The two heads of state began their meeting face to face and were later joined by the delegations.
The discussion focused on topical aspects of Russian-Italian cooperation in a number of areas including trade, investment, the fuel and energy complex, space exploration and culture.
Both sides expressed concern about the situation in the Middle East. Mr Putin and Mr Ciampi underlined the need for increasing, by agreement of all parties, the international supervision of the Middle East peace process. The two sides also stressed the importance of expanding the mediation efforts in the region and reached agreement on coordinating joint efforts in that area in order to revive the peace process.
The Russian and Italian Presidents held a news conference after the talks.