On 11the February, at the Mansion House, the Acting Mayor of the Municipality of Pompei, Andreina Esposito, and the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ray McAdam, signed the Pact of Friendship and Cooperation between the two Municipalities. The Pact aims to establish a stable and long-lasting collaboration between the two cities, promoting cultural and educational exchanges between their respective schools, encouraging the sharing of best practices in the tourism sector, and fostering joint initiatives to enhance their cultural heritage. The signing of the Pact was also the focus of a promotional event entitled “Pompei and the Campania Region: Tourist and Cultural Destinations for the Irish Public,” held on 12 February at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Dublino-IIC. The event was organized by the Embassy of Italy in Irlanda, the IIC the Irish Italian Chamber of Commerce, the Italian Trade Agency and ENIT, in collaboration with the Municipality of Pompei and the Campania region. In his institutional remarks, Ambassador Nicola Faganello highlighted the importance of strengthening cultural and tourism relations between Dublin and Pompei, also in light of the recent positive trend in Irish tourist flows to Italy (+7.3% arrivals from Ireland to Italy in the first half of 2025 compared to the previous year). Speakers during the evening – following the welcome address by Michela Magrì, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute – included Mayor Esposito; Dáithí Downey, Head of the European and International Relations Office of Dublin City Council; Architect Ferdinando d’Agostino, official of the Campania Region, Directorate General for Cultural Policies and Tourism; Professor Lynda Mulvin of the School of Art History and Cultural Policy at University College Dublin; and Dr. Mario Muscariello, International Affairs Adviser to the Mayor of Pompei. The evening concluded with a concert by soprano Concetta Pepere, Professor of Chamber Music at the Conservatorio di Musica “G. Martucci” di Salerno, accompanied by Irish pianist Maja Elliott, followed by a reception featuring traditional Campanian food and wine specialties, attended by local authorities, business and tourism operators, and sector journalists.
SIGNING OF THE PACT OF FRIENDSHIP AND COOPERATION BETWEEN THE CITIES OF POMPEI AND DUBLIN (11th FEBRUARY, MANSION HOUSE, DUBLIN)
