King Harald and Queen Sonja arrived in Rome on Tuesday afternoon. They will be in Italy from Tuesday to Friday.
The larger part of their stay in Italy will be spent on official engagements, but also a number of visits to promote Norwegian industry in Italy. They will travel from Rome to Milan, the country’s financial capital.
In Rome the royal couple will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Brende, in Milan by the Minister of Petroleum and Energy Tord Lien.
It is 15 years since the last Norwegian state visit to Italy, and the king did not make a secret of his enthusiasm for the country, people and culture:
– We charmed by the informality and spontaneity, blended with style and elegance, which we find in the behavior of the Italian people. We are attracted by the joy that we feel around us and which makes a normally reserved northerner feel good, King Harald said in his speech at the gala dinner in 2001
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
