Giselda Bucca, Pietro Mattioni and Vincenzo Oliveri today received honours in recognition of their work promoting British-Italian relations in the fields of science, economics and gastronomy respectively. The honours were presented by Ambassador Raffaele Trombetta on behalf of the Italian president.
Dr Giselda Bucca, who received the insignia of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Commendatore OMRI), has spent the past 25 years carrying out scientific research in the UK. She carried out research at the University of Surrey in Guildford, where she studied the human genome, and at the Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, before moving to the University of Brighton Genomic Institute.
Pietro Mattioni, who received the award of Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy (Ufficiale OSI), took the helm of the Campari group in the UK, leading it to achieve extraordinary results on the British market. He has collaborated extensively with the embassy, the consulate and other UK-based Italian organisations, helping promote Italy, quality Italian products and the values underpinning Italian gastronomy and culture, in a market that, despite its receptiveness, remains mature and highly competitive. Mattioni has made a significant contribution to elevating the perception of Italy in the UK.
Vincenzo Oliveri, a celebrity chef, also received the honour of Ufficiale OSI for his work promoting Italian gastronomy. He has hosted and appeared on a number of British television programmes. One of his great passions is teaching: he has taught at the University of West London and Antonello hospitality school in Messina and has opened a cookery school in Bromley. He was a judge at the Young Chef Olympiad in India and is the official chef for the Italian cycling team. He has shown himself to be one of the greatest ambassadors of Sicilian and Italian cuisine in the UK.
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