The Italian lifestyle festival, Art in Life 2005 ended on June 25, with a grand dinner event featuring almost all elements of Italian creativity: food, fashion, music and luxury goods.

The dinner event began with a cocktail reception, featuring a variety of snacks such as rucola and shrimp, parma ham and melon, basil sea weed fritelle and assorted focaccie. Along with the reception was a small exhibition of Bulgari watches and jewellery among other high-quality Italian handcrafted products.

The first course, tuna tartar with bronoice of summer vegetables, was served following welcoming speeches by officials from the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce and the Italian Consulate in Shanghai.

"This Italian Gala Dinner, as with the other events of Art in Life 2005, aims to strengthen the relationship between our two countries by showing the excellence of Italy-made products and the Italian lifestyle with a consequent increase in the business opportunities between Chinese and Italian people," said Mario Filippo Pini, the consul general of Italy.

Next on the stage was a fashion show by the Max Mara Fashion Group. The Group's iBlue collection for spring and summer 2005 plays on the matching of bold and soft colours, while the fall and winter collction is intelligent and dynamic at the same time. Without being ostentatious, it has a way of injecting little doses of magic and dreams into everyday life.

The main courses served on the night were home-made ricotta gnocchi, tossed with fresh fava bean and black truffle, and oven roasted Australian beef tenderloin with assorted vegetables and Barolo red wine sauce. Both were served with wines of known Italian brands such as Foss Marai Angela Viano Brut.

Following the serving of dessert, coffee and tea, the very Italian-style gala dinner concluded with an auction of a few Italy-made items and a raffle.

Staff reporters