Colosseum selfies and ‘Melody’ toffee: India PM Modi visits Rome
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Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Villa Doria Pamphili, in Rome, Italy, on May 20.
PHOTO: REUTERS
ROME – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took selfies at the Colosseum and admired the view over Rome ahead of talks focused on trade on May 20.
In a video posted on social media platform X, Ms Meloni also thanked Mr Modi for bringing along a packet of “Melody” toffees on his visit, with the two seen laughing over the present – a play on their names.
Wrapping up a tour of Europe, Mr Modi landed in Rome on May 19 for the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to Italy in 26 years.
Mr Modi previously visited Italy for a G-20 meeting in 2021 and a G-7 summit in 2024.
In a joint editorial in Italy’s Corriere della Sera daily, the two said they wanted to “reach and exceed the €20 billion (S$34 billion) target for trade between Italy and India by 2029“.
Particular sectors of interest would include defence, aerospace, car parts, clean technologies and textiles, they said.
“We aim to forge a powerful synergy between Italian design, manufacturing excellence, and world-class supercomputers... and India’s rapid economic growth, engineering talent, scale, and innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem,” they said.
Bilateral trade between Italy and India was €14.25 billion in 2025, according to the Indian embassy to Italy.
The two leaders later on will hold May 20 bilateral talks at Villa Pamphili, a 17th-century villa to the west of the city centre.
Mr Modi on X said he would also visit the Rome headquarters of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation “strengthening India’s commitment to multilateralism as well as global food security”. AFP
