The Italian Cultural Institute (IIC) in Madrid is a foreign office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation dedicated to the promotion of Italian culture in Spain.
Located in the very central Calle Mayor – in the splendid Palacio de Abrantes, a few steps from the Almudena Cathedral and the Royal Palace -, the Institute is a reference point in the vast and lively cultural network of the city and its area of responsibility; it is a center for the dissemination and support of contemporary Italian creativity; it is an ideal place for meeting and dialogue between Italy and Spain through the exchange of ideas and the promotion of new artistic-musical and academic collaborations.
Concerts, exhibitions, shows, festivals and film festivals, literary meetings, conferences and workshops are some of the activities organized, also for a very young audience, by the Institute to bring Italian culture closer to and alive in Spain. The events take place at the beautiful halls of Palacio de Abrantes and, in collaboration with the main local institutions, in other venues in the city and its wide area of expertise.
Experiencing Italian culture also means learning Italian. The Institute offers Italian language courses for all levels taught by qualified mother-tongue teachers and is the venue for exams to obtain the Certification of Italian as a Foreign Language, issued by the University for Foreigners of Siena.