Musk on Tuesday replied "yes" to a post on social media platform X, which he owns, saying he had "reportedly accepted" the invite, and linking to an Italian newspaper article.

The article, from Il Fatto Quotidiano newspaper, said Musk would be a guest at "Atreju," a four-day festival starting on Thursday that is organized by Meloni's Brothers of Italy party.

Atreju's X account confirmed Musk's attendance separately, saying he was the "mysterious" guest mentioned in a previous post, adding that he would come on Saturday.

Musk had previously traveled to Rome in June to meet Meloni.

He told public broadcaster RAI after that meeting that he had discussed with her possible remedies to Italy's demographic crisis and risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI).

At this year's edition, held in the ancient Roman Castel Sant'Angelo fortress near the Vatican, one of the other notable guests will be Spanish far-right opposition leader Santiago Abascal.

The Atreju festival, which has been running since 1998, is named after the central character in the fantasy book and film "The Neverending Story."