Symposium Overview

The First International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in Italy is organized with the kind support of Priorità Cultura.
Italy's vast artistic and cultural heritage has assisted the country to practice Cultural Diplomacy effectively as a foreign policy tool for centuries already. In addition, the great cultural contributions of Italy in the 20th century in the fields of the arts, music, cinema, and cuisine have made Italy a cultural icon for many states worldwide. As one of the founding member states of the European Union, Italy has traditionally served the role of a key mediator in political and economic negotiations regarding EU policies and, in the context of the urgent current crises in the European Union, Italy has been called upon once again to take on this role.

The Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in Italy will present, explore, and analyze Italy's historic and current foreign relations, and will place emphasis on the ways in which the country has directly and indirectly used Cultural Diplomacy as a tool to improve its international standing and its relations with other countries. Examples from the public sector, private sector and civil society will be reviewed, with particular emphasis on the ability of successful Cultural Diplomacy practices to ameliorate relations between Northern and Southern Europe in order to overcome the current crisis and to alleviate the long-standing Italian North-South Divide.

Symposium Locations

Based in Rome, the Conference will be hosted at a number of important political, historic, and cultural locations across the city. Featured locations during the Conference will include:  the Società Dante Alighieri, Senato della Repubblica, the Ara Pacis Museum, and the Mercati di Traiano.

Symposium Participants »

Participation in the Conference is open to governmental & diplomatic officials, academics, artists, journalists, civil society practitioners, private sector representatives, young professionals and students as well as other interested individuals from across the world.

If you would like to reserve a position and participate in the symposia, please click on the "Apply Now" link below and fill out the online application form:

Symposium Speakers »

Speakers during the Conference will include leading dignitaries, heads of state, ministers, politicians, diplomats, academics, authors, human rights activist, journalists, authors, and artists, as well as figures and experts from international politics, economics, the cultural sector, diplomacy, and civil society and private sector representatives from around the world. These speakers will include a large number of individuals from the ICD Advisory Board. To learn more about the ICD Advisory Board, please click here.

Speakers for the Symposium include:

President Francesco Rutelli » President of the ICD; Former Deputy Prime Minister of Italy; Former Mayor of Rome (more)	President Pietro Grasso » President of the Italian Senate (more)
Minister Massimo Bray » Minister of Culture of Italy (more)	Minister Emma Bonino » Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy (more)
Amb. Bruno Bottai » President, Società Dante Alighieri (more)	The Hon. Giovanna Melandri » President of MAXXI Museum; Former Minister of Culture of Italy (more)

Participant Papers »

The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy encourages academic research and analysis of issues related to the goals of the Symposium, and would therefore like to welcome participants to submit a paper they would like to be considered for delivery at the Symposium. Following the Symposium, select papers will be chosen to be included in the proposal document that will be issued and sent to all governments and leaders of the international community following the Symposia.

Certificate of Attendance

All Symposium participants will be awarded an official Certificate of Attendance upon completion of the program, which will provide details of the speakers who took part in the event, and list the topics which were discussed. Each certificate will be signed by members of the ICD Advisory Board.