共同举办“中国意大利文化和旅游年”是习近平主席2019年对意大利进行国事访问期间与意大利总统马塔雷拉达成的重要共识。次年1月，文旅年在罗马隆重开幕，但随后受到新冠疫情的影响，中意双方商定将2020年的文旅年顺延至2022年举办。文旅年是中意全面战略伙伴关系和文化交流合作发展的必然结果，经得起新冠疫情肆虐和世界风云变幻的挑战。文旅年依托中意文化合作机制的平台，注重发掘传统文化的时代价值，在求同存异的同时力促民心相通，各美其美，美美与共，续写了中意两国悠久而辉煌的文化交流史，为世界各国间的跨文化交流与合作树立了榜样。此外，中意文旅年提倡以文明智慧的方式应对当今世界挑战，充分体现了以中国和意大利为代表的东西方文化的共通与包容。
The co-hosting of the China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism is an important consensus reached between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Italian President Mattarella during Xi’s visit to Italy in 2019. Initially opened in January 2020，the event was then postponed for two years by the governments of the two countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It represents the consequent result of the development of the strategic partnership and cultural exchanges between two great countries that can withstand challenges posed by the globally rampant pandemic and the rapid changes going on in the world. Based on the Sino-Italian cultural cooperation mechanism，the Year of Culture and Tourism aims to explore new values of the traditional culture，seek common ground while reserving differences and strengthen people-to-people bond，in this way the two countries can set an example of intercultural communication to people from all over the world. In addition，it is also worth mentioning that the China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism proposes to confront global challenges in a wise and civilized way.
