Her name is Irene Cecchini, she moved to Moscow to study at the State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). Today, in a forum, you asked Vladimir Putin a question about industrial policies and immigration, prompting the Russian president to express himself on Italy in nostalgic tones: “Italy has always been close to us, I remember how they welcomed me, I felt at home there“.
Irene Cecchini is a student who moved to the Russian capital after high school in Piacenza. In June 2023, during the third academic year, she presented herself with an interview on the website of the institute she attends in Moscow.
“MGIMO is one of Russia's leading universities in international relations and has a long history of prestigious alumni. Its faculty are renowned experts in their fields. And I have seen this firsthand. First of all, MGIMO places great importance on experience practices and offers a wide range of internships, exchanges and study abroad programs,” it said. “Furthermore, its commitment to academic excellence and research has resulted in numerous publications of academic articles, research papers and books. Then, the MGIMO offers extensive extracurricular activities, such as conferences with high-level professionals in different fields, with ministries and international organizations. All these possibilities help students to deepen their interest and passion in different fields”, said the girl, busy studying Russian which, judging by the conversation she had with Putin, gave excellent results.
“The experience of learning Russian can be truly inspiring as it opens the door to understanding a rich and diverse culture different from your own,” she said. “Russian may initially seem challenging, especially due to its alphabet, case system and different pronunciation rules. However, the level of language education at MGIMO provided me with excellent conditions to learn Russian Russian. Specifically, it provided me with both a solid grammatical foundation and an excellent hands-on opportunity through class discussions. Starting from scratch, I am now able to speak this language fluently and even grasp every nuance of meaning in every word, as Russian is a very diverse language,” he added.
“As I am an Italian student with a diploma in Latin and Ancient Greek, learning Russian can truly be a unique and fascinating experience. Although the linguistic structures and grammar of Russian are significantly different, there may still be some commonalities” , he continued.
The choice of MGIMO in Moscow is linked to the “passion I have always had for international relations and diplomacy since high school. While I was looking for different universities around the world that offer programs focused on these sectors, I discovered MGIMO and was immediately struck by the its prestigious reputation”, he further explained
“At the beginning, my expectations about Russia were mainly based on the information I received through the media and the opinions of people from my country. However, it was precisely this one-sided view of Russia that pushed me to explore and understand this country better. Now, with personal experience living in Russia, my perspective has changed. I have found that Russians are friendly, welcoming and eager to share their culture and traditions with foreigners. Furthermore, I have personally experienced many positive aspects of Russian culture, such as the strong sense of community and the importance of helping and supporting each other.” Furthermore, “I discovered the incredible artistic heritage that this country has to offer: I am from Italy and I was able to compare classical art with Russian art, finding many similarities and differences. Now I can see how strong and rich the historical heritage is and Russian art”.
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