Culture Secretary Karen Bradley met senior Italian politicians and leaders to celebrate the special cultural relationship between our two countries and commit to building new creative partnerships in the coming years.
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport visited Venice and Rome to support the UK-Italy Partners for Culture 2017 programme, celebrating arts, science, education and creative industries, which was established following the G7 Ministerial meeting on culture in Florence that she attended in March.
Alongside her formal meetings, the Culture Secretary also promoted Britain's creative industries at the Venice Biennale where she met curators and artists taking part in showcasing UK art in Italy.
"Italy and the UK are world leaders in international cultural protection and the ongoing cooperation between our two nations in this area is a perfect example of the depth of our ties."
Karen Bradley, Culture Secretary
During her meeting with the Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism Dario Franceschini, the Culture Secretary reaffirmed the commitment of the UK and Italy to protect cultural heritage in areas of armed conflict and discussed the promotion of sustainable tourism.
The Culture Secretary said: "Italy and the UK are world leaders in international cultural protection and the ongoing cooperation between our two nations in this area is a perfect example of the depth of our ties."
Discussing how our two nations can harness the power of digital and tech were on the agenda during a tour of the Digital Life exhibition. Karen also joined leading Italian stakeholders and representatives to discuss how the UK is using digital technology to drive positive change (including through our #cultureisdigital project) and how we can work with Italy in these areas.
Taking part in a panel discussion on women and leadership in the creative industries, the Culture Secretary promoted the UK's leadership in tackling gender equity and emphasised our continuing commitment to cultural exchange, including through the UK-Italy Partners for Culture programme.
Rounding off her visit, Karen Bradley was honoured to present the winners of the Cultural Relations Awards where she also spoke about our shared cultural values.
Read Karen Bradley's speech in full at the Cultural Relations Awards
