The Italian Cultural Institute of Hamburg, the official body of the Italian State, aims to promote and to improve awareness of the Italian language and culture in Germany through the organization of cultural events to promote the circulation of ideas, arts and sciences .
The Italian Cultural Institute in Hamburg offers the following services to the German public:
- courses on Italian language and culture held by qualified native Italian teachers,
- two annual exam sessions to obtain the Certificate of Italian as a foreign language (e.g. CILS, University for Foreigners of Siena),
- an Italian library open to students and members of the Association “Friends of the Italian Cultural Institute of Hamburg”, to students and all members for consultation and for the loan of books, videotapes, CDs and DVDs.
- information and documentation on Italian culture.
The Italian Cultural Institute of Hamburg is a member of the Union of European Cultural Institutes of Hamburg (EUNIC Hamburg). Other members are
the Instituto Cervantes Hamburg,
and the Institut français Hamburg.
For concert events, for some art exhibitions and for wider-reaching events, the Institute works in collaboration with with:
- local art and museum institutions such as Museum für Völkerkunde (Museum of Peoples’ Cultures), Helms Museum, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (Museum of Arts and Crafts), Rudolf-Steiner-Haus (Rudolf Steiner Institute), Institut für Romanistik der Universität Hamburg (Institute of Roman Studies of the University of Hamburg), Hochschule für Musik und Theater (Higher Institute of Music and Theatre), Katholische Akademie (Catholic Academy), Kulturbehörde der Stadt Hamburg (Department of Culture of the City of Hamburg), Staatliche Musikschule (State School of Music), Dante Alighieri Society of Kiel and Lubeck, Literaturhaus Hamburg (House of Literature, Hamburg), Hoffman und Campe Publishing House, ‘Levantehaus’ Gallery,
- theatres, such as the Schauspielhaus and the Monsun Theatre,
- cultural foundations, such as Stiftung Landdrostei Pinneberg (Landdrostei Pinneberg Foundation)</li> </ul> and in general numerous institutions dependent on the German Ministry of Culture and on the City of Hamburg.
The main festivals in which the Institute usually actively and regularly participates include the Filmfestival Cinema!Italia!, The KurzFilmFest (Short Film Festival), the Filmfest Hamburg (Hamburg Film Festival), and the European Festival of the First Novel (Kiel Literary Festival).
