IF The most satisfying thing for anyone on a guided tour is to talk to a passionate and curious listener, and then Diego Saglia feels that he won the grand prize when he meets Queen Camilla in Ravenna.

During her state visit to the country in early April, the Queen, with King Charles in the Italian city in the north, her visit led her to a museum dedicated to the British poet and satirist Byron, so much so that she had her husband wait in the yard. She wandered around Byron's original manuscript, the lock of curly hair, and his love letter to the Countess Teresa Guiccioli.

The king made an impromptu visit to the museum, which opened in November, when he went to collect the Queen after his own trip to the city's St. Vital Cathedral, known for its sixth-century Byzantine mosaics.

The Queen waved to Charles and said, "Dear, come and see these people.

"It was an exciting time," said Saglia, a professor of English literature at the University of Palma de Palma and a member of the Museum's Science Committee. "We opened up quickly and then these exceptional tourists arrived. Camilla was great, and then the king showed up was a surprising surprise. He couldn't stop talking about the beauty of the mosaic, but Camilla kept telling him: 'But, I found something interesting here."

The royal couple's obvious appreciation of Ravenna is an elegant city in Emilia-Romagna, full of art and culture, with the poet Dante Alighieri being buried.

Their short trip not only attracted hundreds of union-waving jacks from outside the city, but has since triggered a significant increase in visitors, especially in the UK.

Saglia said the city is now full of people, especially on weekends.

But with Rome, Florence and Venice fighting openism, the people of Ravenna (so far away, have always welcomed the royal impact on tourism and were proud that the city was the only Italian couple visited in the capital.

"We are delighted because this visit clearly provides an important international display," said Maria Grazia Marini, director of tourism services at Ravenna City Council. "The people of Ravenna are proud of their legacy, so the fact that they come is truly the source of pride. The city dresses up for the gatherings and many people are involved."

Ravenna's tourism commissioner Giacomo Costantini said the number of visitors in April increased by 16% compared to the same month in 2024, with most of them coming from England.

While flights to Federico Fellini Airport in Rimini started this year, Costantini boiled down growth to “the beautiful bond of love between Ravenna and England”.

“We are passionate about poets and writers, both Dante and Shakespeare,” he said. “The opening ceremony of the Byron Museum then crowned this connection.”

All hotels are starting this weekend for the Ravenna Festival, which includes concerts directed by the Italian conductor Riccardo Muti, who lives in the city.

Fabio Ricci, spokesman for the Bryon Museum and the festival, undoubtedly, the royal family will bring Ravenna to the spotlight.

"Ravenna is a combination of extraordinary art, high quality entertainment and beautiful nature within a few kilometers, including pine forests and oceans," he said. "The most important thing is that you have delicious food. What else do you want?"