Founded in 1949, Milano’s Centre Culturel Français makes its home in the celebrated Palazzo delle Stelline, across from the Santa Maria delle Grazie basilica. As a branch of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the center promotes the language and culture of France. Besides its renown for language courses, year after year Centre Culturel Français proposes a hefty program in culture and the arts, with both on-location and hors les murs appointments featuring art, music, theatre, dance and the world of design, plus conferences, debates and presentations. The center works with many of the most important institutions, theaters and festivals in Milano and throughout northern Italy. The center also hosts seasonal schedules of screenings of French films, including premieres and retrospectives, in original language.