Britain's King Charles III told Italy's parliament Wednesday that peace is "never to be taken for granted", saluting shared values and a history of sacrifice between the two countries in an unprecedented address.
The king's speech was the first by a UK monarch to a joint session of Italy's two legislative chambers. It came as he celebrated his 20th wedding anniversary with wife Camilla during a state visit to Italy.
Speaking in both Italian and English, the 76-year-old monarch eulogised Italy as a place "very dear to my heart", having made 18 official visits in over 40 years.
Citing Virgil, Dante, and Italy's unification hero Giuseppe Garibaldi, he called it "one of the pleasures of my life to come to know this irresistable country", as he addressed parliamentarians in the Chamber of Deputies.
Although Britain had many differences with Italy, their shared values were seen in countless courageous acts during World War Two, he said.
Charles cited the tens of thousands of Commonwealth soldiers who died during the liberation of Italy from the Nazis, noting that Italian civilians had risked their lives to help them.
"Today, sadly, the echoes of those times -- which we fervently hoped had been consigned to history -- reverberate across our continent," he added.
"Our younger generations can now see in the news every day on their smartphones and tablets that peace is never to be taken for granted."
Noting the two countries' support for Ukraine, he said both Italy and the UK "stand today united in defence of the democratic values we share".
On the environment, a personal passion, the king noted that warnings he had given while addressing a parliamentary meeting in Rome 16 years ago were "depressingly being borne out by events".
"From the droughts in Sicily to the floods in Somerset, both our countries are already seeing the ever more damaging effects of climate change," he said.
On a lighter note, Charles elicited laughter when he reminded his audience that Garibaldi had a British biscuit named after him -- "the ultimate mark of British esteem".
- 'How impressive is a king?' -
Earlier Wednesday, Charles had a short private meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Italy's hard-right government, at the historic Villa Doria Pamphili.
The king was then whisked in his Bentley to Rome's working-class neighbourhood of Testaccio, where its converted slaughterhouses now hold cultural events.
He met drama students who performed a portion of Shakespeare's "Othello" in Italian with a famous alumnus of the school, "Inspector Montalbano" actor Luca Zingaretti, in attendance.
A few dozen curious residents milled about outside, but most appeared nonplussed, such as Carlotta, a 70-year-old woman who declined to give her last name.
"I don't give a damn about the king but they’ve spent three days cleaning the neighbourhood, scrubbing the pavements, clearing up dog poo, so he can come every week if he likes," she told AFP.
Another woman, 66-year-old Ninetta, quipped: "Rome has seen emperors, how impressive is a king? I couldn't care less."
Benedetta Ciarlo, 21, was more enthusiastic, having travelled on purpose from Benevento near Naples just to see the king.
"I'm a massive fan of all things royal. My favourite royal used to be Prince Philip, now it's Charles," she said, adding that she appreciated his concern for young people and the future of the planet.
- Pizza and ice-cream -
Camilla spent her morning visiting school children learning English, and was presented with a pizza Margherita -- named in the 19th century for another queen, Margherita of Savoy.
A stunned delivery woman, Federica Viola, said it was "surreal" when she arrived and saw the queen.
"They ordered a pizza and I didn't understand why, then I figured it out and it was for the queen so it was a huge emotion," she told AFP.
The queen later accompanied the king to parliament, after which they walked to nearby Giolitti, one of the city's most famous cafes, for a gelato.
The royals' four-day trip, which included a visit to the Colosseum on Tuesday and on Thursday sees them heading north to Ravenna, comes less than a fortnight after Charles' latest health scare.
He was briefly admitted to hospital after experiencing side effects from his cancer treatment.
A state banquet is planned Wednesday night at the Quirinale, the home of Italy's president, Sergio Mattarella, who is expected to give a toast to mark the royal's anniversary.