In the charming setting of Magistral Villa on the Aventine Hill in Rome, the ceremony for the presentation of the honorary award of the Cross of Commander pro Merito Melitensi to the Secretary-General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM https://www.pam.int ), Ambassador Sergio Piazzi, took place.

Ambassador Stefano Ronca, Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the Quirinale, Diplomatic Counselor to H.E. the Grand Chancellor and Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs of the Sovereign Order of Malta, presented the diploma and decoration of the Cross of Commander to Ambassador Sergio Piazzi.

The ceremony was attended by the Emeritus President of PAM, Francesco Amoruso, and the Permanent Representative of the Sovereign Order of Malta to PAM and Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia Alberto di Luca.

At the end of the solemn ceremony, Ambassador Piazzi, along with Emeritus President Francesco Amoruso and Ambassador Alberto di Luca, went on a tour of the Magistral Villa and the Church of St. Mary on Aventine Hill, a precious artistic treasure, which is a unique architectural example by the renowned artist and engraver Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778).

A logistical curiosity: Magistral Villa attracts visitors from all over the world who come to the Aventine Hill to look through its famous “keyhole” which frames the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica.