Spiropali highlighted the importance of her visit to the Albanian Studies Department at the University of l’Orientale in Naples, established by Jeronim De Rada and known as one of the key places where the political ideas and national consciousness of our Renaissance were forged.

She was received by Rector Roberto Tottoli. She also engaged in an open dialogue with young Italians, second-generation Albanians, and Arbëresh students studying Albanian language and Albanology at this esteemed department.

Throughout the conversation, Spiropali emphasized the support of Albanian institutions in enhancing and expanding academic, scientific, cultural, and social connections between the two nations.

This visit is the first by an Albanian Foreign Minister to this department, which is unique globally as a center for Albanian Language, Literature, and Philology studies, and is also a trailblazer in the field of Albanology.

Jeronim De Rada established it driven by the conviction and political consciousness of the “Renaissance” of his own ethno-linguistic identity as an Arbëresh, within the context of the broader Albanian National Renaissance.

The Naples Chair was the pioneering center that later helped establish and support other departments dedicated to Albanian language teaching and studies across Italy and beyond. It played a crucial role in the academic development of numerous scholars, primarily Arbëresh, who have since taken leadership positions in these departments throughout Italy, ensuring the ongoing continuity of both Albanian language instruction and scientific research in Albanology.
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