The Italian Cultural Institute of Marseilles is the sole official body for Italian language and culture in Marseilles since 1951. Its main mission is to improve awareness of the Italian language and culture in France, more precisely in the regions Provence-Alpes- -Côte d’Azur, Corsica, Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénée and Aquitaine, through the organization of cultural events and language courses to promote the circulation of ideas, arts and sciences.
The Italian Cultural Institute of Marseilles offers the following services to the public:
- courses in Italian language and culture taught by qualified native Italian teachers.
- Two exam sessions per year for those wishing to obtain a certificate of Italian as a foreign language (CILS of Siena) and CELI of Perugia).
- A multimedia library open to the Institute members, which offers the consultation and loan of Italian books, CDs, DVDs, magazines, journals and newspapers.
- Information and documentation on Italian culture and on possible Study Grants.
Collaborations:
For concerts, exhibitions and major events, the Institute works in collaboration with with: art institutions and museums, such as the Vieille Charité or the Maison des Arts et de l’Artisanat; libraries and literary and publishing professionals, such as the BVR Alcazar, the Association des Libraires, les Editions Jeanne Lafitte or the Librairie Pharos; theatres such as the Théâtre de la Criée, La Friche la Belle de Mai or the Théâtre des Bernardines; places of creation and dissemination of music such as the Dock des Suds and le Cri du Port; cinemas such as the Cinémathèque de Toulouse; and, more generally, with a range of institutions dependent on the Ministry of Culture, the Regional Authority, the Département Authority and the Municipal Authority of Marseille.
The IIC also works in collaboration with with associations such as Arcobaleno di Nȋmes, the Rivista Radici of Toulouse and the Dante Alighieri associations found in the area.
The main festivals in which the Institute regularly takes part include: the Fiesta des Suds, the Babel Med Music Festival, the Dansem Festival, the Mars en Baroque Festival, the Komm’N’Act Festival, the Festival du Cinéma Italien in Bastia, the Festival Rencontres du Cinéma Italien in Toulouse, the Festival du Film Italien de Villerupt, the “Festivale” in Bordeaux, the literary meetings Racines de Ciel in Ajaccio, the International Film Festival in Aubagne.
The Institute also participates every year in the Marseilles International Fair.
