Italy

French presence

French Consulates General: Milan, Naples, Florence, Rome
French community in Italy: 43,877 registered (1 January 2018)
Italian community in France: 380,000 people

Visits

Bilateral political contacts on international crises, European issues, and economic and cultural issues take place on a very regular basis.
The President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, was received in Paris by the French President on 30 March 2015, and attended the commemorations of the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci in Chambord, Amboise and Clos-Lucé on 2 May 2019. He made a state visit to France at President Macron’s invitation from 4 to 6 July 2021.

The signing in Rome on 26 November 2021 of the “Quirinal” treaty was a high point in the France-Italy relationship. It took effect on 1 February 2023.
There is intense contact between the two governments, as shown by the many reciprocal ministerial visits. The two governments also meet regularly as members of the European Union, NATO, the G7 and other ad hoc formats, including EU Med, which met in Alicante on 9 December 2022.

Cultural, scientific and technical cooperation

France and Italy have long-standing, intense cultural relations. These are supported by prestigious institutions such as the Villa Medici, the French School in Rome and the Jean Bérard Centre in Naples. Our teaching network includes six schools. and there are some 30 Alliance Française branches. French is the second most-studied language in Italy behind English. The agreement on dual French Baccalaureate-Esame di Stato diplomas, ESABAC, celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2020. There are now 319 ESABAC sections in Italian high schools, and 66 in France. This programme is a successful means of fostering bilingual and bicultural education. The programme was expanded to the technological field in 2016. In the academic field, the Franco-Italian University was founded in 1998 and an academic cooperation agreement was signed between the French Conference of University Presidents and its Italian counterpart on 22 October 2020. In the scientific field, France and Italy have developed space cooperation built around an intergovernmental agreement signed in 2007. When it comes to young people, the “Quirinal” treaty provides for the creation of Franco-Italian civic service. It will enable young French and Italian people to engage in civic service in the other country and thus foster bilateral ties between the younger generations.