The Romania-Italy Cultural Year 2026, the first bilateral project of such scale in the history of the two countries, was officially presented in Rome on Monday in the presence of senior representatives of Italian institutions and members of the diplomatic corps. Under the High Patronage of the President of Romania, Nicusor Dan, and the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, the event marks the launch of an extensive programme celebrating the cultural, historical and European ties between the two states.

An unprecedented project in bilateral cultural relations

Designed by the Embassy of Romania to Italy and carried out with the support of the Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs of both countries, the Romanian Ministry of Defence and in coordination with partner cultural institutions, the Romania-Italy Cultural Year 2026 is set to become one of the most ambitious joint projects ever undertaken. It is also the first Cultural Year organised simultaneously by the two states, according to a post on the embassy's Facebook page.

The official presentation of the programme brought together representatives of Italian institutions, diplomats and journalists, offering a detailed overview of a project conceived as a two-stage cultural dialogue.

'A shared narrative of identity'

Gabriela Dancau, Romania's Ambassador to the Italian Republic, highlighted the deeply symbolic dimension of the initiative, presenting the Cultural Year as an expression of the historic friendship and shared European vocation of the two countries.

'This entire ensemble - every name, every place, every date - outlines an itinerary that goes beyond a simple cultural programme and becomes a shared narrative of identity. Culture is not an accessory to politics but its noblest form,' the ambassador said.

Two semesters, two cultural directions

The programme will unfold over two complementary semesters.

The first semester (December 2025 - July 2026) will be dedicated to promoting Romanian culture in Italy. The official opening will take place on Romania's National Day, 1 December 2025, with a gala concert at the Rome Opera performed by the Bucharest National Opera Orchestra. A few days after this inaugural event, soloists of the Bucharest Opera will give a recital at La Scala in Milan.

The Romanian programme in Italy includes exhibitions, theatre and ballet performances, film screenings, concerts and debates. Among the main highlights are 'Brancusi: The Origins of Infinity,' an exhibition curated by the National Museum of Art of Romania, a ballet performance by the Cluj-Napoca Opera at the Petruzzelli Theatre in Bari and a major exhibition dedicated to the Romanian Avant-garde, opening in Palermo.

These central events will be complemented by numerous related projects intended to offer a comprehensive picture of the diversity of Romanian culture.

Full support from Italian institutions

Maria Tripodi, Secretary of State with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reiterated the Italian Government's full support for the initiative, emphasising its diplomatic and cultural value.

Culture, she said, must be 'a tool of peace and mutual enrichment' as well as a bridge towards a united and stronger Europe.

MP Fabrizio Comba, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group with Romania, praised the exemplary institutional cooperation that made the project possible, based on dialogue and mutual respect.

In turn, MP Federico Mollicone, President of the Committee for Culture, Science and Education in the Chamber of Deputies in Rome, underlined the importance of this moment in the current geopolitical context.

The Cultural Year represents 'a decisive step in strengthening bilateral cooperation and establishing a lasting dialogue,' he said.

An identity symbol for a historic project

During the conference, the official logo of the Romania-Italy Cultural Year 2026 was also presented, created by the National Heritage Institute. The symbol is designed as a visual synthesis of the Romanian-Italian cultural closeness and of the vision underlying the entire programme, according to the source. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Mariana Ionescu; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)