The exhibition “Cyprus and Italy: Shared Cultural Identities at the Dawn of History” has concluded at the National Museum of Castel Sant’Angelo, promoted on the occasion of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Over four months, the exhibition told the story of the millennia-old ties between the two nations, inaugurated in the presence of Presidents Sergio Mattarella and Nikos Christodoulides — a strong signal of the political, cultural, and economic solidarity between Italy and Cyprus.
From the Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age, Cyprus, Sicily, Sardinia, and mainland Italy were hubs of a shared Mediterranean network. The exhibition traced three dimensions of this connection:
Art and technology: Cypriot copper and metallurgical innovations travelled over 2,100 km westward, shaping early Italian societies.
Trade networks: Exchanges between Cyprus, Etruria, and Phoenician Sardinia foreshadow modern models of international trade.
Shared identity: everyday artifacts and aristocratic burials point to a common cultural world.
“Understanding our shared historical paths allows modern businesses to see bilateral trade not as a simple transaction, but as the natural evolution of a collaborative Mediterranean ecosystem,” says Giuseppe Marino, President of the Italian-Cypriot Chamber of Commerce.
Just as copper and pottery once travelled the same routes, today shipping, energy, technology, and sustainable tourism represent their modern equivalent.
The Italian-Cypriot Chamber of Commerce works daily to turn this historical affinity into concrete opportunities, supporting:
- Bilateral investment, from green energy to high-tech manufacturing
- Trade facilitation, streamlining import-export networks
- Knowledge and technology transfer, through R&D partnerships and scientific collaboration
As the exhibition closes its doors, the Chamber looks ahead, aiming to keep this momentum alive so that our shared dawn of history continues to light the way toward a prosperous, joint economic future between Italy and Cyprus.
For further information on the activities of the Italian-Cypriot Chamber of Commerce: segreteria@camcomitacipro.it
Last modified: July 6, 2026