Abu Dhabi has announced plans to build the Palazzo Italia cultural centre and an Italian language school on its new cultural and residential island development, Saadiyat Island.
While just three years ago the gentle waves on Saadiyat were heard only by gazelles and turtles, the area is poised to experience a massive spike in residents and visitors with the opening of luxury residences and centres of high culture like a Louvre Museum--the only other besides the flagship in Paris--a Guggenheim Museum, and now the Palazzo Italia.
Palazzo Italia will host fashion, contemporary art, and archeology exhibits, in addition to its permanent art collection, which will allow the Italian government an exhibition space for pieces it doesn't have the space to show in Italy. Its opening date is still unannounced.
The language school, inspired during a visit by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed to Italy in January, is expected to open during Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti's visit to Abu Dhabi in November. Teachers provided by the Italian government will guide students to the the language proficiency needed to study at Italian universities. The school will award language certifications corresponding to EU standards.
These new linguistic and cultural collaborations between the UAE and Italy reflect an existing and growing bond between the two countries. According to Giorgio Starace, Italy's ambassador to the UAE, 150,000 Italians visited the UAE for business and pleasure last year, while 30,000 UAE residents obtained visas to travel to Italy. More than 4,000 Italians live in the UAE permanently.
