Pietro Gallina’s idea of founding a cultural institution in Brazil began to gel in 2001. He had

inherited hundreds of paintings by a minor Italian actor named Ele D’Artagnan, and he decided

to try to show them. Like in a fairy tale, a New York exhibition in 2003 proved to be

extremely successful, with the Museum of Modern Art purchasing four paintings, one of

which is now on permanent display. The D’Artagnan money, together with the life savings

of Pietro and his American musician friend Roy Zimmerman, was sufficient to acquire a

beautiful old building on the seafront of the fisherman’s port of Salvador. The neighborhood

is decrepit but tidy, far from the city center but close to some of the worst favelas. By 2005

the building was completely restored, and in January 2006, the ICBIE, the Leonardo da Vinci

International Library (comprising over 11,000 volumes), and the Art Hostel were formally

inaugurated. In October 2006 a computer lab was opened, and new mini-apartments have

been added to the hostel accommodations, with more planned.

The ICBIE is a non-profit association, dedicated to understanding, friendship, integration,

exchange and social work between two friendly nations, Italy and Brazil, but also between

Europe and the Americas, with a specific focus upon culture, art, education, communication,

languages, new technologies and cooperation, cultivating existing friendships and

fostering new ones, but governed by a reciprocal respect, for an enrichment and an enhancement

of the cultural and artistic lives of different people.

1. As an international school of the arts, formal courses in Italian, English, computer

science, choral singing and hapkido are currently offered to motivated children, adolescents

and young adults, without discrimination regarding race, religion, sex, politics, age,

social class or, most importantly, the ability to pay tuition. In addition, a rich calendar of

cultural events, such as concerts, film forums, seminars, art and photographic exhibitions

and lectures are open to the community. Foreign visitors are assisted with lessons in Portuguese

and are given help in travel planning, with our students acting as tour guides.

2. As a seat for exchange, the ICBIE fosters a permanent dialogue between the art and culture

of Italy and of Brazil, and collaborates with artistic projects, cultural associations and

NGOs. As a logistic base and orientation center, the Institute hosts and supports firstworld

visitors that are interested in socially responsible tourism, volunteer work or a direct

participation in ICBIE programs.

3. By weaving rapports of friendship and nurturing cultural exchanges between visitors and

Brazilian students and artists, the Institute fosters a dialogue of experiences, to build

mutual understanding and to further professional development. Reaching out to the

community, dedicated artists and students can overcome the barriers of ignorance, social

exclusion and violence that block the economic development of the weakest communities.

The ICBIE connects local orphanages, nursery schools, and centers for abandoned or

handicapped children with international organizations, coordinating assistance programs

between the ASCAFISION of the Alagados and the Arps & Co. Gallery in Amsterdam,

between the nursery Semente do Saber of Massaranduba and the Elementary School of

Bassano del Grappa, Italy, and between the Minha Vo Flor orphanage and the American

Overseas School of Rome.

4. As part of the large and growing Italian community in the State of Bahia, the ICBIE offers

its resources as an Italian-speaking center for cultural events, for instruction in Portuguese,

and for the promotion of Italian music, art, poetry, fashion, design, cinema and cuisine.