ROMA, ITALY (March 12, 2025) – On Monday, March 10, at 11:30, at Palazzo Firenze, headquarters of the Società Dante Alighieri (Piazza di Firenze n. 27 – Rome), the President of the Società Dante Alighieri Andrea Riccardi and the President of the NIAF (National Italian American Foundation) Robert Allegrini signed an agreement between the two institutions for the development of joint actions in favor of the diffusion of the Italian language and culture in the United States.
“We live in a world where it is easy to scream and lie,” said President Andrea Riccardi. “In this context, Italian must continue to be a language that educates: communication, dialogue and reasoning. Today more than ever, knowing how to talk is indispensable. We do not want to impose a way of thinking, but to remember – even through this important agreement with NIAF – that Italian is a language with a universal perspective. For the children of migrants and for ‘Italsympathizers’, Italian is felt as a language of the future. ”
To underline the value of the initiative also intervened President Robert Allegrini: “Italian is a language of culture and there is a great desire, in the Italian-American communities, to rediscover it, although over the years it has partially lost. Thanks to this agreement with the Dante Alighieri Society, Italian Americans and their children will be able to reconnect with their native language. It is a fundamental understanding because it lays the foundations for new opportunities for Italian learning for Italians and for new generations linked to their Italian roots. ”
I dettagli dell’accordo
The agreement provides for the teaching of the Italian language online through the digital platform Dante.global, an innovative tool for phygital courses (physical and digital), which integrates the teaching in the classroom with hybrid lessons, following the method of Dante.global.
These include:
Formazione e aggiornamento professionale per docenti
Assegnazione congiunta di borse di studio
Promozione della cultura italiana attraverso eventi e iniziative, anche a carattere scientifico
The goal is to support Made in Italy and the spread of Italian entrepreneurial culture among the Italian-American communities, founded by immigrants who contributed to the growth of the United States.
During the ceremony, there was also the Consorzio Parmigiano Reggiano, strategic partner of the project, represented by President Nicola Bertinelli.
I numeri dell’insegnamento dell’italiano negli USA
In the United States, the potential reference basin for teaching Italian is 20 million Italian Americans, represented by NIAF.
Since 1975, the year of its foundation, the NIAF has already provided more than $10 million in scholarships, giving annually $1 million for the promotion of Italy and its culture, including the entrepreneurial one.
With the annual project “Regione d’Onore”, the NIAF selects an Italian region of excellence for tourism and economic development. In 2025, Lazio was chosen, also in view of the Jubilee.
The NIAF collaborates with the White House and the United States Congress, and every year it welcomes to its Gala 1,200 illustrious guests, including prominent figures of the political, financial and cultural world both American and Italian.
La Società Dante Alighieri e la promozione della lingua italiana nel mondo
Since 1889, Società Dante Alighieri has been involved in the dissemination of Italian language and culture, as well as in the promotion of the Italian System.
Through its global network, the Company offers:
Corsi di italiano online e in presenza
370 Comitati all’estero
142.000 soci
270 centri PLIDA per la certificazione della competenza linguistica
104 Presìdi Letterari, con biblioteche dedicate alla promozione dell’editoria italiana
40 scuole associate ad ADASIM
Among the collaborations with the business world, the Dante Alighieri Company organized high-profile international events under the High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic, involving institutional partners and companies such as Enel, Eni, Confindustria, SACE, Chiesi Pharmaceuticals, the Adriano Olivetti Foundation, Prada, UBI Banca, and many others.
This agreement with the NIAF represents a further step in enhancing the Italian language in the United States, strengthening the link between the Italian-American communities and their cultural heritage.
L’articolo Italian Language and Culture in the United States: at Palazzo Firenze signed the agreement between the Società Dante Alighieri and the NIAF – National Italian American Foundation proviene da IlNewyorkese.
