Diplomacy to promote the internationalization of Italy’s university system. The Director General for Economic and Cultural Promotion and Innovation, Enzo De Luca, attends the opening of Italian Language and Culture courses for foreigners at the University of Siena

“For the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation it is fundamental to rely on partners like the University for Foreigners in Siena, whose Italian language and culture courses for foreign students meet the already strong and constantly growing demand around the world,” said the Foreign Ministry’s Director General for Economic and Cultural Promotion and Innovation, Enzo De Luca, at the opening ceremony of Italian language and culture courses for foreigners held today in the Auditorium of the University of Siena.

The Director General outlined the actions carried out by the Foreign Ministry and its diplomatic and consular network in promoting the internationalization of Italy’s university system within the broader framework of the integrated promotion of Brand Italy abroad. In order to enable a growing number of foreigners to learn the Italian language and culture sufficiently well to “fully grasp all the aspects of the <>: not only to appreciate the work of great Italian writers and poets but also to understand Italian art, songs, opera and paintings, and to get acquainted with the world of design, fashion, architecture and with all the Made in Italy production sectors. And also to contribute to building an Italian-speaking and pro-Italy ruling class in all the Countries around the world, whose members can be the first “fully fledged ambassadors of our language and of our lifestyle”.  

Mr De Luca mentioned the several joint projects between the Farnesina and the University of Siena: the “Laureati per Italiano” (“Graduates for Italian”) Project; the Working Group on the Single Language Skill Certification set up in view of the Joint Action for the Italian Language around the world to be held in Florence on 17 October; the new Italian Language in the World portal that will be launched at the Joint Action meeting: “the first tangible coordinated initiative by all the agencies involved in the promotion and teaching of Italian abroad,” said Mr De Luca.

During the ceremony which, in addition to a large number of foreign students, was attended by the Rector, Prof Pietro Cataldi, the Deputy Director of the Department of Didactics and Research, Prof Beatrice Garzelli, and the Director of the CLUSSA Language Centre, Prof Carla Bagna, a prize consisting of a Masterclass in the Italian language was awarded to Uzbek tenor Maharram Huseynov.