Mediterranean Games Opening Ceremony!

23 countries from around the Mediterranean Sea join together for an olympic-style tournament every 4 years. Countries compete in 29 sports including soccer, basketball, boxing, cycling, sailing and swimming, among others. Fortuneately for me, this year's games are being held in Pescara! Tonight was the opening ceremony for the tournament and it was nothing short of amazing! Very similar to the opening/closing ceremonies for the actual Olympic games, like the ones held last year in Beijing. Apparently, the same guy that put together the ceremonies for the Olympics in Beijing last year created the ceremonies for the Mediterranean Games in Pescara this year. It was raining when we left to go to the ceremony from the hotel so I didn't bring my camera, but I should have taken it anyway... just before the ceremony started, the skies cleared and a bright rainbow crossed the stadium. My bad...

This turned out to be an amazing cultural experience tonight, seeing how Italian people and represenatives from so many countries come together. Every part of the show was outstanding, from the singing and drama, to the introductions of the competing countries, to the fireworks show at the end! This will definitely go down as one of my favorite parts of this trip.

Participating Countries

Next Stop: San Marino & Rimini This Weekend!

So two weeks in Pescara has flooooooowwn by and I am about to move on to the San Marino World Trade Center. I will be staying in a coastal city just outside San Marino called Rimini. San Marino is considered its own country inside of Italy, like the Vatican. It is very small with a population of just 32,000+. Rimini is a much larger city, close in size to Pescara, and is supposedly a beautiful and fun place to be. Below are a few maps for you to see where San Marino and Rimini are. I will post more once I am there.

De Cecco International Marketing

Buon giorno! It's Monday (Lunedi) morning, my second day in the International Marketing Department at De Cecco. Friday I was given the responsibility of reviewing their website created specifically for the United States market. They have an Italian version and UK version that are already on the web, but the US site is yet to be released. My job has been to thoroughly review the work-in-progress site to ensure its'appeal to Americans and effectiveness. I am also comparing the site to other similar sites in order to identify needs and gain ideas. The end goal is to have a US website that is easy to use, understand, and appealing for customers to visit.

Another benefit of working with companies such as De Cecco is that I learn how companies outside the United States enter international markets. It is a long, tedious, and very competitive process. De Cecco is strong in the Italian market, many markets across Europe, Japan, and is growing in the United States. I continue to learn new things everyday and am very appreciative of the opportunity that I have to work at De Cecco.

Below are some pictures of the De Cecco office building (just completed), the Pescara-Chieti World Trade Center across the street from De Cecco, a GS Store, and a Gelati stand. I have also posted some pictures from me talking to my family on skype. Skype has been great! You should get it if you don't have it...

Visit to Two More Companies!

Today was the third straight full-day for me! I got here on Sunday and it has been non-stop for me since I landed... It's kinda good though since it's kept me focused on what all is going on here and I haven't been able to dwell on missing friends and family at home! Skype has been great in that regard too... If you have a skype, let me know.

Our day today began at 7:30 this morning (12:30am CT) and just ended at midnight here (5:00pm CT) to complete a 17+ hour day! We drove from Pescara to the Naples area to visit two companies, one a canned-tomato products company called Graziella, and the other an olive oil company called Mataluni. Both companies are already successful companies seeking to expand operations. Mataluni is Europe's largest olive oil producing company.

During my stay here in Italy, I will be spending time at 4 companies, these two above, De Cecco Pasta Company (Pescara), and La Donotella Desserts (Venice). Below are some pictures of our trip today across Italy. Hope you all are doing well! Arrivederci!

From Top to Bottom: Morning Begins in Pescara, Visit to Graziella (Bus Exterior, Inside Kitchen, Assembly Line of Cans, Me in Front of Thousands of Cans), Pool at Lunch, Mataluni Home Office, Sunset on Rome (And the Day), Dinner at McDonald's!

Visit to De Cecco Pasta Company

Today I got up, took a shower, ate some breakfast and was picked up by a small group including 3 members from the Pescara World Trade Center and Joe Lee of JB & Associates to go to De Cecco Pasta Company. Massimo Gaspari was one of the three from the Trade Center and is the one who helped organize my trip. Joe Lee is from Fayetteville and has been working with the Pescara World Trade Center and surrounding companies, such as De Cecco, interested in Retail with Walmart and Sam's Club.

De Cecco is one of the world's largest and most widely known pasta companies and is headquartered in Pescara with two factories just outside Pescara. De Cecco is now selling some products in some Walmart stores, but is looking to grow in other markets around the world. During our visit to De Cecco, we met Mr. De Cecco, President of the company, and also toured the pasta factory. The process of making pasta is very interesting and is a much longer process than one might think. Some pictures are posted below. No pictures were allowed inside the factory. The bottom picture is from lunch this afternoon. For more information on De Cecco, check out their website at www.dececco.com. Ciao for now!

Here at Last!

After 24 hours of travel, I am now in Pescara, Italy. Once again, I am here to work with the Pescara-Chieti World Trade Center and surrounding companies represented by the Trade Center and, in doing so, learn how Italian business is conducted. Ultimately, I want to learn the culture and the language as best I can. Italy is such an interesting place. In the coming days, I will post more specifics on what I am up to each day, but for now just check out the few pictues below from our drive over from Rome to Pescara and what not.

Last Day in the States

Today is my last day in the states! At least for 6 weeks anyway... I'll be back. A lot of preparation and anticipation has led up to this point. Before I go, I wanted to post a few ways you can contact me while I'm gone if you would like to.

Skype Name: Jordan.Difani

Email Address: pdifani@uark.edu

Thanks for your support and your prayers. Keep in touch if you can!