For the first time ever, Italy dedicates an exhibition to the million-years long tradition of Ethiopia. No place is more suitable to host it than Venice, that back in the 1400’s had already established close economic, religious and cultural relationships with the Reign, that then dominated the Horn of Africa. They were so close that the Empire of the Lion asked Venice to send it its painters, who influenced every artistic expression in those lands for the following centuries. The title of the Exhibition 'Nigra sum sed formosa' recalls the famous verse of the Song of Songs and the Queen of Sheba. This title recalls the ancient nature of the religious experience, first the Jewish and then the Christian, in the land of Ethiopia. Here, there is still a sort of Church of the Origins, of the Apostles, that has managed to conserve the spirit of the early evangelists both in the rites and in art. This unique situation is associated to the position of Christian Ethiopia as it became surrounded by Islamic peoples. The strong roots of the Christian traditions in the Empire of the Lion thus coincided with its strong identity in terms of race, language and customs, which, despite a number of critical episodes, have basically survived until today. Since the days of the great king Zar'a Ya'qob (1434-58) at least, Venice has been one of the most important partners, in Europe, of the Ethiopian Empire. As such, it has reinforced its role as a gateway between East and West. It is thus appropriate that the city of St. Mark, that hosts one of the most important and ancients Patriarchates of the West, will be the stage and backdrop for this exhibition.