A number of 1,800 book titles in the Italian language were donated to the National Library in a festive ceremony on May 25. The donation was made by the ex-director of the Italian Cultural Institute Roberta Alberotanta with posthumous dedication to her fiend, journalist Elena Doni. The donation was made possible thanks to the support of Italy’s Ambassador to Moldova Valeria Biagiotti, IPN reports.

National Library director general Elena Pintilei said the donation is part of the partnership the institution established with the Embassy of Italy in connection with the European Year of Cultural Heritage. Most of the books are about the culture, history and civilization of Italy, being intended mainly for those who study Italian and the particularities of Italy.

According to Elena Pintilei, the titles will be included in the institution’s electronic catalogue and those who will look for these books will know that they can find them at the National Library. The donated books are designed to promote the Italian language and literature and are like a bridge between the two nations.

Ambassador Valeria Biagiotti said that by this donation the cultural relations between Italy and Moldova are intensified. The culture of a country can be promoted only through the agency of books. The donation is for the benefit of the Italians who live in Moldova, of students of the Moldovan-Italian Lyceum “Dante Alighieri” and foreign languages students.

In the ceremony, students of “Dante Alighieri” Lyceum recited poems and sang songs in Italian, while students of the Academy of Music, Theater and Plastic Arts sang songs from the repertoire of Italian singers.