Time was when the ‘Made in Italy’ label was a guarantee of design excellence and provenance. But over the past two decades, as an increasing number of Italian-designed products have been manufactured abroad or assembled locally by lowly paid migrant labourers, Brand Italy has lost some of its lustre.

A forthcoming Italian design exhibition serves as a timely reminder of the country’s talent for invention, its long history of craft, and the felt presence of belleza (beauty) in the Italian way of life.