![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Catherine-Princess-of-Wales-embraces-a-girl-while-greeting-people-as-she-arrives-outside-the-city-ha.jpeg\")
Catherine, Princess of Wales, embraces a girl while greeting people as she arrives outside the city hall, as part of a two-day visit to the region, in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Photo \/ Reuters<\/p>\nHundreds of people gathered in the city\u2019s main square, framed by medieval and Renaissance buildings, and in nearby streets to greet Kate. Some waved Union Jacks while others held a banner reading \u201cCiao Kate\u201d.<\/p>\n
Kate, the wife of heir-to-the-throne Prince William, was starting a two-day visit as part of her work focusing on childhood development, a central theme of her public work.<\/p>\n
\u201cUndoubtedly this is a huge moment for the princess. There will be many highlights of 2026, but this being her first official international visit post her recovery, this is a really significant moment for her,\u201d said an aide to the princess.<\/p>\n
Kate Greets Child In Italian<\/p>\n
Wearing a light blue trouser suit, the princess greeted children waiting for her outside the Town Hall.<\/p>\n
\u201cBuongiorno, what\u2019s your name?\u201d she asked a preschool girl in Italian, a city official said, recounting the exchange.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy name is Camilla, and yours?\u201d the child replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m Catherine,\u201d the princess said \u2014 prompting a brief look of surprise before Camilla, who expected to hear the name Kate, exclaimed: \u201cBut she\u2019s called Catherine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Catherine, Princess of Wales, embraces a girl while greeting people as she arrives outside the city hall, as part of a two-day visit to the region, in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Photo \/ Reuters<\/p>\n
The visit will centre on the \u201cReggio Emilia approach\u201d, which places relationships, the environment and community at the heart of a child\u2019s development.<\/p>\n
In her meetings with administrators, teachers, parents and children, Kate will focus on the historical roots of the city\u2019s schools, the role played by women, the connection between nature and learning, and the involvement of the local community, officials said.<\/p>\n
After World War Two, residents of Reggio Emilia \u2013 many of them women \u2013 helped finance some of Italy\u2019s first nursery schools by selling scrap metal from military equipment abandoned by retreating German forces. Pioneering schools for children under six took shape there decades before national legislation governing nurseries was adopted in 1968.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Catherine-Princess-of-Wales-is-presented-the-Primo-Tricolore-award-by-Reggio-Emilia-Mayor-Marco-Mass.jpeg\")
Catherine, Princess of Wales, is presented the Primo Tricolore award by Reggio Emilia Mayor Marco Massari at the city\u2019s town hall. Photo \/ ReutersPrincess to be given city\u2019s highest civic honour<\/p>\n
Kate is expected to visit two public pre-schools, where classrooms are organised around open communal spaces known as piazzas, with in\u2011house kitchens and ateliers that encourage children to experiment with materials, colours and sounds.<\/p>\n
The Princess of Wales will be joined by key figures who helped develop the Reggio Emilia approach such as Ione Bartoli, 95, a former regional councillor in the 1970s.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe princess\u2019s visit is an honour and recognises what we in Reggio Emilia have achieved together for our children,\u201d Bartoli told Reuters.<\/p>\n
Kate will be awarded the Primo Tricolore, Reggio Emilia\u2019s highest civic prize. It consists of a replica of Italy\u2019s green, white and red national flag, first adopted in the city in 1797.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is only right that her first international trip since her illness is one that is focused on an issue that she is committed to championing for decades to come,\u201d the princess\u2019s aide said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hundreds of people gathered in the city\u2019s main square, framed by medieval and Renaissance buildings, and in nearby…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15894,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5],"class_list":{"0":"post-15893","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-italy","8":"tag-italy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15893\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}