bahrainthismonth.com | NOVEMBER 2026 ITALY IN BAHRAIN 25 Refining Bahrain Italian engineering has also played a part in the development of Bahrain’s oil industry. In 2017, an international consortium led by Technip Italia secured a contract worth approximately €3.5 billion for the expansion and modernisation of Bapco’s refinery. The programme was designed to increase the refinery’s capacity while improving its energy efficiency and environmental performance. Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the contract at the time as a significant achievement for Italian industry in Bahrain, particularly in engineering and construction. According to the Italian Embassy in Manama, Italian machinery and technology have been used in Bahrain’s industrial development since the 1970s and 1980s, with Italian companies maintaining a presence in the refining and petrochemical sectors. Pearling Preserved Italian specialists have also contributed to conservation work in historic Muharraq. Milanbased Studio Gionata Rizzi has been involved in conservation approaches associated with the UNESCO-listed Pearling Path, while other specialists have undertaken structural investigations and developed strategies for strengthening properties along the route. The conservation effort addresses the structural demands of ageing properties while protecting the architectural character of historic Muharraq. In 2021, Bahrain presented In Muharraq: The Pearling Path at the Venice Architecture Biennale, with Studio Gionata Rizzi among the contributors represented. The exhibition took Bahrain’s work in Muharraq to one of the world’s leading international platforms for architecture. Modern Materials Italian materials continue to feature in Bahrain’s contemporary developments. During the construction of Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, almost 20,000sq m of marble was imported from Italy, Germany and Greece, with Italian stone among the materials selected for the hotel’s interiors. Its use at the hotel provides a contemporary parallel to the marble at Al Fateh Grand Mosque. The settings could hardly be more different, yet both show how stone sourced from Italy has been incorporated into prominent spaces in Bahrain. Italian art has a place in the Kingdom too. RAK Art Foundation holds Variable Round Image, a 1990 work by Padua-born Alberto Biasi, an important figure in Italy’s post-war optical and kinetic art movement. Water Works During the 1980s, Italian engineering company Italimpianti worked on major desalination developments in Sitra as Bahrain expanded its capacity to produce drinking water. The company was involved in Sitra II and Sitra III, which used Multi-Stage Flash desalination technology. Sitra II, completed in 1987, added 23,000 cubic metres of daily desalination capacity. Unlike the marble at Al Fateh or the mosaics of Al Fadhel, the Italian contribution at Sitra was largely out of public view. Its impact was practical, with engineering expertise contributing to the infrastructure required to meet Bahrain’s growing demand for water.
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