Chinese President Xi Jinping's historic visit to Italy, the first visit by a Chinese head of state to the European nation in 10 years, won wild praise from Italian people of all walks of life.

On Saturday, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), making Italy the first G7 nation to officially join the BRI.

CEO of Rome airport Ugo de Carolis, who shook hands with President Xi the day when the Chinese president arrived, said the cooperation is a sign for closer ties between the two sides.

Dorina Bianchi, former undersecretary of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Activities and Tourism, echoed, "China and Italy have kept a great relationship. That has been fully shown by the ancient Silk Road established 2,000 years ago. I believe the centuries-old friendship between the two nations can become the driving force for the two to work together again."