Today was the final day of Iran’s celebration of the 21st Week of the Italian Language in the World, dedicated to the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Leonardo Sciascia. Prizes were awarded to a group of young women, students at the universities of Teheran and Azad, winners of the competition entitled “In the Footsteps of Dante”. The celebration continued with the showing of the animated film “From Florence to Paradise”, produced by the students of the “Pietro Della Valle” Italian school in Teheran.
Representatives of the Iranian academic community, as well as Iranian and foreign students of the language of the Great Poet attended the celebratory event, which was held in the splendid Persian garden of the Ambassador’s mansion in Teheran.
During the ceremony, the winners of the award “In the Footsteps of Dante” received their prize from the Italian Ambassador to Teheran, Giuseppe Perrone, who launched this special new competition on the interpretation of Dante’s voyage.
During the event, there was a showing of the animated film “From Florence to Paradise”, produced by the students of the Italian high school in Teheran. Starting from the city of Florence, it explored an ideal itinerary of the most significant locations of the Divine Comedy.
The students of the Italian middle and high school also participated in an online lecture by the scientist and educator Pierluigi Odifreddi on the subject of “Dante and mathematics”. The children attending the primary school were invited to participate in a competition for graphic-pictorial production on the theme of “Dante’s Travels” presided over by the celebrated Iranian artist Khosrow Khorshidi.
Among the events held by the Italian Embassy for the 21st Week of the Italian Language in the World was also a lesson on Sciascia, with the participation of Senator Emma Bonino, and the presentation of movies based on Sciascia’s works: “The Day of the Owl” by Damiano Damiani (1968), and “Cadaveri eccellenti” by Francesco Rosi (1976), based on the novel “Equal Danger”, written by Sciascia in 1971.
