Celebration of the 90th anniversary of the signing of the Lateran Treaty

On 11 February 1929, the Lateran Treaty establishing bilateral relations between Italy and the Holy See was signed in the”Sala della Conciliazione” of the Palazzo Apostolico del Laterano. The Treaty assured to the “Holy See in a permanent manner a position in fact and in law which guarantees it absolute independence for the fulfilment of its exalted mission in the world”, and officially gave birth to the State of the Vatican City. This year, to celebrate the 90^th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty and the 35^th anniversary of the signing of the Concordat Amendment Agreement in 1984, in addition to the traditional high-level meeting between the authorities of the Italian Republic and of the Holy See, the Italian Embassy to the Holy See has organised a dense agenda of initiatives. At the proposal of the Embassy, on 11 February, the Ministry of Economic Development issued a celebrative stamp (in parallel with a joint issue by the Vatican Postal Service) of the  90^th anniversary of the Treaty, portraying a sketch of the Sala della Conciliazione created by the ‘Centro Filatelico della Direzione Officina Carte Valori e Produzioni Tradizionali’ of the State Mint and Polygraphic Institute (IPZS).
Thanks to the support of Banco BPM, an art book was recently published titled “Palazzo Borromeo, L’Ambasciata d’Italia presso la Santa Sede” (“Palazzo Borromeo, the Italian Embassy to the Holy See”), edited by Daria Borghese and Pietro Sebastiani, and published by Allemandi in 2019, containing forewords by the President of the Republic, the Cardinal Secretary of State, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, that retraces the Palazzo’s artistic and architectural history since it was first designed. 
The book will enrich the celebrative exhibition set up inside Palazzo Borromeo. The objects and documents exhibited include the copy in micro mosaic of Raphael’s Madonna della seggiola that was made in 1929 by the Vatican School of Mosaic and donated by Pius XI to Queen Elena in December 1929 to celebrate the first visit by the Royals to the Vatican (the initials of Pius XI are etched on the frame). In addition, exceptionally on loan from the Vatican Museum, is the writing set made by a Rome-based silversmith in 1850 and used to sign the Treaty that is normally on display at the Palazzo Apostolico Lateranense. 
The exhibition will be opened on 14 February by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, at the presence of highest ranking Italian and Vatican officials.
Lastly, with a view to promoting Palazzo Borromeo in the broader context of Italy’s historic and artistic heritage, the Embassy has carried out significant beautification, restoration and conservation work on the Palazzo, thanks to the generous contribution of Italian enterprises and public-private partnerships.
In particular, the Superintendence for Archaeology, Fine Arts and the Landscape of the Municipality of Rome restored the entire façade on Via Flaminia. Moreover, thanks to the technical sponsorship of REAM SGR, a rainwater disposal system was installed on the roof of the Palazzo, which did not exist up to now.
Lastly, the inside and outside lighting engineering of the exhibition halls of Palazzo Borromeo was enhanced and upgraded in terms of energy efficiency thanks to the support of Enel X.