(ANSA) – ROMA, 08 SET – The Italian Ambassador to Armenia, Alessandro Ferranti, attended the inauguration in Dilijan, in the Tavush region, the new location of the Apicius Armenia International School of Hospitality, the Armenian branch of the Florence-based school of the same name founded in 1997 and specializing in advanced training in the fields of hospitality, food and wine, and tourism.
In his remarks, Ambassador Ferranti emphasized the importance of this initiative for the contribution it makes to the growth of Italian-Armenian cooperation, expressing his conviction that promoting such forms of collaboration in the education of young people means investing in the future of our countries. Apicius Armenia was established in Dilijan in 2025 by the Green Rock Foundation, and the new facility was built by the construction company Green Rock Development. It is a new space for international training in the key areas of hospitality, with the goal of contributing to the development of professional skills in the fields of food and wine, catering, and tourism.
By training qualified professionals, Apicius Armenia aims to contribute to the growth and innovation of the local tourism ecosystem and to the creation of new professional opportunities for young people.
The campus offers an educational model based on the integration of academic training, hands-on experience, and an international perspective, with the goal of combining European standards and Italian know-how with the unique characteristics, traditions, and potential of the Armenian region. Another key feature of the project is the opportunity for students to continue their education in Italy. In the 2026–2027 academic year, nine second-year students from Apicius Armenia are studying in Florence, deepening the skills needed to work in an increasingly international and competitive sector. During their first year of studies in Dilijan, the students also had the opportunity to take an Italian language course, designed as an additional tool to prepare them for their future careers. The opening ceremony for the new campus was also attended by Tigran Virabyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Republic of Armenia; Narek Ghushchyan, Deputy Governor of the Tavush region; Narek Ghushchyan, the Mayor of Dilijan, Davit Sargsyan, the Vice President for International Affairs, Executive Chef, and General Manager of Apicius, Andrea Trapani, the President of the Armenian Green Rock Foundation—whose business partnership made the project possible— Mareta Gevorkyan, and the Foundation’s Director, Katya Bredikhina, as well as Katerina Danekina, CEO of the Armenian Green Rock Management Group.
