Italians have little interest in restoring their monarchy, abolished in the 1940s for its support of Mussolini.
But on Wednesday, hundreds of excited residents took to a square in the northern city of Reggio Emilia to loudly cheer the arrival of Catherine, Princess of Wales, on her first official overseas engagement since her battle with cancer was revealed in 2024.
People waved Italian flags and Union Jacks when Catherine arrived in front of City Hall, where she greeted the mayor along with dozens of fidgety preschoolers who were the reason for her trip to this city. For decades, Reggio Emilia has enjoyed international renown for an educational philosophy that focuses on children’s relationships, their enthusiasm and their play.
Catherine has long made early childhood learning the focus of her philanthropic efforts, founding the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood in 2021. Her trip to Reggio Emilia was billed by Kensington Palace as a chance for the princess to explore innovative international approaches to nurturing young children.
Outside City Hall, Catherine paused to speak to some of the youngsters, high-fived a little boy, posed for selfies, and waved and smiled to the crowd.
For British royal watchers, the visit signals that Catherine, 44, is ready to more fully return to business as usual more than a year after announcing her cancer was in remission. She did public events last year in Britain, presenting awards, attending functions and watching tennis at Wimbledon. But the trip to Reggio Emilia — with visits to two schools as well as the center where the teaching approach was developed — marks a new level of engagement.
“It’s the first time she’s out officially,” said Richard Fitzwilliams, a British royal commentator. “And she’s obviously grown in strength.”
For Reggio Emilia, the visit was a chance to show off its schools, and itself, basking in a limelight usually reserved for the more famous neighboring cities of Parma and Modena. “It’s the younger brother syndrome,” said Domenico Martino, who works at the city’s tourist office.
Although the city’s innovative schools have long been a draw for tens of thousands of educators, city officials say, celebrity visits are rare.
Reggio Emilia’s educational approach took root after World War II, when local women used the proceeds from the sale of a tank, six horses and some trucks to build a preschool. A network of municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools followed, inspired by Loris Malaguzzi, an education expert intent on making them places of experimentation and innovation.
“The best way to understand Reggio Emilia is to go into the schools,” said Federico Ruozzi, who is in charge of the city’s infant-toddler center and preschool system. “Everyone considers it part of the city’s heritage, and so the families, the administrators, and the children who attended school back then defend it,” he said.
A delegation from Catherine’s foundation quietly visited the city about six weeks ago, taking one of the many courses offered each year by Reggio Children, the organization that promotes the educational approach.
For city officials, that meant a crash course in royal etiquette, including addressing Catherine as Your Royal Highness, said Marwa Mahmoud, the city’s councilor for education.
On Wednesday afternoon, Catherine visited the Scuola Comunale d’Infanzia Anna Frank, a municipal preschool for 3- to 6-year-olds, where she observed an “atelier,” a creative moment for self-expression that is central to the approach. In this case, children interpreted the forms that winds take using different materials and colors, and brainstormed words that clouds bring to mind. Catherine added her own: “Dream,” said Annalisa Rabotti, an education expert who works for the city. “She was very curious and interested and empathetic,” she added.
What is the Reggio Emilia approach?
The so-called Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy that believes in the potential of young children, from infants to preschoolers, to be creative, learn and thrive in a nurturing environment that involves their families and communities.
The approach became well-known in educational circles after Newsweek featured one of the city’s schools in a 1991 cover piece about the 10 best schools in the world, according to Ms. Mahmoud.
The city’s commitment to the program — it allocates 13 percent of its budget to preschool services, Ms. Mahmoud said — also contributes to its success.
“We’ve always maintained that education — as well as health and health care — should not be viewed as costs. It is right to evaluate them in terms of efficiency and waste reduction, but they are not costs — they are investments in the present and the future,” said Marco Massari, the mayor of Reggio Emilia.
Each school day begins with what Mr. Malaguzzi called “the children’s parliament,” a moment when children are encouraged to speak and listen, and the day’s activities are decided.
The children work in small groups, learning together, “so there are no me and others, but a continuous interaction between the me and the others to build a we,” said Maddalena Tedeschi, president of Reggio Children. They also cook together in in-house kitchens.
Catherine is expected to remain in the city for another day and is expected to visit another school.
