The Italian Cultural Institutes

The Institutes are places where intellectuals and artists can meet and dialogue, for Italians abroad and for anyone who wants to cultivate a relationship with our country.

In addition to the courses of Italian language and culture, the Institutes organize events as instruments of cultural diplomacy, thus facilitating the exchange between cultures based on the principles of democracy.

Founded in 1922, the Italian Cultural Institute in Prague is the oldest of the entire network of Italian Cultural Institutes and is located in a large complex dating back to the late 16th century and formerly belonging to the Italian Congregation.

The building includes a cloister and a Baroque chapel with a frescoed vault, as well as a library and various spaces for exhibitions and events. 

A rich calendar of events with concerts and live performances, photography and folk art exhibitions has been organized for the centenary celebrations in 2022.

The programme of celebrations involved important opera and museum institutions, such as the Teatro San Carlo in Naples and the Ministry of Culture, as well as leading figures from the performing arts such as Toni Servillo.

The Italian Cultural Institute in Stockholm is a small jewel of design and architecture, build on the project by Gio Ponti and Pier Luigi Nervi in the late 1950s.

Gio Ponti has been one of the most important Italian architects and designers of the last century. He also designed the Institute's furniture, from chairs to tables, to the smallest detail.
 

The Italian Cultural Institute in Paris is housed in the prestigious Hôtel de Galliffet, built in the second half of the 18th century.

Its magnificent halls have seen illustrious figures pass through: from Napoleon to Madame de Staël, from Chateaubriand to the poet Arnault.

The Italian Cultural Institute in Tokyo, with its marble edges and red façades, represents one of the most important architectural examples of the IIC network in the world.

Inaugurated in 2005, the Institute was designed by Gae Aulenti, an undisputed protagonist of Italian architecture of the second half of the 20^th century.