Your Majesties,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wish to once again extend my warm welcome to Their Majesties.
It is my great pleasure to receive you, and your delegation, on a State visit in the very halls where, in 1961, the young Queen Elizabeth attended a banquet in her honour, during a historic State visit which still has a place in the hearts of the Italian people.
On that occasion, the Queen chose to emphasise the interactions between our civilisations, and then returned to Italy numerous other times, testifying to a shared desire to continue strengthening our historic bonds.
Their Majesties visited Italy on several occasions. I would like to mention one in particular, which Italians remember with gratitude: the tribute paid in 2017 to Amatrice, so tragically hit by the earthquake, and the visit to the Memorial commemorating the 299 victims.
Our ties, and our reciprocal influences, go back centuries: Your splendid Kingdom holds some of the most significant landmarks of the history of Rome. In particular, Hadrian's Wall and the many British cities that preserve evidence of their Roman foundations come to mind.
The British historian Edward Gibbon is, after all, the author of a monumental history of the Roman Empire.
Your Majesties, we share a relationship that new mutual influences contribute to enriching. And I am not only thinking of the splendours of the 19th century, when some of the greatest British authors, from Shelley to Byron, visited Italy and whose Italian sojourns still echo in our cultures.
The history that unites us, Your Majesties, is also carved in the events of our Risorgimento that led to the unification of Italy: the hospitality offered to so many Italian patriots exiled in your country, and the support for Garibaldi's undertaking in Sicily.
These are the values that we will celebrate together tomorrow, by commemorating a crucial moment for our country: the liberation from Nazi-Fascism of Ravenna and the whole of Italy, in 1945, by the allied troops. The debt of gratitude we owe in this regard shall not be forgotten.
Once again we are reminded of how important solidarity is between countries that share the values of freedom and democracy, respect for human and civil rights, the rights of peoples, the aspiration to peace, the rejection of war as a means of resolving disputes, and the value of cooperation and dialogue as the main instruments in international relations.
Our joint action in the face of the challenges of our times is based on these values, and your country’s clear and convinced commitment together with its European partners in the protection of the international order strengthens our confidence. That rules-based order which, together, we have helped to shape and on whose safeguard depends a future of peace and security for humankind.
The pursuit of peace and security is a complex and challenging task, linked to the goal of bequeathing to younger generations a better world than the one we live in today: combatting poverty, promoting a more sustainable future, protecting the environment and countering the threats posed by climate change.
The United Kingdom and Italy have shown global leadership in the fight against climate change.
In particular, Cop 26, jointly organised in the UK in 2021, testified to our willingness to work together towards shared goals and to find global solutions to the challenges of our times, starting with concrete efforts to protect our environment.
The daily advocacy of Your Majesty is a source of inspiration for many, and the Quirinale, thanks to the activities performed at the Castelporziano Presidential Estate in particular, is also proud to contribute to the preservation of the Mediterranean ecosystem.
Your Majesties,
today we celebrate centuries of history, art in all its forms bringing us together, our friendship and the values which underpin it, the people who in the past have woven the fabric that unites us and those who continue to do so today.
Against this backdrop, our respective communities in the United Kingdom and in Italy are of the greatest value, since they carry with them their creativity, knowledge and passion, thus enhancing our relations.
With these sentiments, I raise my glass to the friendship between our countries, and extend to Their Majesties and to all the British people my best wishes for their well-being and prosperity.
I also wish to add my congratulations for the wedding anniversary of Their Majesties: we are delighted that it is celebrated in Rome.
