"Moravia was not a casual traveler," Clerici said. "He always studied about a place a great deal before traveling to that place. He didn't arrive with pre-conceived notions or a specific agenda. He didn't have political filters. That allowed him to discuss a place in a way that stands up years later."

Clerici said Moravia played a key role in helping form public opinion about China for generations of Italians.

"About a third of his writings touched on China in some way, and he introduced an interest in China to many Italians," Clerici said.

While Moravia has been an important public figure in Italy for generations, his works have become less read with time, according to Lorenzo Pavolini, a writer and a member of the board of directors of the Alberto Moravia Fund.

Xi's remarks, however, helped shed new light on Moravia's long and prolific career, Pavolini said.

"Moravia was one of the most important 20th-century public intellectuals, with a career of a writer and journalist that spanned more than 60 years," Pavolini told Xinhua. "He remains a well-known and well-respected figure."

"He is less read now than he was 20 or 25 years ago," he said. "But I think the fact that the president of China called attention to him might convince some Italians to do the same."

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