The Italian delegation tours Huishan Ancient Town. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

A group of 35 individuals from GSD Nuova Tor Tre Teste under Juventus Academy, a renowned youth soccer player training academy in Italy, arrived in Wuxi on March 23, embarking on a two-day cultural and tourism exchange.

They toured gardens, visited ancient towns, savored local cuisine, experienced intangible cultural heritage and participated in a friendly soccer match to warm up for the upcoming 2026 Jiangsu Football City League.

The Italian delegation visits Agibot Experience Center. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

In January this year, Ivan D'Adamo, president of Juventus Academy, visited Wuxi for the first time. He was impressed by the city's streets and its ancient towns while his wife, Livia De Marco, strolled through Huishan Ancient Town, saying that Wuxi is "so beautiful and full of ancient charm", exactly how she imagined China to be.

At the Agibot Experience Center, humanoid robots drummed, danced and practiced tai chi to the rhythm, showcasing the allure of cutting-edge embodied intelligence technology to the Italian guests. The fusion of classical gardens and futuristic technology left a deep impression on them.

The Italian delegation tries to make clay figurines. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

That day, the team also experienced making clay figurines and visited Wuxi Xingfengda Sports Goods, gaining insight into the local soccer enterprise culture. Later, they enjoyed Wuxi cuisine and took a night cruise along the ancient Grand Canal in Wuxi.

Team forward Piras Daniele, visiting Wuxi for the first time, remarked that the city was more beautiful than he had imagined and that the people were very welcoming. He offered his support in Chinese: "Go Wuxi!" Center-back Lorenzo D'Angelo marveled at how different Wuxi's colors were from those of his hometown, Rome, and hoped more Italians would come to experience it.

The GSD Nuova Tor Tre Teste is a top-tier youth training institution certified by Italian Football Federation. Wuxi and the institution plan to establish a long-term exchange mechanism.