ROME, December 20. /TASS/. The traditional Feast of St. Nicholas under the Orthodox calendar was celebrated in the Italian city of Bari (Apulia), where relics of St. Nicholas are kept and the Orthodox parish of the Moscow Patriarchate is located.

The central event of the feast was a concert in one of local churches with participation of Russian soprano singer Maria Pakhar and a chorus from Dmitrov, President of the Center for Development of Economic Ties between Italy and Russia Rocky Malatesta told TASS.

"Despite all the crises and the challenging geopolitical situation, we continue working and supporting historical cultural relations between Russia and Apulia," Malatesta said. Bari does not reject the Russian culture festival that became a traditional one.

"The exchange of cultural traditions rooted in the millennium-old history of the two countries, is required to overcome any difficulties and maintain the live dialog," he added.