To continue from our previous article about top 10 pavilions to visit at Expo 2020:

Italy

In our opinion, Italy is by far one of the best pavilions offering its visitors highlights of culture, science and the nautical arts. There is so much to discover that one could dedicate an entire post to everything that the Italian Pavilion has to offer so below are just some of the snippets from our visit.

The outside of the Pavilion is adorned with almost 70 kilometers of nautical ropes made of recycled material and plastic. At night, the ropes turn into an interactive screen with LED lights in the colours of the Italian flag.

Italy is home to some of the world-famous fashion and jewellery houses and the Italy Pavilion showcases some beautiful modern and vintage creations by famous Italian designers. Our favorite part of this section of the exhibition was a selection of stunning Bvlgari jewellery pieces.

With so many wonderful exhibits offered by the Italy Pavilion, you can’t miss a 5 meter tall 3-D printed very realistic copy of Michelangelo’s David statue.

Singapore

The Singapore Pavilion is themed around nature which is evident from looking at the lusciously green City in a Garden pavilion even from the outside.

The Singapore Pavilion is designed to be discovered by strolling along the canopy walk enjoying the rainforest treasures offered by the Ground Garden, Garden Cones and Hanging Garden.

The Pavilion is green not only on the outside but also on the inside thanks to its cleverly designed canopy of thousands of potted plants. Sun pipes above them capture and send the sun rays down to the plants thus keeping even the areas where there is no access to the sun lush and green.

The orchid gallery is one of the highlights of the Singapore Pavilion showcasing the country’s innovations in orchid hybridisation.

Austria

The innovative Austria Pavilion takes its visitors on a journey to discover sensory and digital experiences.

The Austria Pavilion is housed in multiple cone-shaped structures made out of the oldest building material – loam (a soil of snd and clay). To keep the structures cool inside, a ventilation cooling concept inspired by Arab building tradition was used – cool air is pulled from below and warm air is pushed out from the openings at the top of the cones.

If you have ever wondered what your heartbeat looks like, then wonder no more! You can discover what your heartbeat pattern looks like at the heartbeat installation. Just place both of your hands on the sensors and you will see a digital projection of your heartbeat.

As well as being innovative, the Austrian Pavilion is true to the country’s traditions so you will find an Austrian coffeehouse to enjoy a cup of Julius Meinl coffee and a selection of traditional Austrian dishes, including the world famous Sachertorte.

Colombia

The Colombia pavilion boasts 4 floors of a cultural journey through the rhythms of the country. You can experience the rhythm of Colombian music by playing interactive instruments along with the music or taking a digital dance class.

At the end of your journey through the Pavilion, there is a cosy cafe where you can unwind with a cup of world-famous Colombian coffee. The cafe also has a selection of fresh juices and ice creams made from fruits native to Colombia, such as soursop and lulo.

Oman

Even before we entered the colourful Oman Pavilion shaped like a tree, we were thoroughly impressed with oud (frankincense) sanitiser right by the entrance. It smelled so divine, we wished we could have taken it home!

As you enter the pavilion, you are greeted by a gorgeous frankincense tree in the middle of the first exhibition room. The frankincense tree is a star of the show as the entire pavilion was inspired by this glorious tree.

Next, you will find yourself in the Forest of Sustainability where you can immerse yourself in videos about various sustainability projects in Oman, such as wildlife conservation, fish farms of the future, environmentally sustainable urban city Al Irfan, etc.

After the Expo

If you are wondering what is going to happen to the area after the Expo is over, it will be repurposed to become District 2020, a smart and sustainable mixed-use community where people can visit, work, live and more. So if you did not manage to visit the Expo, you will still be able to admire most of the structures as 80% of them will be repurposed for District 2020. There will also be museums and galleries in District 2020 in addition to residential and office spaces, so we are looking forward to visiting again.