On December 1, Rome hosted the ceremony dedicated to Romania’s National Day, which also marked the official inauguration of the Romania-Italy Cultural Year 2026. The event took place on the prestigious stage of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and was crowned by a Gala Concert performed by the Bucharest National Opera Orchestra, conducted by maestro Daniel Jinga.
The gala was attended by His Excellency Gabriela Dancău, Ambassador of Romania to the Italian Republic, the Romanian Minister of Culture Demeter András István, his Italian counterpart Alessandro Giuli, the president of the Commission for Culture, Science and Education in the Chamber of Deputies, Federico Mollicone, as well as numerous representatives of the Italian authorities, people of culture and journalists.
On stage, soprano Anita Hartig, mezzo-soprano Ruxandra Donose and tenor Ștefan Pop performed famous pieces from the musical repertoire of Romania and Italy, offering the audience of over 1,200 people a moment of intense emotion. The atmosphere of the evening emphasized the closeness between the two cultures and the role of art as a bridge between people, traditions and ways of looking at the world.
In their interventions, the representatives of Romania and Italy highlighted the importance of culture as a space for dialogue and mutual understanding. Ambassador Gabriela Dancău emphasized that music is “universal language through which emotion becomes argument and harmony, the most convincing form of diplomacy”.
Minister Demeter András István thanked the Italian public for the openness and the Romanian community in Italy for the constant contribution to strengthening bilateral relations, according to lagoneit.
After the concert, the ministers of culture of the two countries, Demeter András István and Alessandro Giuli, met at the Romanian College to discuss the strengthening of cultural cooperation and the launch of an award dedicated to artistic excellence resulting from the dialogue between the two cultures.
The Italian minister emphasized that the Romania-Italy Cultural Year will transform the relevant ministries from both states into protagonists of a year full of joint cultural activities.
Romania’s National Day, known as “Great Unification Day”, marks the unification of Transylvania with Romania in 1918, a moment considered the founder of modern national identity.
The Romania-Italy Cultural Year 2026 is held under the High Patronage of the President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, and of the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella. The project is coordinated by the Romanian Embassy in Italy, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense and cultural partners from both countries.
The Calendar of the Cultural Year includes exhibitions, concerts, shows and heritage projects that will highlight the richness and diversity of Romanian culture in front of the Italian public.
