site.btaBulgarian Ambassador in Rome Presents Foreign Ministry's Golden Badge of Honour to Zhana Yakovleva, Veneta Nenkova and Neli Atanasova

The Bulgarian Ambassador in Rome, Todor Stoyanov, presented the Foreign Ministry's  golden badge of honour to the Bulgarians Zhana Yakovleva, Neli Atanasova and Veneta Nenkova for their contribution in the field of culture, said the Bulgarian diplomatic representation in Italy on their official website.

Until recently, Zhana Yakovleva was the director of the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Rome "and thanks to her active policy, the achievements of Bulgaria and its artists in the field of art and culture were able to reach the Italian public and contribute to the affirmation of the positive image of our country abroad," the Embassy pointed out.

Veneta Nenkova is the head of the Parallel 43 Cultural Association and the founder of the first Bulgarian Sunday school in Italy. She was honoured for her contribution in the field of education and enlightenment.

Neli Atanasova, head of the Phoenix Association, was also honoured for her "various cultural initiatives on the territory of Italy and, more specifically, for her significant contribution to the organization and holding of the Bulgarian Cinema Week in Rome," Embassy added.

Within the framework of the same evening, the Embassy hosted a ceremony for the presentation of the People of the Year awards of the Italian Freetime Luxury Lifestyle magazine which focuses on tourism, fashion and culture.

Among those honoured were Ambassador Todor Stoyanov, for his diplomatic activity and his contribution to deepening the bilateral cultural cooperation between Bulgaria and Italy; Georgi Toshev, for contribution to Italian culture for the film Chapa Meets Fellini which tells the story of the accidental friendship between the two world artists Georgi Chapkenov and Federico Fellini; National Theatre actress Albena Stavreva; stylist and fashion designer Ivan Donev; film director Todor Chapkanov; Neli Atanasova.

The awards were presented by Antonella Ferrara, director of Freetime Luxury Lifestyle magazine and chairman of the Freetime Excellence Elegance Lifestyle Association. The award ceremony was organized by the FEEL Association which focuses on the promotion of art and culture.