At the end of October, people all over the world celebrated the 21^st Settimana della lingua italiana, the Week of Italian Language, so today I want to talk about it, what it is, and how you can enjoy it!

The Week of Italian language is an event that aims at promoting the Italian language in the world and its role in both the classical and contemporary culture scene. This cultural event takes place every year on the third week of October and it is promoted by Farnesina, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy. Italian cultural institutes, Associations and Universities all over the world organize different cultural and linguistic events which include panels, exhibitions, plays, shows, and they invite authors, actors, professors and professionals to talk about Italian, its history and its contemporary use.

The very first edition took place in 2001, which was proclaimed the year of European languages, thanks to the commitment of the Farnesina and Francesco Sabatini, the president of the renowned Accademia della Crusca, the most important research institution of the Italian language. Each yaer, a different theme and focus topic is set and all the events are looking at the chosen theme from different aspects and through different means. We now reached the 21^st edition of the Settimana della lingua italiana and in honor of Dante’s 700^th death anniversary, this year’s theme was dedicated to him and his contribution to Italian.

As I said, Italian cultural institutes, Embassies, Consulates, universities, associations and schools all over the world organized a full week of events. From New York to Edinburgh, Istanbul, Beirut, Tokyo and many other cities and places dedicate this week to promote and celebrate this beautiful language.

For example, among other events, the Italian Cultural Institute in New York opened the celebration with a concert entitled Il suono di Dante, the Sound of Dante, organized panels on Dante today, and created the Stanze italianie, Italian rooms, a virtual “house” where each room explored different topics, deepened your knowledge of Dante and presented new curiosities, and also hosted concerts and other exhibitions. Don’t worry if you missed the live events, you can still visit the Stanze italiane today!

The Italian Cultural Institute in Chicago organized an exhibition entitled “Dante Plus 700” which included the work of 150 graphic and street artists, featuring installations, performances and augmented reality. They also organized webinars and panels on the influence on medieval literature on contemporary writing, on Dante’s musicality and his relation to music, and even some events for kids like the Contafavole, the Taleteller, a puppet show performed by an Italian theater company.

These are just two examples of how the Week of Italian Language is celebrated in the States. And since we are still dealing with the virus and the aftermath, most events were available online and still are, so you can look up some of the main Italian institutes and associations in your city or nearby and probably still enjoy some of them!