This was the fourth visit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to Italy and the Holy See, the third as Queen. In 1951, before her coronation, she visited as The Princess Elizabeth. In May 1961, Her Majesty was the guest of President Giovanni Gronchi and met Pope John XXIII, and in October 1980 she was welcomed by President Sandro Pertini and Pope John Paul II.

On this occasion, accompanied by her husband, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Her Majesty arrived in Rome on the afternoon of Monday 16 October, to be welcomed by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and his wife, Franca, at the Quirinale Palace

On the morning of Tuesday 17 October, The Queen and Prince Philip met His Holiness Pope John Paul II in the Vatican Later that morning, they visited the Anglican Centre in Rome.

The Royal couple had further engagements in Rome and Milan until the afternoon of Thursday 19 October.

The Queen's engagements during the State Visit to Italy reflected many aspects of the warm relationship between the United Kingdom and Italy which stretches back over centuries. There were, of course, ceremonial engagements: a State Banquet at the Quirinale Palace offered by President Ciampi, a return Banquet at the Residence of her Ambassador, a visit to the Mayor of Rome at the Campidoglio, and a formal luncheon offered by the Italian Prime Minister, Giuliano Amato, and his government. Her Majesty also laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in Rome's Piazza Venezia to commemorate those of all nationalities who gave their lives in the conflicts which temporarily darkened the skies over Europe during the Twentieth Century.

But the visit also provided an opportunity for a closer, more personal involvement in the life of Italy and of the British community who live and work in the Republic, often overlapping with the colourful ceremonies.

The royal guests visited the British School at Rome to inaugurate important extension works. These new features will enable the School, of which Her Majesty is Patron, to increase its research and teaching activities in archaeology and the arts. They called at the National Gallery of Modern Art, and met leading personalities from many walks of life during a reception there.
The Italian armed forces, who worked so closely and so successfully with their British counterparts during peace-keeping missions in the Balkans, put on a Military display for the royal guests.

In Milan, The Queen and Prince Philip were guests of honour at a concert in Milan's world-famous Teatro alla Scala. Also in Milan, where co-operation between two nations at the leading edge of world design is intense and fruitful, Her Majesty visited the European Institute of Design, a leading design institute, to see examples of the work of young British and Italian designers.

The Duke of Edinburgh, meanwhile, visited SMAU IT telecommunications fair, and then the Agusta factory to see a flying display by the pathfinding EH-101 helicopter, produced in a joint venture with the British Westland company.

The Duke joined The Queen at a reception hosted by the Mayor of Milan, followed by a lunch for leading Italian business people being held in the Milan Prefecture.

And there was time for the guests to admire the newly-restored Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, and the Last Supper by Leonardo in Milan, which has also recently been painstakingly restored to its original splendour.

A special bilingual booklet - 'The United Kingdom and Italy' - was published for the occasion by Agenda Publishing Ltd of London, with forewords by HM The Queen in English and Italian, and by President Ciampi in English and Italian. The booklet contains contributions from the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Robin Cook, from the Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini, from the Italian Minister for Foreign Trade Enrico Letta and many other leading politicians, diplomats, business people, journalists and observers.