MOSCOW, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is to pay a working visit to Italy at the invitation of his Italian counterpart Giorgio Napolitano on Saturday, the Kremlin press service said Wednesday.

    Medvedev will visit the southern Italian city of Bari, where a Russian Orthodox Church is located.

    The St. Nicholas Orthodox church was built in the early 20th century to welcome Russian pilgrims coming to worship St. Nicholas, one of the most revered Orthodox saints. It became the property ofthe city of Bari in 1937.

    The Italian government decided to return the ownership of the Russian Orthodox Church as a friendly gesture when Russia's then president Vladimir Putin visited the country in March 2007. A document was signed in Rome last month to confirm the handover.