6-27 Oct. Rome's Institute of Russian Culture organises the city's first Russian Culture Festival, in collaboration with publishing houses, authors, actors and university professors involved in diffusing Russian culture. The festival programme includes encounters with contemporary Russian authors such as Zachar Prilepin, a theatrical production inspired by Gogol's The Overcoat, a a talk on post-Soviet writers, a presentation on the classic Journey from Petersburg to Moscow by Alexandr Radiščev, a conference on Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn on the centenary of his birth, an Italian-Russian literary translation workshop focusing on prose and poetry, and free introductory lessons in the Russian language. For details see website.