Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hosted a dinner for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accompanied him on a visit to the iconic Colosseum ahead of their formal discussions aimed at strengthening India-Italy bilateral ties.
Modi arrived in Italy on Tuesday for the fifth and final leg of his five-nation tour.
“Upon landing in Rome, I had the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Meloni over dinner, followed by a visit to the iconic Colosseum. We exchanged perspectives on a wide range of subjects,” Modi wrote on X. He added that he is looking forward to discussions on further boosting the India-Italy friendship.
Upon landing in Rome, had the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Meloni over dinner followed by a visit to the iconic Colosseum. We exchanged perspectives on a wide range of subjects. Looking forward to our talks today, where we will continue the conversation on how to boost the… pic.twitter.com/df0bDYKCdU
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 20, 2026
In a separate post, Modi thanked the Indian community in Rome for their warm welcome. “Their deep affection for India and commitment to strengthening India-Italy ties are truly commendable. The Indian diaspora continues to make our nation proud across the world,” he said.
Earlier, in a joint article for Indian and Italian media, Modi and Meloni claimed that the bilateral relationship has reached a decisive stage, evolving from a cordial friendship into a special strategic partnership. They noted that at a time of profound international changes, the partnership is strengthened by regular exchanges at high political and institutional levels.
“The relationship between India and Italy has now reached a decisive stage. In recent years, our ties have expanded with unprecedented momentum, evolving from a cordial friendship into a special strategic partnership grounded in the values of freedom and democracy, and a shared vision for the future,” they wrote.
The article highlighted that cooperation between India and Italy reflects the understanding that 21st-century prosperity and security depend on the ability of nations to innovate, manage energy transitions, and strengthen strategic sovereignty.
“We aim to forge a powerful synergy between Italian design and manufacturing excellence—reflecting Italy’s industrial strength—and India’s rapid economic growth, engineering talent, scale, and innovation ecosystem, which includes over 100 unicorns and 200,000 start-ups,” they added.
This visit marks Modi’s first bilateral trip to Italy, following his attendance at the G7 summit in June 2024 and a G20 meeting three years ago.
