Monaco and Italy share centuries of history, Mediterranean roots and extraordinarily close cultural, economic and human ties. This weekend, that long relationship has been marked by a diplomatic first.
On Friday 2 October, President Sergio Mattarella arrived in the Principality for the first State Visit ever made to Monaco by a President of the Italian Republic. Accompanied by his daughter Laura Mattarella, the Italian Head of State was welcomed at the Prince’s Palace by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene, with Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella also joining the welcome in the Cour d’Honneur. The Italian Presidency also confirms the historic nature of the visit.
It is a historic first, but certainly not the beginning of the story.
Neighbours for Centuries
Few international relationships are woven quite so deeply into Monaco’s own history. The Grimaldi family has its origins in Genoa, and the links between the dynasty and what is now Italy stretch back more than seven centuries.
In the 16th century, Italian influence helped transform Monaco’s medieval fortress into a Renaissance palace, decorated with works by painters of the Genoese school, some of whose remarkable frescoes have been rediscovered and restored in recent years.
Formal diplomatic relations with Italy were established in 1875, when Henry Bentivoglio-Middleton was appointed Monaco’s chargé d’affaires to the Italian government. Monaco opened a legation in Rome in 1907, which was elevated to an embassy in 1982.
Today those connections are very much alive. The Italian community is the third largest in the Principality, around 2,500 businesses linked to Italian nationals operate in Monaco, and Italian cross-border workers constitute the Principality’s second-largest population of cross-border workers.
Ceremony, Culture and Friendship
President Mattarella’s arrival brought all the ceremony appropriate to such an occasion.
Military honours and the Italian and Monegasque national anthems opened proceedings in the Cour d’Honneur before the two Heads of State reviewed the troops. Prince Albert II and President Mattarella then met privately in the Salon de Famille, while Princess Charlene received Laura Mattarella in the Salle des Gardes.
There followed an exchange of gifts and decorations. Prince Albert II elevated President Mattarella to the dignity of Grand Cross in the Order of Saint-Charles, while Laura Mattarella received the Grand Cross of the Order of Grimaldi. President Mattarella, in turn, elevated Princess Charlene to the dignity of Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
The evening brought a distinctly cultural celebration of the relationship. The President and his daughter joined the Princely Couple at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo for a performance by celebrated Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, before returning to the Prince’s Palace for a State Dinner in the Throne Room. The Italian Presidency has confirmed that both events took place.
At the dinner, President Mattarella spoke warmly of the centuries-old relationship between the two countries and of the Genoese origins of the Grimaldi dynasty. He also highlighted their shared commitment to protecting the Mediterranean through the RAMOGE agreement, which marks its 50th anniversary this year.
The Mediterranean at the Heart of the Visit
The second and final day of the State Visit turns naturally towards something else Monaco and Italy have very much in common: the Mediterranean.
On Saturday morning, President Mattarella was due to meet staff from the Italian Embassy and representatives of Monaco’s large Italian community before joining Prince Albert II for a visit to the Oceanographic Museum. The programme includes a presentation devoted to RAMOGE, the agreement bringing Monaco, France and Italy together in the protection of the Mediterranean marine environment. President Mattarella is also due to sign the Museum’s visitors’ book, with the two Heads of State addressing the media before the President’s departure from Monaco.
It is an appropriate conclusion to a visit built around both history and the present day.
Monaco and Italy’s connections run through the Grimaldi dynasty, diplomacy, culture, commerce and the Mediterranean itself. More than 150 years after formal diplomatic relations were established, President Mattarella’s visit adds a genuinely historic new chapter to one of the Principality’s oldest and closest relationships.
