Italy is on show at the Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro with two important exhibitions and exclusive coverage of the games by state broadcaster RAI. [...]  "We are faced with the double challenge transmitting the importance of representing ourselves to our country and communicating the culture of the Country system. It is essential that the public service broadcaster speaks to those who are interested in Italy," 

Moscow’s V-A-C Foundation—owned by Leonid Mikhelson, recently named Russia’s wealthiest man—will open a four-story exhibition space and artist residency at the Palazzo delle Zattere in Dorsoduro during the Venice Biennale vernissage. This will not, however, be an outpost devoted to the display of Russian art. [...] the V-A-C space will be defined by the opportunities it offers for collaborative production of new exhibitions and new work—by artists, curators, and visitors from across the geopolitical divides of the world.

Elia Alberti beams at these words from his host “father,” Berkeley Police Chief Mike Meehan, who is sitting at his family’s dining room table. It has been nearly nine months since a then-16-year-old Alberti stepped off the plane from Milan, frantically plugging “the airline lost my luggage” into Google Translate. Misplaced bags and a tenuous grasp of the English language were only the first adventures that Alberti and his host family would tackle during the year to follow.

Working in conjunction with the Charlottesville Sister Cities Commission, Tavola has hosted chef Roberta Vivetta Cintelli as part of a cultural exchange program between the sister cities, Tavola and Cintelli’s Ristorante il Falcone. [...] After a week of sightseeing, eating at local restaurants and working (and teaching) at Tavola, Saturday’s event featured a collaboration of dishes created by the two chefs.

The 22nd Seoul International Book Fair, which will take place under the theme of "Communicate with Books, Design the Future," will be attended by 346 publishers from 20 countries. "Digital Book Fair Korea" will also be held alongside the main event. [...] This year, French and Italian books will be under the spotlight as the countries have been designated the "Culture Focus" and "Spotlight Country," respectively.

This June 2, 2016, Italy will celebrate its Republic Day, also known as Festa della Reppublica (Festival of the Republic) in Italian. It was on this day when the Italians voted to abolish the monarchy in 1946 so their country could become a republic. In the Philippines, Italian Ambassador Massimo Roscigno will lead the celebration. [...] This year’s celebration marks a milestone for Roscigno who implemented programs to boost the strength of the diplomatic and bilateral relations of Italy and the Philippines.

Valentina Simeone hails from the city of Cagliari on the Italian island of Sardinia, but has spent the past six months a world away — in Iran. The 21-year-old became the first ever European Union exchange student to the Middle Eastern country, studying Farsi at Tehran University under the Erasmus Program, a EU student exchange program established in 1987.