Italian President Mattarella's Monaco visit programme revealed
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
Italian President Sergio Mattarella will visit Monaco on 2 and 3 October for the first state visit by an Italian head of state, featuring ceremonies at the Palace, a performance at Monte-Carlo Opera and a museum visit.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella is set to make a formal state visit to Monaco on 2 and 3 October, marking the first time an Italian head of state has made an official visit to the Principality. He will be received by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène for what both sides have described as a celebration of the close and longstanding ties between Italy and Monaco.
The itinerary will include an official ceremony at the Prince's Palace, a cultural performance at the Monte-Carlo Opera and a visit to the Musée Océanographique. State visits of this kind are rare on the Monaco calendar and typically involve formal ceremonies, bilateral meetings and a programme of public engagements.
The visit carries real diplomatic weight given the depth of Italian influence in Monaco, from the significant proportion of Italian nationals among the resident population to the Principality's close economic and cultural links with its larger neighbour.