Modi begins Italy trip with dinner with Meloni, Colosseum visit
What's the story
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warmly welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival in Rome on Tuesday. The visit is a significant diplomatic engagement as both countries seek to strengthen their ties and elevate them to a special strategic partnership. This is PM Modi's first bilateral visit to Italy, although he had previously visited the country to attend the G7 summit in 2023 and the G20 meeting three years ago.
Pictures
Leaders share pictures
Sharing a picture with her "friend" Modi from the Colosseum, Meloni wrote on X, "Welcome to Rome, my friend!" and added two emoticons of the national flags of Italy and India. PM Modi also shared four pictures from his dinner with Meloni. "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 India-Italy friendship," he wrote on X.
Twitter Post
Modi shares dinner pictures
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
Diplomatic agenda
Discussions to focus on India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor
On Wednesday, PM Modi will meet PM Meloni at the historic 17th-century Villa Doria Pamphili. The discussions are expected to focus on strengthening India-Italy cooperation, especially in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). The IMEC was launched through a 2023 memorandum involving partners such as the European Union and the United States to create integrated trade routes connecting India with the Arabian Gulf and Europe.
Trade goals
Joint declaration to deepen strategic partnership
During the meetings, both leaders are expected to adopt a joint declaration to deepen the strategic partnership, including annual summit-level meetings and a target of reaching €20 billion ($23.2 billion) in bilateral trade by 2029. Bilateral trade between India and Italy stood at over €14 billion in 2023, according to the Italian embassy in New Delhi. PM Modi's visit also includes a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and a visit to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters.
Strategic partnership
India-Italy ties upgraded to strategic partnership in 2023
India and Italy upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership in 2023, expanding cooperation across sectors such as artificial intelligence, scientific research, trade, and defense. The visit also comes amid strong momentum in India-Italy relations, with both sides actively advancing the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029 covering trade, defense, energy innovation and people-to-people exchanges. Before arriving in Italy, PM Modi visited Norway after stops in Sweden Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates.