The Queen enjoyed a glass of wine and tried her hand at pasta making as she and the King said “arrivederci” to Italy.
Charles and Camilla were shown cultural and gastronomic delights from the country they have confessed to loving as their state visit came to an end.
Their final hours were spent in the city of Ravenna, famed for its literary associations with Dante and Byron and where the community is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the wider region being liberated during the Second World War.
The couple, who celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary this week while in Italy, were shown round a farmers’ market in the city centre by Italian personality and restaurateur Massimo Bottura.
The star of the Netflix series Chef’s Table introduced Camilla to local pasta makers Mercato Coperto and the royal even tried her hand at rolling the pasta for spinach ravioli.
Grabbing a rolling pin, the Queen said: “I can see you need to be quite strong for this!” as she rolled out golden sheets to be cut into mini squares.
Camilla’s father was a wine merchant and she is known to favour a glass of red, and when offered a tipple from one of the stalls she took a long sip.
Earlier the King joked with a veteran partisan who fought to liberate Italy during the Second World War, asking: “How did you arrive at 103?”
Charles chatted to Stefano Pagani in the town hall of Ravenna, in a region of Italy celebrating being liberated from Nazi fascism by Canadian, British and other Allied forces 80 years ago.
The elderly man stood up from his wheelchair to greet the royal guest, proudly wearing a handkerchief in the Italian national colours round his neck for the reception.
He told the King he would turn 103 this year when asked his age through an interpreter, and after Charles marvelled at his longevity the former Second World War fighter quipped “I’m always hungry”.
The couple made an appearance on the town hall balcony and waved to the crowds who had waited hours to see the royal guests.
During their day in Ravenna Camilla visited a museum dedicated to Lord Byron and said she was “pleased and humbled” to be there.
Romantic poet Lord Byron lived in the city from 1819 to 1821 and the visitor attraction in his former home opened in November 2024.
The King enjoyed a moment of contemplation in the Basilica di San Vitale, describing it as “so moving” as he looked up at its impressive domed ceiling.
The couple jointly visited the tomb of the legendary medieval Italian poet, Dante – the “father of the Italian language” – where they listened to a reading of his most famous work, The Divine Comedy.
Before travelling to Ravenna from Rome, a picture of the couple meeting convalescing Pope Francis was released, showing them greeting the pontiff at the Vatican.
Charles’ last event in the capital was planting a sapling at the UK ambassador’s residence and he joked about living “long enough” to see the tree grow.
The King’s final words in Ravenna were “arrivederci”, as he spoke to the crowds before leaving with his wife.
