On Thursday 28 and Friday 29 July the Conference of the Directors of the Italian Cultural Institutes will be taking place at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. The Conference provides an opportunity for dialogue on the promotion of Italian culture throughout the world, with debates, seminars and working groups. The event has a special significance this year, as it celebrates the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the network of Italian Cultural Institutes, the first of which was set up in Prague in 1922. Speakers at the Conference include the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, the Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, Benedetto Della Vedova, guests with a high public and institutional profile, and around 100 Cultural Promotion officials working at the Farnesina. The choice of a venue outside the Farnesina is the first step in a new direction the Ministry is taking. It aims to foster the international promotion of the most vibrant aspects of Italy’s different regions, including in the creative and cultural fields, and to strengthen their interaction with the Farnesina and with its network of Cultural Institutes.
“Today, in the face of complex global challenges and conflicts involving even the heart of Europe, culture is a valuable instrument to foster reciprocal understanding and a constructive and respectful dialogue between peoples. An understanding and dialogue that can smooth divergences that would otherwise be difficult to resolve”, underscored Minister Di Maio. “The North Star for Italy’s foreign policy is international stability. In that light, Italy must draw fully on its credibility as a cultural point of reference to strengthen its capacity to play its part in guiding the actions of the international community in the face of current and future challenges”.
The role of the Conference has become even more significant since the creation on 1 January 2022 of the new Directorate General for Public and Cultural Diplomacy headed by Ambassador Pasquale Quito Terracciano. “With the creation of the new Directorate, the Farnesina has chosen cultural diplomacy as a strategic instrument in the service of the national interest. This Conference is an opportunity to consider together the prospects for Italian cultural promotion. In addition, its aim is to recognise and honour the work of the men and women who lead the Italian Cultural Institutes and reaffirm their central role within our foreign policy framework”, explained the Ambassador.
The proceedings of the first day will begin on the morning of 28 July with addresses by the Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, Benedetto Della Vedova, and Director General Terracciano.
Speakers at the closing session will be Minister Luigi Di Maio; the Minister for Culture, Dario Franceschini; Marta Ragozzino, Director of Campania’s Regional Directorate General for Museums; Vincenzo De Luca, President of Campania Region; Rosa Alba Impronta, President of the “Made in Cloister” Foundation; and Gaetano Manfredi, Mayor of Naples.
