ROME, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Police officers and dignitaries from China and Italy -- as well as hundreds of photo-snapping passersby -- were in Rome's picturesque Piazza Navona Monday for an ornate ceremony held to symbolically mark the start of the third year of law enforcement cooperation between the two countries.

The ten Chinese police officers on hand in Rome will also travel to Milan, Venice, and Prato, the Tuscan city that has the largest Chinese population in Italy. A similar ceremony will take place in September in Beijing.

Li Ruiyu, Chinese ambassador to Italy, Prefect Nicolo Marcello D'Angelo, and Paolo D'Ambola, director of the service for international police cooperation, were present at the ceremony that featured Italian corps of horseback musicians.

After the ceremony, D'Angelo praised the China-Italy program that was launched in 2016, and said it was important to commemorate international cooperation efforts with ceremonies like the one here today.

"These kinds of cooperation programs are becoming more important and it is a symbolic way to celebrate them by gathering in one of the most beautiful squares under the sun in this city," D'Angelo told Xinhua. "Our two countries will only grow closer over time. We are like a big family."

Some of the Chinese officers on hand for the ceremony prepared for years.

Li Xiang, a 28-year-old officer from Xi'an, studied the Italian language for four years and was on his third trip to Italy. He said he first became interested in Italian culture as a boy because of soccer, and he said he counts himself as a fan of the AC Milan soccer team.

"These cooperative exchanges are important as a way to enforce the law and to learn and build ties with colleagues from other countries," Li said.

Zhang Hailin, another officer from Guangzhou, agreed: "To be selected for this program and to travel here is a great honor," he told Xinhua.

Notwithstanding the musical band on horseback, the singer, the officers in the cooperation program, and the high-level dignitaries at Piazza Navona, the biggest attraction was probably two high-end sports cars used as police vehicles: a Lamborghini and a Lotus Evora.

Dozens of tourists -- including several from China -- waited in line to pose for pictures next to the Lamborghini and the Lotus Evora, as well as the uniformed officers safeguarding them.

Italians at the event said they enjoyed the cultural value of the event.

Annalisa Mancini, a 47-year-old school teacher from Brindisi, southern Italy, was in Rome with a group of students.

"Ceremonies like this are very beautiful," Mancini said in an interview. "When you see two cultures together like this, it's a good reminder that there is more to the world than what we see around us. I told the students this shows we are part of a big and diverse world."