President of Malta Marie-Louise Colerio Preca visited the packing process of a painting by Mattia Preti, depicting Santa Rosalia, before it is sent to Sicily for an exhibition dedicated to Santa Rosalia, Palermo’s Patron Saint, and organised by the Federico II Foundation, the cultural institution of the Royal Palace.
Gianfranco Micciché, President of the Sicilian Regional Assembly formally asked President Coleiro Preca, in the name of the Republic of Malta, to contribute to this international exhibition by granting the loan of a painting by Mattia Preti, Santa Rosalia, 1677-78, a request which the President acceded to.
The President said that it was befitting to facilitate this request, as such a gesture is an effective example of cultural diplomacy, further adding that it also highlights the level of friendship which exists between the people of Malta and the people of Italy.
The exhibition is to going to be inaugurated on 4th September in the Duke of Montalto Halls of the Royal Palace and it is going to boast the presence of the best paintings of the time depicting the saint protector of the people of Palermo.
During the visit, at the Church of Sarria in Floriana, President Coleiro Preca was accompanied by Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government Owen Bonnici. Minister Bonnici said that through such an initiative we are promoting cultural diplomacy as culture is a way of bringing people together. He said that “our strategy as a government is to ensure that culture is accessible to all, and through our country’s contribution to this international exhibition, we keep strengthening our cultural platform overseas”.
The Mattia Preti painting of Santa Rosalia was recently restored in 2016, and was sponsored by the Maltese and Palermo branches of the Rotary Club, in collaboration with Din l-Art Ħelwa, and they were carried out by ‘Sante Guido – Giuseppe Mantella, Restauro Opere d’Arte’.