The First Day of Italophony at the Italian Permanent Mission to NATO

(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 22 OTT - On October 15, 2026, the first Day of the Italian-Speaking Community at NATO was held in Brussels at Villa Manlio Brosio. The initiative, organized as part of Italian Language Week Around the World, marked the birth of an Italian-speaking community within the North Atlantic Alliance, bringing together those who, regardless of nationality, share a knowledge of and passion for the Italian language and culture. The evening, attended by international officials and fellow Italians serving at NATO, was inspired by the theme chosen for this year’s edition, “A Brilliant Language: Conceiving, Designing, Creating with Italian,” celebrating the Italian language as an expression of creativity and innovation, but above all as a tool for dialogue and cultural exchange. As Ambassador Alessandro Azzoni emphasized, it is precisely in the ability to build relationships that language meets diplomacy. In this spirit, the evening offered a journey through various expressions of Italian culture: an exhibition of historical documents on Italy’s participation in the founding of NATO, made possible thanks to the contribution of the Farnesina Historical Archives; artworks and installations presented in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute in Brussels and the painter Marco Angelini; and a performance by soprano Luna Grafin von Hardenberg, accompanied by Maestro Lionel Barms, featuring works by great Italian composers, including Puccini and Bellini. The first Day of the Italian-Speaking Community at NATO thus marked the beginning of a process aimed at strengthening a community of Italian speakers within the Alliance, promoting the language as a shared heritage and a tool for building relationships in an international and multicultural context.”
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