Anyone who has ever strolled through the Mercato Italiano knows: Vita Italiana is no ordinary market. It is a celebration of the senses, a short Mediterranean escape in the heart of the city, a place where the essence of Italian life becomes palpable. Behind this mobile cultural experience stands Heinz Schmitz, passionate event organizer and creative mind behind HEINZ SCHMITZ. ERLEBNISMARKETING GmbH. Since 2014, he and his team have brought la dolce vita to public squares across Germany, Austria, and Luxembourg.

What began as a concept for a Mediterranean-style market has evolved into a widely recognized and much-loved event format. Under brands such as Vita Italiana, Settimana Italiana, and La Piazza, Schmitz transforms public spaces into vibrant Italian marketplaces—complete with culinary specialties, freshly imported goods, artisanal products, live music, and a stage set for Southern European flair.

Whether in Frankfurt, Mainz, Heidelberg, Nuremberg, or Hanover, Vita Italiana is always tailored to the location, audience, and season. Sometimes large and festive with evening programs and music, sometimes small and refined as a boutique-style gourmet market.

With over 35 years of experience in event marketing, Heinz Schmitz is a seasoned networker with a strong sense for atmosphere. He has a proven ability to create emotionally engaging experiences in which visitors, exhibitors, and corporate partners alike feel at home. For companies, Vita Italiana offers a culturally rich stage on which products, brands, and messages are brought to life – genuinely, not aggressively.

Thus, Vita Italiana is not merely an event concept, but a mobile homage to the Italian way of life. And Heinz Schmitz? He remains a host with heart – on tour, full of energy, and always with a wink between espresso and Aperol.

To pre-finance the gourmet markets, Heinz Schmitz received a loan of EUR 50,000 in 2014 through the Frankfurter Gründerfonds.