taking audiences from Milan to Sicily on a journey of discovery.
At the heart of this cultural journey is Avventurevolissimevolmente (With Utmost Adventurousness ), a new book by Italian authors, artists and cultural promoters Luca Moretti and Lucia Oliva.
Drawing on more than 25 years of international cultural work, the book is a collection of personal adventures, encounters and behind-the-scenes stories from their careers around the world — with Oman occupying a special place in their journey.
For Moretti and Oliva, Oman is more than a destination remembered from their travels. It is a second home, a place of cultural encounters, artistic inspiration and stories that continue to connect people across borders.
The book’s foreword was written by Mr. Ioannis Maronitis, president of the European and North American Federation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations, and the events are being held under the federation’s patronage.
From Milan with Oman at the heart
The tour opened in Milan on July 23, 2026 at the ADI Design Museum, bringing the authors face-to-face with an audience eager to hear about their experiences in the Sultanate.
Among the stories were those connected to Oman’s famed frankincense and perfume heritage — a legacy that has linked the country to distant civilisations and trading centres for thousands of years.
The presentation also featured a screening of The Faerie Tale of Venice and the Incense Trade Route, a docu-drama exploring the real historic relationship between ancient Italian landmarks and the iconic incense trade, through a philosophical story enriched by fantasy.
The film was presented at the Venice Biennale of Arts in 2024 as part of the Omani Pavilion and has since received widespread appreciation.
The Milan stop carried another important Oman connection.
The ADI Museum has established a collaboration with the National Museum in Muscat and is currently hosting One to a Million. Italian Design Stories, an exhibition that will run until September 2026.
The city is also hosting an exhibition exploring the longstanding cultural relationship between Oman and Italy, curated by Jamal Al Moosawi, Secretary General of the National Museum.
Together, the exhibitions and the book tour are creating an unusual cultural dialogue — one in which Oman is being explored not simply through its landscapes and tourism appeal, but through design, history, art, trade and human encounters.
From a historic villa to a medieval library
After Milan, the tour moved to Sestri Levante, one of Italy’s picturesque coastal destinations.
The presentation took place at Villa L’Esedra di Santo Stefano, an elegant 18th-century baroque mansion, before a select audience that included prominent members of the local community and noble families.
The location itself carried a cinematic connection to Oman.
Several scenes from The Faerie Tale of Venice and the Incense Trade Route were filmed at the villa, making the event a meeting point between Italian heritage and an Omani story that had already travelled across continents.
On July 31, the tour reached Gubbio, another setting steeped in history.
The authors presented their work at the Biblioteca Sperelliana, housed in a remarkable building dating back to the 10th century. The library’s Sala del Refettorio hosts precious frescoes and an ancient book collection that has developed over four centuries.
Gubbio, with its medieval streets and deep cultural traditions, is also famously associated with St Francis of Assisi and the legend of the wolf.
In each location, the response has been enthusiastic, with audiences drawn to stories that offer a personal window into a country that many Italians may know through its landscapes and history but have yet to experience first-hand.
Oman through Italian eyes
What makes the project particularly interesting is its personal perspective.
Rather than presenting Oman through conventional travel narratives, Moretti and Oliva tell stories of people, places and unexpected encounters — the moments behind the performances, journeys and cultural projects that have shaped their careers.
Through those memories, Oman emerges as a country of hospitality and tradition, but also as a crossroads of cultures.
Its historic role in the incense trade provides the backdrop, but the human connections are at the centre of the story.
And that may explain why the subject has travelled so well across Italy.
From Alicudi to Palermo: The journey is not over.
In August, the tour will move to Alicudi, a tiny Mediterranean island known for its UNESCO heritage status and its appeal to an international cultural community during the summer.
It is also a deeply personal destination for the authors, who have a summer home there — an artistic retreat perched on the rocks and surrounded by wild nature overlooking the sea.
The tour will reach its high point in Palermo at Palazzo Branciforte, a prestigious cultural landmark dating back to the 17th century.
Oman’s own history
The event is being organised by the Settimana delle Culture Foundation and will take place at a venue that houses a library of more than 40,000 books.
From the design halls of Milan to the medieval atmosphere of Gubbio, from a historic Ligurian villa to a Mediterranean island and finally Palermo, the journey has taken Oman into some of Italy’s most distinctive cultural spaces.
It is, in many ways, a journey that mirrors Oman’s own history.
For centuries, the Sultanate has stood at the crossroads of peoples, cultures and trade routes. This summer, through a book, a film and the memories of two Italian cultural travellers, those connections are being retold — not along an ancient caravan route, but across the cultural landscape of modern Italy.
And everywhere the story travels, Oman is part of the conversation.
