Fifty-one years since it first opened in Thessaloniki, the Italian Cultural Institute has been forced to shut down on the orders of the government in Rome.
The most recent representative in the tradition of Italian schools that started operating in the northern port city in the late 19th century, and one which helped bridge cultures between Greece and Italy, the institute has been sacrificed on the altar of the financial crisis dogging the neighbouring country.
Reacting to the news, Thessaloniki Mayor Yiannis Boutaris described the closure as a “major loss”. “Ties between Thessaloniki and Italy are old as well as strong. The presence of the institution carried something from the city’s multicultural spirit during the interwar period as well as before that. Its closure takes something away from [the city’s] multicultural profile.
“Thessaloniki’s cultural scene has become poorer and the Aristotle University has lost a significant partner,” said Yiannis Mylopoulos, the university’s chancellor.
Established in 1963, the institute was like a second home for the members of the Italian community in Thessaloniki. For the thousands of Greek youths in the city and the broader Macedonia region, it offered a passport, as it were, to those wishing to study in Italy.
It is worth noting that before the Second World War, six Italian schools operated in Thessaloniki and were attended by students of different nationalities. Famed architects such as Vitaliano Poselli, Pierro Arrigoni and Eli Modiano left behind great works, including the Villa Alatini, the building that todays hosts the Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace, and the Yeni Mosque.
Source: ekathimerini
