Organizers of a Cantonese Opera tour in Italy say the sold-out shows demonstrate how much Italian audiences appreciate the ancient artform.

A group of 20 students and teachers from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) spent six days touring Italy, hosting seminars and performances in high schools, recital halls, and theatres.

The final performance was held at Siena's famous Rozzi Theatre, blending Chinese heritage with Italian history in a colorful display of music, costume, and tradition.

"It's been a packed house. And thus far, the Italian audience loves Cantonese Opera from what I can tell," said Martin Lau, Dean of the School of Chinese Opera at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

For many students, it was their first international experience. 

"I feel very excited to have the chance to perform in front of many Italian people and to bring Cantonese Opera outside Hong Kong," student Carol Cheung told CGTN backstage. 

Virginia Leung, also one of the performers, added, "I feel very happy and excited because this is my first time going outside of Hong Kong to perform in other countries."

Organizer and singer Heidi Li, who grew up with Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong, described the tour as a long-held dream. 

"I only started to sing Western music, jazz music, when I came to Italy 15 years ago," Li said. "It has always been my dream to bring Cantonese Opera to Italy."

Li also plans to take her Italian jazz quartet to Hong Kong. 

"We will go to the HKAPA for a one-week residency, and we will build a concert together that will be a cross between Cantonese Opera and Italian jazz, so it will be a real exchange," she told CGTN excitedly.

The art form itself, recognized by UNESCO in 2006 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, has gained renewed attention in recent years. 

"Since the UNESCO listing, there's more significance and attention paid to the preservation of the art form," Lau explained. "In the past, throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s, it was considered a leisure activity."

International recognition is seen as a key factor in ensuring its preservation. Organizers say plans are already underway for the next cultural experience. 

"Our students have played in China many times, but we are trying to strengthen the relationship with China and its cultural institutions. It is a piece of a bigger puzzle," said Stefano Jacoviello of the Chigiana Music Academy.

All those involved say the tour represents a new frontier of collaboration between the two countries.