Italy guest of honour at Guadalajara’s 2026 International Book Fair, March 27th, 2025

Italy’s Foreign Affairs Minister and Deputy Vice-Prime Minister Antonio Tajani held a press conference at the Farnesina (the Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry in Rome) to announce with great pleasure that Italy will be the guest of honour at Guadalajara’s 2026 “International Book Fair”.

Guadalajara's book fair attracts over 900,000 visitors and 2,700 publishers from 64 different countries.  It's considered one of the most important book fairs in the world. 

 

Tajani was joined during the conference by Italy’s Cultural Heritage Minister Alessandro Giuli and Mexico’s Ambassador to Italy Carlos Garcia de Alba.

Rome’s mayor inaugurates refurbished San Giovanni square, March 27th, 2025

Rome’s mayor Roberto Gualtieri inaugurated the new and refurbished square located right in front of the San Giovanni Basilica (it's only 1,700 years old).

The splendid square got a much-need “facelift” during preparations for the Vatican’s 2025 Holy Jubilee (Pope Francis is actually the Bishop of San Giovanni). The square is 15,000 sq/meters, it's covered by 2,000 square/meters of grass, 320,000 cobblestones and 12  fountains.

 
Mayor Gualtieri was joined by the Vatican’s Cardinal Baldo Reina during the press conference.   The square is a traditional venue, more or less for the last 35 years, of the yearly May 1^st national holiday (workers’ day) and its free concert.  After more than a year of reconstruction work the square will be ready this year to welcome thousands upon thousands of music aficionados.