His Holiness to visit North Italy
Geneva, 21 July 2005 (Office of Tibet, Geneva)– His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be visiting northern Italy from 29 July to 1 August at the invitation of the Presidents of South Tyrol, Trento and the Mayor of Rimini.
His four-day visit includes meetings with provincial and regional leaders, parliamentarians and interfaith prayer meetings, along with visiting an exhibition on Tibetan culture and a Conference on Ethics in Business.
This visit forms a part of His Holiness’ continued efforts to strengthen cultural ties between the Tibetan people and the communities in Italy.
His Holiness last visited the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol in 1997. Its President Luis Durnwalder visited Dharamsala, India, in 2001, memories of which he said he cherishes to this day. His Holiness also participated in an interfaith conference in Trento in 2001.
In addition to their interest in the message of His Holiness for the promotion of human values and closer understanding among various faiths, the communities in these regions have been equally supportive in helping to protect the unique and ancient culture of Tibet.
On the morning of 2 August, His Holiness will leave Italy for a twelve-day visit to Switzerland.