Casa D'Italia in Mogadishu, which had been shuttered in the 1990s at the start of the civil war that had decimated the city, reopened. Italy therefore returns to the center of the capital and secures and makes available to the society one of the properties targeted by the civil war and the object of the new rich's cravings. Until 1992, the Casa d'Italia served as the customary cultural and recreational meeting place for Italians in Somalia's capital. Protected by a large escort, Ambassador to Somalia Alberto Vecchi reopened the building that will host Italian language and culture courses for the civilian population of a country with a large number of Italian speakers and historical, cultural, and political ties reestablished by the visit of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in February. Italy has taken a crucial step by leaving the militarized compound around the airport where the embassies are located for the first time, sending a vital signal to civil society that it wants peace and normalcy.