First Lady Discovers Italian History

This was during Mrs Biya’s visit to the Italian Presidency “Quirinale Palace” with Laura Mattarella.

Laura Mattarella, daughter of the Italian Head of State, who plays the role of the First Lady of the Republic of Italy, yesterday March 20, 2017, opened the doors of the Quirinale Palace (Italian Presidency) to Cameroon’s First Lady, Mrs Chantal Biya for a tour. The close to one-hour tour of the magnificent Quirinale Palace gave Chantal Biya a glimpse not only into a part of Italian history and culture, but also to better understand the functioning of one of Italy’s most important political institutions.
After an official welcome ceremony of Cameroon’s Presidential Couple at the Quirinale Palace, First Lady, Chantal Biya and her host, Laura Mattarella, spent the first day of the State visit discovering the rich historic and artistic values of the Italian Republic. Subsequent to pleasantries at the entrance of the Palace, both ladies had a closed-door discussion before moving round the Quirinale Palace which is not just the official residence of the Presidents of the Italian Republic since 1947 but also a museum open to the public, housing many works of art, furniture, tapestries, decorations and architecture of great historic and artistic value, spanning a period that goes from the Renaissance through the 20th Century.
Laura Mattarella chose the shorter itinerary for her special guest to visit the Palace. This took close to an hour. During the visit, Mrs Chantal Biya was able to walk along beautiful halls filled with tapestry collections, gigantic chandeliers of Murano glass, frescoes and period clocks. Some of the highlights through her walk included the Paolina Chapel, where chamber music concerts are held; the president's study, the Sala di Druso-first a papal audience room, then former King of Italy Umberto I’s bedroom; the Salottino Napoleonico-Napoleon’s toilette; the Biblioteca del Piffetti which is an 18th Century library; the Passaggetto di Urbano VIII-a corridor decorated with 18th Century frescoes connecting the summer apartment of the Pope with the winter rooms and the circular 16th  century staircase of the Mascherino.
Set on the Q...