A delegation from the marine academy of the institution of the Cavalieri di Santo Stefano of Pisa, an equestrian entity which sees its origin in 1562 under the will of Cosimo I de’ Medici, will be on an official visit to Malta in the coming days.

In collaboration with the Italian Embassy and under the patronage of the Italian Cultural Institute, the Cavalieri are holding a conference on Friday, June 10, entitled ‘The joint activities of the Marina of the Order of Malta and the Order of Santo Stefano in the 16th and 17th centuries’.

The event, which is open to the public, is taking place at the Waterfront Hotel, in Sliema, at 5pm.

The main speaker will be Marco Gemignani, vice president of the marine academy, lecturer of history and naval strategy at the Naval Academy of the Marina Militare Italiana in Leghorn, a historical institute which throughout the years, including recently, acted as a point of reference for several Maltese naval officers for their formation and training. The conference is being coordinated by Massimiliano Pulvano Guelfi, delegate of the marine academy for Malta.

The conference will delve deeper in the similarities and the strong collaboration that existed between the two ‘marine’ sections of the Order of Malta and that of Santo Stefano, with both entities having subscribed to a formal and written agreement which brought the two states then to work closely together, including for instance, their participation in the Battle of Lepanto. 

The recent twinning between Valletta and Pisa builds on the link both cities have in their roots ‒ the identity of a ‘marine republic’.