State visit of the President of the Republic Giuseppe Saragat to Norway Medal
Italy was among the first countries to recognized Norway as an independent state in the autumn of 1905 and the bilateral relations between the two countries are traditionally excellent at all levels.
In the diplomatic relations between two countries a moment of particular importance is the State Visit. The first Norwegian King to undertake a State Visit to Italy after the Second World War was King Olav V in April 1967. The first President of the Italian Republic to visit Norway was Giuseppe Saragat in June 1965.
During the visit, the President visited not only the capital of Norway, Oslo, but also other cities in Norway, including the city of Tromsø.
A commemorative medal was established in Italy to award participants of the State Visit.
Among those who were awarded was a resident of the city of Tromsø Mr. Kaare Johansen, who was awarded on 4th December 1965. A cover letter from the Italian Embassy in Norway says:
"Dear Sir,
On behalf of His Excellency the President of the Italian Republic, I wish herewith to express the most sincere thanks for your having so kindly put your personal car at the disposal of the members of the Presidential suite during the official visit His Excellency made in Tromsø on June 26th 1965.
As a special token of appreciation, I now have the pleasure of forwarding to you the enclosed medal as a souvenir of President Giuseppe Saragat`s sojourn in your beautiful city.
With kindest regards
The Ambassador of Italy
Adalberto Figarolo di Gropello ."
Unfortunately, I could not find any additional information about this medal, so I will be grateful for any help.
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