Rome, 14 October 2008 – Lavazza has added an important chapter to its famous calendar story by commissioning Annie Leibovitz, the best-known and most sought-after contemporary photographer, to produce the seventeenth edition under the art direction of the advertising agency Armando Testa.

Annie Leibovitz has produced seven photographs for Lavazza — or should we say seven pictures on the theme of Italian style, representing a virtual journey through a sophisticated country whose international image embodies a unique lifestyle.

While keeping her focus firmly on the symbol of Italian style — Lavazza espresso — Leibovitz chose settings for her photos that refer to great names from the world of art, cinema and even fashion, cleverly using artistic influences and atmospheres typical of her penetrating and refined eye.

The style of “The Italian Espresso Experience” Calendar is unmistakeably Lavazza. Sophisticated and elegant as always, but with a romantic note, the common thread of every picture.

Lavazza put on a real theatrical performance in Rome to launch the Calendar, in a theatre created by the Teatro Alla Scala Academy, which transformed the event into an unforgettable spectacle.

The rooms of Villa Miani were each transformed into miniature universes linked to the calendar pictures. Guests were able to experience the dreamlike world of cinema, the creative secrets of the art world, an interactive fashion workshop, a Romeo and Juliet-style balcony, a trattoria and the Bacchanalian feasts of ancient Rome.

For the guests invited to celebrate the Calendar, the real Italian Espresso Experience began during the international press launch with a performance by another star guest. The famous pianist Giovanni Allevi is one of the best contemporary composers on the international scene: his compositions, which have helped to set the standards for a new style of contemporary classical music, helped to transform the evening into a magical event.

Thanks to the Training Centre, Lavazza coffee has been transformed into mouth-watering reinterpretations of symbolic Italian dishes such as “coffee spaghetti” or the special liquid nitrogen coffee ice-cream.
The award-winning restaurant "Agata e Romeo" produced a menu that was a modern reinterpretation of the best of Italian food.