Little Macron with the President of Italy, 81-year-old Sergio Mattarella, before the Mona Lisa

Little Macron with the President of Italy, 81-year-old Sergio Mattarella, before the Mona Lisa. They pledge allegiance to great art on the occasion of the opening of the exhibition from the Capodimonte Museum at the Louvre, "Naples in Paris".

Not long ago, relations between France and Italy took a turn for the worse over remarks by the French Minister of the Interior about the Italian government's inability to deal with the problem of migration. The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs thereupon cancelled a visit to France. A month later the President himself flew in. Mattarella enlisted culture to resolve the diplomatic discord. A good occasion: the exhibition is devoted to the historical ties between France and Italy. More than 60 of the greatest masterpieces from the national collection have been brought to Paris, complementing the Louvre's holdings and never before shown in France. Mattarella proposes that the union of two of the world's most significant art collections be compared with the long and rich bilateral ties in the sphere of culture and beyond.

At his age, Mattarella is serving a second term as president. In February 2022 his 7 years in the presidential office came to an end, but no other president could be chosen despite a multitude of attempts at re-voting in parliament, and in the end Sergio was asked to stay on for one more term, at least until a worthy candidate for his place turns up. For the time being, the man keeps at his labours.

Sergio Mattarella is a widower. Nevertheless, Italy has a first lady. Standing to the left of Macron is the Italian lawyer Laura Mattarella Davanti, the Italian president's only daughter, who discharges the high duties in place of her late mother.