The Jubilee Eurosla 20 conference was the first one to be held in Italy yet it turned out to have been a very fortunate choice. The city of Reggio Emilia welcomed the conference participants with great hospitality, special ambience and tranquility. We were all impressed by the charming beauty of this place, with its history going back to the Roman period and a plethora of architectural treasures such as the Romanesque Duomo Cathedral, the Baroque Basilica della Ghiara or Renaissances palazzi, to mention just a few. From day one, as we strolled along the streets of the pedestrianized city centre, and observed the locals basking in the sun in cafés, chatting over an espresso and gelati, we started to soak in its special atmosphere radiant with the Italian art of enjoying life – dolce vita.

Eurosla 20 was held at an excellent venue of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, a renovated neoclassical palace, conveniently located close to the city centre; in the neighborhood of Parco del Popolo (whose beautiful greenery attracted many participants to take some rest during the conference breaks) and the Theatre Square with its captivating view of the animated fountain. The conference was preceded by two half-day events: a doctoral workshop which gathered an impressive number of young researchers in the field to present their work, and a Language Learning Roundtable which focused this year on a hotly debated issue of interaction in SLA.

The leitmotif of the conference, i.e. “Constructs in second language acquisition” was reflected in the stimulating plenary lectures presented from fairly interdisciplinary perspectives by Antonella Sorace, John Norris, Charles Alderson (ably replaced in absentia) and Camilla Bettoni. The conference featured 125 oral presentations, 40 posters (in two poster sessions), and 24 presentations in special panels. The high quality of the papers was guaranteed by a strict selection process, with nearly a grand total of 400 abstracts having been submitted for the conference. Of special interest were four thematic colloquia organized on Friday afternoon that focused on social interaction, L2 prosody, vocabulary use and pre-school L2 learning. A very smooth running of the conference was guaranteed by the team of local organizers with Gabrielle Pallotti as the head. The excellent catering service during coffee and lunch breaks was thoroughly enjoyed by all of us.

Reggio Emilia is recognized worldwide for its innovative approach to early childhood education and the so called Reggio Emilia approach was hailed as the best one in the world by Newsweek and consequently adopted in many countries. The Eurosla 20 conference did not fail to include in its programme a special presentation of the pre-school system, thus providing us with an opportunity to get to know the tenets of this educational philosophy based on self-guided exploration and interaction within a supportive and enriching environment. 

The accompanying social events proved also to be very special. The conference welcoming reception started in the historical hall of the Town Council, the very place which saw the creation of the Italian flag - the “Tricolore”. It was a particularly special moment for my Polish colleagues and myself since the same building displayed a plaque informing us that our national anthem was written and performed for the first time in Reggio in the late 18^th c. What a veritable cradle of national symbols this little town appears to be! After the greeting of the representative of the City Council, the actual reception was held at Piazza Prampolini, one of those beautiful historical squares, where we were treated to excellent wines and a selection of Italian pastries, which we enjoyed till dusk. The conference dinner at Don Papi Restaurant was even more enjoyable as they served us primi (pastas of unique kinds and styles) in such abundance that we could hardly take in any secondi, not to mention the most delicious dolci.