28 April 2026
Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University
Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University hosted a meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Italian Republic to Ukraine, His Excellency Carlo Formosa. The Ambassador was accompanied by Carlo Colonnella, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Kyiv.
The distinguished guests were welcomed by Oleksandr Turuntsev, Acting Rector; Nataliia Vinnikova, Vice-Rector for Research and International Affairs, Head of the University Academic Council; Valentyna Yakuba, Dean of the Faculty of Romance and Germanic Philology; Anastasiia Kopytina, Head of the Department of Romance Philology. Interpretation was provided by Ildiko Mezi, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Romance Philology.
The visit began at the Viktor Ogneviuk Gallery, where the guests viewed an exhibition of the artistic heritage of graphic artist Vasyl Chebanyk. At the University Library, Mariana Anhelova, Head of the Training and Production Studio for TV Journalism, presented an authorial project about Solomiia Krushelnytska, which symbolically bridges Ukrainian and Italian cultural traditions. The distinguished guests also visited the Memorial Wall dedicated to the Grinchenko community members who fell in the Russian-Ukrainian war, where they honored the memory of the deceased. The introductory tour concluded at the Digital Hub of Innovative Solutions, where Carlo Formosa and Carlo Colonnella observed an Italian language class (taught by Veronika Kondruk), and the Center for Italian Language Studies, presented by Taras Lazer, Associate Professor at the Department of Romance Philology.
The main part of the meeting took place in the Viktor Ogneviuk Academic Council Hall. The Ambassador addressed the students and faculty of the University. The meeting was held in the format of an open dialogue, allowing students to ask questions and discuss current topics in Ukrainian-Italian relations.
The event concluded with artistic performances by students and lecturers of the Faculty of Musical Art and Choreography (led by Dean Hanna Kondratenko). The program featured a medley of Ukrainian folk melodies performed by the folk instrument orchestra (conducted by Andrii Semeliak, Honored Artist of Ukraine, Associate Professor at the Department of Instrumental Performance); the song "O, Sole Mio!" performed by Viktor Teteria, People's Artist of Ukraine, Professor at the Department of Academic and Pop Vocal; and the choreographic composition "Tarantella" performed by the "Lybid" dance ensemble (directed by Vira Syneok, Honored Artist of Ukraine and Head of the Department of Choreography, and Kostiantyn Kaliievskyi, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Choreography).
To commemorate the visit, the Ambassador was presented with a painting titled "Harmony of the Italian Coast," created by students and lecturers of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, led by Dean Ostap Kovalchuk. The painting is an interpretation of an image from an authentic postcard kept in the archives of the University's Borys Grinchenko Museum, which Borys Grinchenko himself sent from Ospedaletti while receiving medical treatment in Italy. Along with the painting, a photocopy of this original postcard was presented to the Ambassador. On the back of the painting, the words of Borys Grinchenko are inscribed: "Harmony of the Italian coast: a magnificent sea, crystal-clear air, and majestic mountains holding a quiet conversation with the clouds" (Ospedaletti, 1910).
Grinchenko University sincerely thanks the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Italian Republic to Ukraine, Carlo Formosa, and the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Kyiv, Carlo Colonnella, for the open dialogue and their support of the University's initiatives regarding international cooperation with Italian higher education institutions.
