From designing Mercato Mall to creating batik art, Anna looks back on 50 years in the UAE.
Dubai: Annamaria Amarante Damiani’s first day in the UAE was far from smooth. She arrived on 29 June 1976, stepping into the summer heat only to discover that her suitcases had gone missing, stranded somewhere in Beirut. They were finally returned to her three months later.
But despite the difficult start, she quickly found a connection with the country. “I fell in love with this place as soon as I arrived, although it was not easy,” she recalls.
Five decades on, Annamaria is still here—and has no plans to leave. “This is my country,” she says. “After 50 years.”
From Eritrea to Sharjah
Italian “very much Italian,” as Anna insists, Annamaria Amarante Damiani’s story actually began in Eritrea, where she was born and spent much of her early life. When circumstances forced her family to leave, they returned briefly to Italy before receiving an opportunity to move to the UAE.
The family first settled in Sharjah, where Anna arrived with her husband, Agostino Damiani, and their four-year-old daughter, Antonella Damiani. Agostino initially built a career as a businessman, before taking on another role as the UAE’s honorary Italian consul for six years—at a time when there was no official consulate in the country.
A life built around family and passion
Life in the UAE quickly became full and vibrant for Anna. A lifelong tennis enthusiast, she found joy on the court, while her daughter took up horse riding and her husband developed a passion for diving. Together, the family created an active and fulfilling life around their shared interests.
But what truly strengthened Anna’s bond with the UAE was something more fundamental: a deep sense of security and belonging. “The main thing is safety, protection. You feel protected,” she says. “It’s a very good life, a little bit like the life we had in Africa. That’s why I’m very attached to it.”
The passion she waited years to pursue
Interior design was not Anna’s first passion—fashion was. However, a conservative upbringing meant some opportunities were out of reach when she was younger. She waited until her daughter was old enough to become more independent before pursuing her own ambitions.
That was when Anna began her career as an interior designer, a path she embraced wholeheartedly and has continued ever since.
These days, Anna runs her own boutique design company rather than the larger firm she once worked for—and she prefers it that way. What continues to inspire her most is the collaborative nature of the work.
“Interior design is not only the ideas of a designer; it’s the ideas of the client that we have to work on, to enhance, to beautify, to make it practical,” she says.
Even after decades in the industry, the joy of transforming spaces and bringing clients’ visions to life remains as strong as ever.
Mercato Mall inauguration
Anna’s most treasured professional achievement is one that thousands of UAE residents experience every day. Her company designed and built Mercato Mall, the Florence-inspired shopping destination known for its Renaissance-style façade and distinctive interiors.
The mall’s design draws inspiration from the charm of Italy, with elements that evoke Tuscan farmhouses, traditional streetscapes and the character of an old railway station. For Anna, seeing the vision come to life remains one of the defining moments of her career.
She will never forget the night Mercato Mall opened in 2002. The shopping centre stood dark and empty, with a crowd gathered outside waiting for the official inauguration.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum arrived to cut the ribbon and officially open the mall. “At the moment he cut the tape to declare it open, all the lights went on, and the Italian national anthem went on,” Anna recalls. The UAE national anthem followed, creating a moment she describes as deeply emotional.
“It was so emotional. I had tears in my eyes, to see how welcome a piece of Italy was in this country,” she says.
The rescue in the desert
About 35 years ago, Anna found herself in a situation she still remembers vividly. She was rushing to take her then 13-year-old daughter to horse-riding lessons and, in her hurry, took a wrong turn. Driving along quickly, she failed to notice that the road was about to end. Before she could react, the tarmac disappeared and the car plunged into the open desert, becoming stuck deep in the sand.
The vehicle would not move, and there was no one around. The nearest building she could see appeared to be at least a 45-minute walk across the dunes—a journey that felt impossible in the desert heat with her young daughter beside her.
Then, on the distant horizon, Anna noticed something moving. “This figure that I saw far away slowly, slowly came closer. It took shape,” she recalls. It was three men riding camels, heading towards the stranded car.
“At the beginning I was a little worried because I didn’t speak the language,” she admits. But her fears quickly disappeared. The men reached them and simply asked, “Shoo mushkila?”—“What’s the problem?”
Anna explained that she was stuck and had her daughter with her. Their response immediately put her at ease: “Mafi mushkila, mafi mushkila”—“No problem, no problem.”
A rescue she will never forget
What happened next still feels almost unbelievable to Anna. The three men got to work, tying ropes around the car and using their camels to pull it free from the sand. Together, the animals slowly dragged the vehicle back onto the road.
And then, just as quietly as they had arrived, the men left. There was no request for payment, no expectation of anything in return—just a simple act of kindness.
“I don’t think this would ever happen anywhere. I’ll never forget it,” Anna says.
Her daughter, who was 13 at the time, is now 55.
A life stitched together with colour
Another passion Anna shared with us was her art.
Inside her Sharjah villa, her walls are covered with intricate paintings, each reflecting years of creativity and patience.
Her journey into art began when she met Rekha, the wife of a Hilton Hotel manager, who travelled the world and taught batik. At the time, Anna had never heard of the technique.
“I was a good designer at school, but I never knew what was batik,” she says.
She soon discovered the intricate Far Eastern art form, which involves drawing with wax heated to around 300°C to preserve individual colours during the dyeing process. Decades later, Anna still keeps the original tools and equipment she used when she first learned the craft.
A life revealed through colour
Anna says one of the things she loves most about batik is the element of surprise. The final artwork remains hidden until the very end.
“At the end you don’t know what is coming out, because it’s all a big mass of wax and colours,” she explains. Only after the wax is carefully removed by ironing the piece with newspaper does the finished design emerge. “Then you have a surprise.”
Her artwork reflects the places and memories that have shaped her life in the UAE, from the old sand-floored souks of Sharjah and Bastakiya to mosques, falcons and Sharjah beaches. More recently, she has turned her attention to African subjects—works she says are the most challenging because of the intricate detail required.
Anna credits much of her skill to her teacher. “I was very lucky because my teacher was very good,” she says. She later showcased her creations at the former art centre in Jumeirah.
A love for tennis that waited
Then there was tennis—a passion that had to wait years before it could fully take hold. Her connection with the sport began when she was a teenager, but a conservative upbringing meant formal lessons were not an option.
So Anna found her own way, teaching herself the game.
A tennis passion that never faded
“Nobody taught me, but I was always looking, and I was always hitting the ball against the wall,” Anna says.
It was only after moving to the UAE that she began playing the sport seriously. She embraced it fully, taking part in matches under the intense August sun, with a swimming pool waiting just beside the court. As soon as a game ended, the players would cool off in the water.
“We would jump in the swimming pool with the shoes, with a racket, everything,” she recalls.
Anna played alongside a close-knit group of women, including one who, she proudly points out, later went on to hold a senior position at Wimbledon. Over the years, she experienced both victories and defeats—but she also collected her share of trophies.
“I won, I lost. I have trophies,” she says.
Her life, penned down
Now, Anna wants to capture her remarkable journey on paper. She has started writing a book about her life and has one specific wish: that someone from the UAE helps her tell her story.
Her motivation reflects a theme that runs through everything she shares. She wants people to understand that the UAE is “not only the glamour and the beautiful things,” but also a country built on understanding, respect and strong values.
After five decades in the country, that is the story she hopes to share with the world.
“I do love UAE,” she says.
And after 50 years, a lost suitcase, a desert rescue and a mall filled with Florentine charm, Anna’s story is ultimately one of deep connection—a lifetime of memories, experiences and affection for a country she now proudly calls home.
