PM Modi Italy Visit: From Colosseum tour to strategic talks - here's key things to know

PM Modi Italy Visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently on a five-nation foreign tour across West Asia and Europe. He is accompanied by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, External Affairs Secretary (West) Sibi George, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and other senior diplomatic officials. The last stop of this tour is Italy, where on Wednesday (local time), May 20, PM Modi held delegation-level talks with Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

PM Modi Receives Warm Welcome in Rome

PM arrived in Rome on Tuesday (local time), where he was welcomed by his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni for dinner. During the meeting, PM Modi gifted PM Meloni a set of 'Melody' toffees. Italian PM shared a post on X, thanking him for the gift as they laughed over the cheerful internet trend. Melody is a term often used on the internet to highlight the good friendship between PM Modi and Meloni. The two then visited the iconic Colosseum, where they held extensive discussions on a wide range of subjects.

PM Modi and Meloni Share Posts on X

In a post on X, PM Modi shared glimpses of his visit with Meloni and said, "Just landed in Rome, I had the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Meloni for dinner, followed by a visit to the iconic Colosseum. We exchanged views on a wide range of topics. I look forward to our talks today, during which we will continue the conversation on how to strengthen the friendship between India and Italy."

Sharing a picture with PM Modi on X, Meloni wrote, "Welcome to Rome, my friend!"

Meloni shared an earlier picture of both leaders at the Colosseum in Italy.

Indian Diaspora and Cultural Performances Mark PM’s Visit

Upon his arrival in Rome, Prime Minister Modi was warmly welcomed by the Indian diaspora. He interacted with members of the Indian community and enjoyed cultural programs hosted at his hotel.

In a series of two X posts, he highlighted performances by Italian artists who presented Indian classical styles and traditional music during community events held alongside his visit to Italy.

In one X post, PM Modi said, "Five Italians passionate about Indian dance, Svamini Atmananda Giri, Ms Martina Meenakshi Argada, Ms Lucrezia Maniscotti, Ms Valeria Vespaziani, Ms Rosella Fanelli performed ‘Trigalbandi’, which included Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam and Kathak. It is wonderful to see Indian dance forms drawing global interest.

Italian Artists Perform Indian Classical Music

In another post on X, PM Modi highlighted a separate musical performance and said, "During the community welcome in Rome last evening, five Italian artistes performed the Hamsadhwani. Compliments to Mr Valerio Bruni (Santoor), Mr Leo Vertunni (Sitar), Mr Simone Mattiello (Bansuri), Mr Francesco Gherardi (Tabla) and Mr Nicolo Mellochi (Bansuri)."

PM also signed an autograph for a child who had greeted him with a portrait.

India-Italy Ties Continue to Strengthen

PM Modi's Italy visit comes amid strong momentum in India-Italy relations, with both sides actively advancing the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029, a broad framework for cooperation across multiple areas. These include trade--which reached USD 16.77 billion in 2025--investment, with cumulative FDI of USD 3.66 billion (April 2000-September 2025), as well as defence and security, clean energy, innovation, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges.

Previous Stops on PM Modi’s Foreign Tour

Earlier, the Prime Minister was in Norway for the fourth leg of his five-nation tour and before his Oslo visit, he was in Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates.

With ANI Inputs