The mission to India first stopped in Mumbai (Bombay), on November 4th and 5th, to take part in the Italian Fair, an event organised by the Italian-Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to present the Made in Italy and to promote Italy as a commercial and tourist destination. The presence of the territory in the fair has been organised by the Foreign Centre for the Internationalisation of Piedmont and supported by the Piedmont Region. During his stay, the Mayor met the municipal authorities of Mumbay and took part in a convention on urban transformations dedicated to the experience of Torino, in a convention on sustainable mobility and in the promotional evening of the Italian Fair. 

The visit to Calcutta, from November 6th to 8th, took place following the invitation of the Bengalese Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya, and focused on the signing of an Academic Cooperation Agreement between the two territories. Thus, together with the Mayor Sergio Chiamparino, there were also present the Vice Rector of the Università degli Studi of Torino Salvatore Coluccia, the Vice Rector of the Politecnico Claudio Giovanni Demartini and the Rector of the Università di Scienze Gastronomiche Valter Cantino, which signed a Cooperation Agreement with four universities of Calcutta (Kolkata, Rabindra Bharati, Jadavpur, Burdwan).

The agreement aims at encouraging the exchanges among researchers, students and teachers and foresees common initiatives within different domains. On the Italian side other universities have also been involved, giving a total of 12 institutions represented by the Italian Consul General in India Bruno Campria. The ceremony took place at the City Hall of Calcutta, as both Mayors were willing to underline the value of such an agreement within a framework of friendly relations focusing on cultural exchanges, innovation and knowledge. The Mayor’s mission, which included also the Secretary-General of the Chamber of Commerce of Torino Guido Bolatto and the Director of the Foreign Centre for the Internationalisation of Piedmont Giuliano Lengo, had then the chance to present the territory to the economic community of Calcutta.

On November 7th , in the morning, the delegation attended a conference, opened by Sabyasachi Sen, Undersecretary of the West Bengala Government in charge of Commerce and Industry, with more than one hundred of representatives of the entrepreneurial class and of the local economic institutions. The agenda of the delegation also foresaw a meeting with the Governor of West Bengala Gopalkrishna Gandhi and one with the Chief Minister of West Bengala Bhuddadeb Battacharjee. All the meetings highlighted a strong interest in cooperating. Specially in the cultural domain eventual exchanges, related to the opening of the Oriental Arts Museum in Torino, were discussed.

The mission, which involved all the above mentioned local actors of the territory, has been coordinated by the International Affairs Department of the City of Torino together with the Italian Consulates in place.