Coming to Rome is always exciting and we find it very open to the friendliness and affection of the Spanish people. Rome was – and always will be – part of our collective European imagination and one of the main centers of our civilization. This is the word Philip VI He said this on the second day of his state visit Queen Letizia In Italy, the first visit of its kind in his ten-year reign. The day ended with a gala dinner at the Quirinal Palace, the head of state’s headquarters, as they bid farewell to the capital before heading to Naples.
© SMEL Ray HouseThe President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, served as host with his daughter, who held the position of First Lady since the President’s wife died in 2012. Laura Mattarella, lawyer and mother of three, has not hesitated to quit her job as a lawyer since her father was elected in February 2015. Three official residences of the President of the Republic where they return today with Don Felipe and Dona Letizia. They accompanied the monarchs during their official visit to Spain in 2021.
© SMEL Ray HouseThe gestures of harmony and friendship have not stopped repeating themselves since the beginning of the event, for which Ms. Letizia chose a calm and elegant look whose main protagonist was a long dress by the Italian brand Max Mara. A piece belonging to the Studio line, it has a defined waist, raised shoulders and is made of pure silk georgette. She completed the look with twin Cartier bracelets from the passing lot. She did not wear a tiara on this occasion, as she usually avoids wearing such a headband when traveling in a country without a monarchy, such as Italy.
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© GTRESAt dinner, a menu typically features Italian dishes such as mushroom cream served on chickpea panela with chamomile sauce; Guinea fowl ravioli with provolone fondue with bay oil; Stuffed pig with roasted apricots and aromatic herbs, potato flan, artichoke hearts, cabbage rolls and English soup.
Philip VI intervened in a speech in which he uttered a few phrases in Italian, explaining the personages from the country. He highlighted that “the feeling that unites our two peoples, Spain and Italy, goes far beyond contact of interest, cultural kinship or geographical proximity.” Moreover, before the toast, he explained that what exists between the two nations “cannot be just friendship, harmony or complicity, which illuminates the relationship between Italians and Spaniards: it is rather a sense of brotherhood, or, as defined by another great Sicilian. and the great connoisseur of Spain, Leonardo Ciaccia, a retrovata fraternita”.
© SMEL Ray HouseThe palace that hosts this evening is the sixth largest in the world. It has an area of 110,500 square meters and is therefore 20 times larger than the White House. In addition, it is one of the most visited buildings in Rome, since its architecture, the work of Domenico Fontana, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is a great attraction. Inside are important art collections such as paintings, statues, tapestries, carriages, Louis XIV period clocks and porcelain pieces. It is surrounded by four hectares of 16th-century gardens, with geometric flower beds and a rich collection of plant species. Every Sunday the changing of the guard attracts hundreds of people, with the Guardia de Finanza band participating.
© SMEL Ray HouseWhile in Rome, where Juan Carlos was first born, the king received as a gift from mayor Roberto Gualtieri a bronze replica of the ‘Capitoline Wolf’, a 4th century BC sculpture, a symbol of the city that evokes myth. Its legendary foundation. For his part, the king gave him a silver tray with the kings portraits and signatures engraved on it.
His farewell to Rome and his brief stay in Naples
A gala dinner marked the beginning of the farewell of the kings of Rome. In addition to the inauguration of the Italy Business Forum, Don Felipe will hold a breakfast on Thursday with representatives of Italian and Spanish businessmen. At the same time, Mrs. Letizia will hold a meeting with the Spanish staff at the FAO. After these events they will go to Naples, where they will stay for only a few hours and the King will be invested as Doctor Honoris Causa by the Federico II University. , corresponding to the eighth century of its foundation.
