In the heart of Columbia University, the most famous university campus of the Upper West Side, a six-story gem stands out from the rest of the buildings. It is the headquarters of the Italian Academy, which was founded in 1991, subsequent to a deal made between Columbia University and the Italian Republic and that, before that time, had been the “Casa Italiana”.

The new phase started under the leadership of former President of the Republic Francesco Cossiga who became its honorary president—as has every other incumbent residing in the presidential palace after him. It became a center for advanced studies, not meant for students but for postdoctoral scholars, who spend one or two semesters conducting their research there.