The project focuses on the cultural relationship between Italy and Tunisia, that are particularly developed in the field of the performing arts. Musical and theatrical exchanges between these two shores of the Mediterranean seem relevant, although neglected to musicology, ethnomusicology, and theatre studies. Preliminary research at the Historical Diplomatic Archive of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Paoletti 2022) shed light on the circulation of theatrical companies between Italy and Tunisia in the early Twentieth century, and a glance at the billboards of the most important Festivals in Tunisia (notably the Festival International de Carthage) emphasises the influence of Italian melodrama and belcanto in the production of seasons in this area of Maghreb. An analysis of the curriculum of the Institut Supérieur de Musique de Tunis – project partner with the Université de Tunis and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Tunisi – confirms these trends also in the educational field, opening perspectives that need to be framed critically.