A Confucius institute was inaugurated in the Italian port city of Naples Thursday, which is the second of its kind in the nation.

At the inauguration ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Italy Dong Jinyi said the Confucius Institute serves as a bridge to enhance friendship and understanding between the Chinese people and peoples in other countries and is aimed at promoting Chinese language and culture.

The founding of the Confucius Institute helps the world know more about China and makes China integrate deeper with the rest of the world, he added.

The Chinese ambassador said that in the recent years, China and Italy have made fruitful achievements in the field of culture and education. The number of Chinese students studying in Italy has increased to more than 3,000 in two years, while the Italian people also enjoy surging enthusiasm for Chinese language.

Italy's first Confucius institute was established at the University of Rome "La Sapienza" in September 2006.

The Chinese government started to set up non-profit Confucius institutes overseas since 2004. So far, a total of 210 Confucius institutes have been established in 64 countries and regions.