The Italian Culture Organization in Stavanger (IKIS) vision is to be an attractive and engaging meeting place in the Stavanger region for all nationalities to develop friendships, exchange views, and to learn about Italian and Norwegian history, society and culture.
Their story starts in 2006 and the association was formally registered in the 20. April 2007 (Brønnøysund-registeret ).The association’s activity level has increased sharply with regional events, other social activities like hiking, our language exchange, movie nights and the yearly highlight in December, their big family event, the christmas party italian style. In 2023 our memberships increased to 118 from 90 in 2022.
Stavanger received city status in 1125, but the area has been inhabited for many thousands of years. In 2025, the city celebrates its 900th anniversary.
It was here that Harald Hårfagre united Norway into a kingdom during the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872. In Hafrsfjord, you can see the monument of the Swords in rock, which provides our association with another link to Italy—even though the artist was Norwegian. The sculptor, Fritz Røed, grew up in Bryne, near Stavanger, and found his dream home in Liguria, Italy, in the town of Villa Faraldi, where he is also buried. In 2004, the Skulpturparken opened in the center of Bryne, which now houses eleven of Fritz Røed’s sculptures. Last but not least, our association’s logo is also inspired by the Swords in rock.
Stavanger municipality has around 150 000 inhabitants (2024 figures). Over 80 000 people live in the neighboring town of Sandnes. The two towns have grown together and over 240,000 people are living here.
The region is a hotspot for resource-based industries including energy, aquaculture, and agriculture. Coupled with a highly educated workforce, excellent infrastructure, and capabilities within engineering and IT, the region provides an innovative setting for start-ups.