(ANSA) - TIRANA - The capital of Albania is the first city outside of Italy to host a Dante Centre, an Italian language school and cultural centre sponsored by the Dante Alighieri Society, "to promote Italian language and culture in a new, dynamic, innovative and high-quality way, to bring the citizens of the world closer to Italy".

Italian Ambassador to Albania Alberto Cutillo said the project "fills a void".

ß "Finally we will have a primary school that can accompany students with the teaching of our language right from the beginning of their schooling," Cutillo said.

Cutillo's comments came during the Dante Centre's inauguration ceremony, where several Albanian officials were on hand, including Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj. In Albania, Italian is the second most-studied language after English, chosen by 60% of students, with 27.8% of the population between the ages of 25-64 years speaking the language. Dante Alighieri Society President Andrea Riccardi said the choice of Tirana as the first site for a Dante Centre abroad "is a response to a series of factors".

"First of all, it is the recognition of Albania as an important strategic area for the Dante Alighieri Society, given the close historic and current ties the country has with Italy," Riccardi said.

"At the same time, the initiative aims to respond in a new and efficient way to the demand for Italian teaching that has been seen in recent years," he said.

He said that in addition to the "precise task of monitoring and training teachers", there is also a "new challenge".

"Founding a school that is a point of reference not only for those who study, but also for those who teach our language: a home for the Italian language". (ANSA).