The 19th edition of the Week of the Italian Language in the World was presented today at the headquarters of the Dante Alighieri Society in Rome. This year the event will be dedicated to "the Italian language on stage". From 21 to 27 October, the Embassies, Consulates and Italian Cultural Institutes will promote the study and dissemination of the Italian language throughout the world thanks to some one thousand events dedicated to opera and theater, popular songs and drama, literature and melodrama.

The event, held at Palazzo Firenze, was introduced by the greetings of the President of the Dante Alighieri Society, Andrea Riccardi and the Foreign Ministry's Director General for Cultural and Economic Promotion and Innovation, Vincenzo De Luca. During the event, statistics were presented on the students of Italian in the world - in excess of 2 million in the 2017-2018 academic year - as well as the "Country Plans" to tailor the initiatives promoting the Italian language specifically to local contexts.