“Batumi non la conosce nessuno”… davvero?
In this informal interview, Daniele Penna challenges the claim that Batumi, Georgia, is unknown and will never become a new Dubai. He explains that while many Italians may think Batumi is obscure, a wide range of foreign communities—Russians, Ukrainians, other former Soviet citizens, Germans, Spaniards, Poles, Dutch, and investors from the Emirates—have lived, vacationed, or invested there for years. Penna highlights a whole Israeli‑type neighbourhood that has existed for six‑seven years, and notes that German towns are twinned with Batumi. He argues that the real obstacle for Italians is language: because most information and business dealings are conducted in Russian, Georgian, or English, Italians who only speak Italian are effectively cut off from the market and from knowledge about the city. He extends this observation to a broader claim that language limits Italians’ participation in international business and information flows. The conversation also touches on how Italians might only know Georgia through football, mentioning Georgian players who have played for Inter and Milan, and suggests that even this awareness is superficial. The interview ends with a call to follow the channel for more content.
