The new premises of the Italian Middle School have opened in Istanbul. The school is hosted at the Palazzo dei Dragomanni which, at the initiative of the Italian Embassy and thanks to the funds of the Italian Lyceum in Istanbul, was restored to its ancient splendour after long restoration work. The Palazzo has a high historic value. It was built in the mid-19th century and was left in disuse for centuries because of its deteriorated conditions. Now restored, the Palazzo, together with the Palazzo di Venezia, the Residence of the Italian Ambassador, and the other buildings of the “Italian System” (the Consulate General and the Italian Lyceum), will contribute to enrich our Country’s architectural legacy in the Beyoglu District, the throbbing heart of the European Side of Istanbul.
The premises of the Italian Middle School, which up to now had been hosted at the adjacent Italian Consulate General, will now be expanded and fitted with new large and functional multimedia classrooms to provide students with the possibility to access effective and high-quality learning instruments. At the inauguration ceremony, Italian Ambassador Giorgio Marrapodi, in thanking the Headmaster of the Italian Middle School and Lyceum, Giuseppe Finocchiaro, for his effective coordination of the project, recalled “the great value of the Italian educational system in the world which, as of today, counts on a new seat in Istanbul capable of assuring children, their parents, and the entire school staff, high-quality schooling in a safe, comfortable, adequate and modern facility that gives luster to Italy in the eyes of the many Turkish citizens who have ties with our culture and our Country.”
