The exhibition Italy in Antartica, offered by the Italian Embassy in Wellington and realised in collaboration with ChristchurchNZ to mark the opening of the XLII Antarctic Season, concluded on Tuesday 22 September 2026. It celebrates the 45th anniversary of our country’s signing of the Antarctic Treaty, as well as the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Zucchelli base.
The exhibition was held at the Turanga – Christchurch Central Library, with materials provided by the National Commission for Scientific Research in Antarctica (CSNA), the National Antarctic Museum (MNA), the National Research Council (CNR), in collaboration with ENEA and the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics. The exhibition highlighted the extraordinary contribution of the National Antarctic Research Programme (PNRA) to the advancement of research on the ice continent, also in collaboration with New Zealand and other countries, including France, which shares Concordia base with Italy.
The expo was accompanied by a slideshow of the photos made available by Dr. Marcello Manzoni, who carried out the first Italian scientific-alpinist expedition to Antarctica in 1968-‘69, and lately came back there in 1981 and 1984, also with the purpose of identifying the site of the Zucchelli base.
Belfiore Bologna, Honorary Consul of Italy in Christchurch, introduced the exhibition. Speakers included Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger, Italian Ambassador Cristiano Maggipinto, ENEA Project Manager responsible for the project “Beyond EPICA” Gianluca Bianchi Fasani, and the CEO of Antarctica New Zealand Jordy Hendrikx.
The event underscores the strong understanding and growing collaboration between our country and New Zealand in the fields of science and research and their shared support for the values of the Antarctic Treaty.
