Reception at the Art Museum RIGA BOURSE Highlights Cultural Ties, with Over 300 Attendees. Honor Awarded to Gen. Gaugers of the Latvian Armed Forces.
On 30 May, the Embassy of Italy in Riga celebrated the Italian Republic Day with a reception at the Art Museum Riga Bourse, a prestigious venue currently hosting the exhibition “Palazzo Madama. Arts and Crafts from Italy from the 6th to the 19th Century”, organised in collaboration with the museum in Turin and the Fondazione Torino Musei.
The event welcomed around 300 guests, including representatives of Latvian institutions, the economic, cultural and academic sectors, members of the diplomatic corps, and the Italian community in Latvia. Among the dignitaries were several members of the Saeima, former Presidents of Latvia Valdis Zatlers and Egils Levits, and Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Artjoms Uršuļskis.
In his address, the Ambassador of Italy to Latvia, Alessandro Monti, highlighted the strong symbolic significance of celebrating Republic Day in one of the country’s major museums – a testament to the excellent cultural cooperation between Italy and Latvia. “The Italian cultural summer in Riga has only just begun,” he stated, recalling the upcoming opening in July of the exhibition “Light from Italy. From Fattori to Morandi” at the Latvian National Museum of Art, featuring over 80 masterpieces on loan from the Uffizi Galleries.
In a global context marked by tension and instability, the Ambassador expressed deep appreciation for the service of Italian, Latvian and other allied troops stationed at NATO’s Camp Ādaži: “their dedication sends a powerful message of peace and respect,” he declared. During the reception, the Ambassador also had the honour of presenting the Order of the Star of Italy (Knight rank) to Brigadier General Sandris Gaugers, former commander of Camp Ādaži, in recognition of his concrete commitment to strengthening bilateral defence cooperation.
The Ambassador also addressed the growing and vibrant Italian community in Latvia, acknowledging recent sporting achievements by Latvian teams made possible through collaboration with Italian coaches. “A love for sports brings Italy and Latvia together – two nations that share a genuine passion both for competition and for team spirit,” he said.
The celebrations concluded on the morning of 2 June with a military ceremony at Camp Ādaži, organised by the Italian contingent of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Brigade “Latvia.”
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