[2] Italy has maintained active diplomatic channels with Tehran even in periods of heightened tensions between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Despite the severity of international sanctions that substantially reduced prospects of trade with Iran, Italian officials retained communication with Iranian counterparts on soft political issues, albeit just at low-level exchanges during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

After the interim nuclear deal was agreed in 2013, Italy's Emma Bonino became the first European foreign minister to visit Tehran since the tenure of President Mohammad Khatami.

[citation needed] Cities such as Venice and Genoa were major trading powers, and their merchants sought valuable goods from the East, such as silk, spices, precious stones, and carpets.

Persia, strategically located along the Silk Road, became an important destination for Italian merchants, with cities such as Tabriz serving as key trading hubs.

[citation needed] Italian traders established trading posts in Tabriz and other Persian cities, conducting business with local merchants and travelers from across Asia and the Middle East.

In the years of Mahamoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, who belonged to the conservative sphere, diplomatic relations improved because Iran regarded Italy as one of its major western allies.

In 2013 Hassan Rouhani, the seventh President of the Islamic Republic of Iran considered Italy as the door to establish the relations with the rest of the EU.

The following year, after the conclusion of the deal on nuclear energy oil, an Italian delegation guided by Carlo Calenda, consisting in Confindustria's leaders and CEI that represented 180 small-medium companies and 12 banks, arrived in Iran.

[13][14] In response, Iran arrested 29-year-old Italian journalist Cecilia Sala in Tehran on December 19, allegedly for the "violation of the Islamic Republic's laws".

[15] The escalation caused the Italian Foreign Ministry to issue a verbal note to the Iranian government, demanding "total guarantees" regarding the detention conditions of Sala and her immediate release.

Although the economic and commercial relations between the two countries have experienced ups and downs over time, Italy has ranked at the top in Europe in terms of volume of trade with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

With the signing of the Nuclear Agreement[21] and subsequently the exchange of visits by the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the then Prime Minister of Italy to Rome and Tehran respectively, agreements and MoUs[22] for a value of 30 billion euro were signed for economic and commercial collaborations between the two countries, as well as the opening of a credit line (MCA) which had laid the foundations for an important leap forward in bilateral relations.

Economic operators and political parties in both countries, through a precise understanding of mutual national interests, have been able to create the conditions for the development of relations.

Anna Valle played the leading role of the Persian Princess who was forced to divorce from the Shah of Iran after failing to give him an heir to the Sun Throne.

The exhibition tells the 60 years of the Italian archaeological presence in Iran and the bilateral collaboration in the field of preservation and enhancement of the Iranian cultural heritage.

The project involves the promotion and exchange of Italian and Iranian knowledge and skills in the field of management and development of the historical, artistic and cultural heritage.