ROME, May 20, 2026: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took selfies at the Colosseum in Rome ahead of talks focused on India-Italy trade and cooperation.

Modi arrived in Rome on Tuesday as part of a wider Europe tour, marking the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to Italy in 26 years. The visit is aimed at strengthening economic, diplomatic and strategic ties between the two countries.

In a video posted on X, Meloni thanked Modi for bringing a packet of “Melody” toffees, a light moment linked to their names.

Modi had previously visited Italy for the G20 meeting in 2021 and the G7 summit in 2024.

In a joint editorial published in Italy’s Corriere della Sera, Modi and Meloni said they wanted to reach and exceed €20 billion in bilateral trade by 2029.

The leaders identified defence, aerospace, car parts, clean technologies and textiles as key sectors for cooperation. They said both countries aimed to build stronger links between Italian design and manufacturing expertise and India’s economic growth, engineering talent and innovation.

Bilateral trade between Italy and India stood at €14.25 billion last year, according to the Indian embassy in Italy.

The two leaders were scheduled to hold bilateral talks at Villa Pamphili, a 17th-century villa west of Rome’s city centre.

Modi also said he would visit the Rome headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation to reaffirm India’s commitment to multilateralism and global food security.