The Week of Italian Language in the World: Professor Leonardo Savoia Lectures at the University of Prishtina

Emeritus Professor Leonardo M. Savoia from Italy's Accademia della Crusca delivered a lecture in the Senate Hall of the University of Prishtina (UP) as part of The Week of Italian Language in the World.

The Italian professor, a renowned scholar of Italian dialects, spoke about the history of the language, tracing its evolution from the Latin of the Roman era to the early Middle Ages when the Italian language was formed.

Prof. Savoia described the formation of Italian, as with any other language, as a complex process. He stated that no language is pure, but rather a mixture of words from many languages within the lexicon of each.

He highlighted Dante Alighieri, the Italian writer of global stature, as a major contributor to the creation of standard Italian, while also mentioning the Arbëresh dialect as a dialect of this country.

Professor Savoia's lecture was attended by His Excellency Maurizio Antonini, the Ambassador of Italy to Kosovo; the Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Academic Exchange, Prof. Rozafa Basha; the Director of the Institute of Italian Language and Culture at UP, Prof. Majlinda Bregasi; and students from the Faculty of Philology.

Ambassador Antonini stated that the interest of Kosovar students in studying Italian is increasing year after year, and he also noted that Italian media have begun to promote Kosovo as a tourist destination.

Vice-Rector Rozafa Basha said that Professor Savoia's lecture was more than just an academic event; it was a demonstration of the strong friendship between the University of Prishtina and Italian academic institutions. She emphasized that internationalization is at the heart of the University of Prishtina's mission. In this spirit, the University of Prishtina will continue to be an open home for Italian language and culture.

Professor Majlinda Bregasi also spoke during the event, revealing that over 200 UP students are currently enrolled in the Italian Language course at the Faculty of Philology.

The Week of Italian Language in the World, with the motto "Language Beyond Borders," is being organized for the 25th time this year. The week commenced with the poetic event "Two Voices, One Poetry," during which poets Denata Ndreca from Florence, Italy, and Donika Dabishevci from Prishtina presented their poems in two languages, Albanian and Italian. The activities at the University of Prishtina are being organized by UP's Institute of Italian Language and Culture with the support of the Italian Embassy.