The Week of the Italian Language in the World returns to Kosovo, bringing its annual celebration of Italian as a language that has shaped classical culture and continues to inspire contemporary creativity. The initiative is organised by Italy’s diplomatic and cultural network under the High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic.
Now in its 26th edition, the event will take place from 26 to 30 October, under the theme “A Brilliant Language: Thinking, Designing and Creating in Italian.” This year’s theme highlights the versatility of Italian, not only as the heir to a rich cultural tradition but also as a driving force behind Italian creativity, innovation and know-how around the world. Italian is a language that brings Italy’s many strengths to life, highlighting the close connection between culture and economic growth across a wide range of fields, from technology and engineering to design, literature and gastronomy.
To mark the occasion, the Embassy of Italy in Pristina has prepared a full programme of events, with a particular focus on reaching younger generations, starting with children. The programme celebrates Italian as a language through which creativity can be expressed across many different fields.
With this in mind, the Embassy has chosen to dedicate the opening event of SLIM 2026 to Leonardo da Vinci, one of history’s greatest examples of creativity and ingenuity.
On 26 October at 17:15, at the National Library of Kosovo “Pjetër Bogdani,” Ambassador Maurizio Antonini will inaugurate a dedicated section featuring Italian books donated by the Civic Libraries of Turin, represented by Dr Rosanna Nocco. The donation was made possible thanks to the generous assistance of Di Fiore, Commander of the Carabinieri base serving with the KFOR mission, who facilitated the transport of the books. This will be followed by a presentation by Professor Lorenzo Coveri, former Professor of Italian Linguistics at the University of Genoa and Corresponding Member of the Accademia della Crusca, Italy’s leading language academy. He will introduce the academy’s publication Lingua gentile, lingua geniale: ideare, progettare, creare con l’italiano (A Kind Language, a Brilliant Language: Thinking, Designing and Creating in Italian), with a particular focus on Leonardo da Vinci’s linguistic genius. The event will also feature the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci, created by Ambassador Stefano Baldi and translated into Albanian to make it accessible to as many students and visitors as possible. Designed as a travelling exhibition, it will subsequently be displayed in schools and universities across Kosovo.
Activities for younger generations
The other events in the programme will focus on children and their first encounters with the Italian language and culture.
On Friday, 23 October, the Embassy will host an educational activity to mark Italian Pasta Day in the World. The event will combine Italian language learning with a celebration of pasta as an expression of Italian identity, creativity and craftsmanship. A group of young Italian-language learners from Princeton School of Prishtina will make fresh pasta with the help of Chef Burim Gashi from Spagu restaurant. With guidance from Professor Raffaella Ritucci, Italian language lecturer in Pristina, the children will also learn the related Italian vocabulary through activities inspired by Pane, Pasta, Pizza, a book by Franca Bosc and Lucia Cucciarelli, published by Loescher.
The programme will continue on Tuesday, 27 October, at Biblioteka e Fëmijëve në Prishtinë, a new children’s library in Pristina, with the inauguration of a new corner dedicated to Italian-language books. The Embassy will organise an Italian-style snack at the library, followed by a reading of Pinocchio for children from Avni Rrustemi School in the village of Mramor. The children will also be invited to decorate white T-shirts with messages of peace as part of the “Sail of Peace” project. One of the T-shirts will be sent to Italy, where it will be joined with others through the work of seamstresses from the Scampia neighbourhood of Naples. The completed work will then be exhibited in Naples as part of the activities connected with the America’s Cup.
The Week will conclude on Friday, 30 October, at 18:30 at the Sekhmet Institute in Pristina, with a screening of ** Bread and Tulips (Pane e tulipani), directed by Silvio Soldini**, organised in collaboration with the Embassy of Switzerland in Pristina. Starring Licia Maglietta and Bruno Ganz, this Italian-Swiss comedy tells the story of Rosalba, a housewife from Pescara who is accidentally left behind by her family during a holiday trip. Finding herself in Venice, she seizes the opportunity to change her life, rediscovering herself and her freedom. The film won nine David di Donatello awards in 2000 and will be screened in Italian with English subtitles.
The Week of the Italian Language in the World is the leading international initiative dedicated to promoting the Italian language. It is organised every year by Italy’s diplomatic and consular network and Italian Cultural Institutes, in cooperation with Italy’s traditional partners in language promotion. These include the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education and Merit, the Ministry of University and Research, the Centre for Books and Reading (Cepell), the Government of the Swiss Confederation, the Accademia della Crusca, the General Council of Italians Abroad (CGIE), the Italian-language Broadcasting Community, the Treccani Italian Encyclopaedia Institute, RAI Italia and the Società Dante Alighieri.
