By Abdulaziz Hammad

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — There will be more and more cultural cooperation between the Kingdom and Italy, career diplomat and Italian Ambassador Luca Ferrari told Saudi Gazette recently.

“As a matter of fact, I was speaking just a few days ago with the Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan. We are going to bring more Italian opera, more Italian music more Italian culture,” Ambassador Ferrari said during the celebration of Italian Republic Day in Jeddah, recently.

“The new consul general here is organizing a fantastic exhibition of Leonardo Da Vinci, so I think there will be an increasing Italian cultural presence in the Kingdom,” Ambassador Ferrari added

Italian Republic Day was celebrated last Friday by the Italian Consulate General and it was attended by the prominent members of the Italian community, foreign ministry officials, consuls general, journalists and other dignitaries.

The event started with the playing of the national anthems of both Saudi Arabia and Italy. Ambassador Ferrari and Consul General Stefano Stucci thanked the attendees and stressed on the mutual developments of Saudi-Italian relations on economic and cultural levels, revealing new partnerships to be conducted through the year such as an Italian art gallery that will take place in Jeddah showcasing portraits for the famous Italian artist and scientist Leonardo Da Vinci.

It must be noted that about two weeks ago, the Ministry of Culture organized a concert that showcased Italian opera "La Scala" by the Teatro Alla Scala Academy performed at the King Fahd Cultural Center for the first time in Riyadh, highlighting the developments on Saudi-Italian cultural relations.

Over 3,000 spectators, including artists, poets and those interested in musical arts attended the event. The Teatro Alla Scala Academy is one of the most famous opera houses in the world.