The Seat of the  ICBIE EUROPA & of the Leonardo da Vinci Library

The ICBIE EUROPA is a non-profit organization that offers instruction in music, theater, foreign languages (primarily Italian), computer science and hapkido to youths and adults who wish to learn or to deepen their knowledge, but who are unable to pay the tuition fees for Brazilian schools, many of which are private institutions.  At the same time, a minority quota of students who are capable of paying are admitted, partly to avoid creating a ghetto of only poor students, partly to avoid excluding talented students, and, finally, to benefit the school as an auto-sustainable entity.

Besides offering European-style courses in languages, the arts and computer science, the school functions as an operative seat of cultural exchange, communication and dialog between European and Brazilian cultures, offering hospitality and assistance for artistic projects, cultural associations and NGOs, whether Brazilian or foreign.  In this context, a significant part of our courses are dedicated to foreign languages: Italian, English, French and Portuguese (for foreigners).

Within the seat of the institute is the Leonardo da Vinci Library, open to the public, specialized in art, music, literature and tourism (with 12,000 books and periodicals, in six languages).   Conferences, a cineforum, art and photography exhibitions, chamber concerts, poetry readings and lectures are offered to the public, and soon a theater and studios for music recording and video production will be available.  One of the principal activities of the ICBIE is the organization of encounters between the students that attend and the artists and instructors coming from Europe.  The school works to support and deepen the effect of these encounters, becoming a point of aggregation and instruction for talented Brazilian boys and girls, especially those who come from desperate economic backgrounds.

President of the ICBIE Prof.  Pietro Gallina

Most of the teaching staff at the ICBIE works voluntarily, receiving a reimbursement for travel expenses, or in some cases, provisions for room and board or basic expenses.  At this time, the permanent staff consists of five people, three Brazilian teachers and two Italians.  Many others, professional educators, artists and musicians from abroad, have pledged to collaborate with the ICBIE, offering courses and seminars that are free of charge.  Within the school are found a well-equipped computer laboratory with internet connections, a host of instruments (including a grand piano, a Roland electric piano, two keyboards, guitars, flutes and trumpets), a listening center with 3000 CDs, LPs and audio cassettes, and a video installation with DVDs and videos of films and documentaries in various languages.

The ICBIE offers low cost accommodations for Brazilian and foreign students, volunteer workers, associations and individuals, in the spirit of a tourism that is socially responsible.  These guests may use our facilities as a base for their travel in Brazil and South America.

The school was born in 2003 and has been supported by the savings of its founders, Pietro Gallina and Roy Zimmerman, by the sales of paintings by Ele D’Artagnan, by an innovative partnership with the American Overseas School of Rome, and by small private donations.  Applications for governmental and public assistance, foreign and national, are underway.