The award was presented to him by the Polish head of state, Andrzej Duda, during a ceremony in Warsaw on Monday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Meanwhile, Mattarella's daughter Laura, who serves as Italy's first lady, was decorated with the Polish Order of Merit 1st Class, the Polish President's Office announced.
At the same ceremony, the Polish president and First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda were each awarded the Italian Order of Merit 1st Class, officials also said.
The ceremony took place as the Polish and Italian presidents were meeting for talks in Warsaw to discuss security and bilateral relations, according to news reports.
Italy's Mattarella, who is on a three-day visit to Poland, is expected to attend Tuesday's March of the Living at the site of the former Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp to pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
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Source: IAR, PAP