His own studies were decades ago: law in Saarbrücken. This was followed by a busy professional life as a lawyer and later as a media law expert. In the 1990s, Malzanini moved from Saarland to Brandenburg to set up the office of the “Commission on Concentration in the Media” (KEK) in the state capital, which he headed until 2021. This is an instrument necessary for democracy, intended to ensure the diversity of independent media offerings and to prevent individuals from influencing opinion formation.
Staying mentally fit
“In view of ever-faster changes in a digitized media world, the importance of such a commission continues to grow,” says Malzanini, who is now retired and no longer bears any responsibility for it but has nevertheless not withdrawn. Now, however, after years of duty, he is enjoying the pleasure. He combines his social commitment with fun and intellectual gain. In the German-Italian friendship circle Potsdam-Perugia, he takes care of the town twinning, organizes lectures and guided tours – for example on Italian architecture in Prussia – and organizes educational trips to Umbria and exchanges between schools.
And he finally finds time to intensively learn the language that his ancestors from Brescia did not teach him. He laughs as he recalls how he sat with students in an uncomfortably cold seminar room during the pandemic, wrapped in a coat, hat, and mask, practicing conversation while drinking tea: “It was completely un-Italian, but we learnt a lot, not only vocabulary and grammar, but also about culture and history.”
Malzanini persevered, took a Latin course, and went on an excursion to Naples with his study group. Immersing himself in antiquity and discovering unexpected connections aroused his curiosity. Back in Potsdam, he enrolled in Jewish theology for an introduction to biblical archaeology. “All I needed was the approval of the lecturers,” reports the auditor, who likes to stay in the background during seminars so as not to disturb the other students. “In the Latin course, I was allowed to use the German translation,” the senior citizen admits. For self-study, he swears by the “really good media library” at the Center for Languages and Key Competencies (Zessko), where he often borrows DVDs. “Once you understand something, you always want to understand more.”
Staying mentally fit and being in contact with young people is what he particularly likes about being an auditor, as well as the opportunity to take part in interesting excursions. “I was on the road a lot for work, worked with NGOs, including 'Reporters Without Borders',” says the lawyer, who does not want to miss these international experiences. When he was allowed to travel through Israel with a group of students in 2023 and give a lecture on “Traditions on the Mount of Olives” on site, he considered this one of his most memorable experiences ever.
Of course, he paid for the study trips himself, but the other fees for his auditor status are not high. Malzanini did not find the application complicated, although patience is sometimes needed for approval; this should not deter anyone. “It is definitely worth it. And if you have been used to learning all your professional life, you can’t – and don’t want to – suddenly stop when you are older.”
In love with Potsdam
Malzanini finds the lecturers to be “very open-minded” without exception, and he is also positively received by the students as a guest “fellow student.” “I get to know lots of interesting people. I’ve even managed to win one student and two lecturers for our circle of friends,” the chairman reports. However, when he gives lectures on “Italy in Potsdam,” he realizes that many students are completely unfamiliar with the city “because they always rush to the train station after class to go to Berlin.” He would love to share his enthusiasm for Potsdam with them. “When I first arrived here in the nineties, it was terra incognita for me. I knew nothing about Potsdam. But when I saw the first Italian villas, I fell in love with the city.”
Malzanini has long felt at home in Potsdam and has a strong network, not only thanks to his German-Italian circle of friends. The university is now also a node in this network, and Malzanini enjoys working with the university to organize events. He has already been able to win Romance studies professor Cornelia Klettke for lectures, linguist Dr. Carlo Mathieu for an Italian language course in a school partnership, and Dr. Luisa Pla-Lang from Zessko for taking part in readings in Italian. In November, sociologist Dr. Edith Pichler will be a guest of the circle of friends to talk about labor migration from Italy to Germany.
Friendship Circle Potsdam-Perugia e.V.: https://www.potsdam-perugia.de/
More information on auditors and visiting students: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/studium/what-to-study/gasthoerer-nebenhoerer
This text was published in the university magazine Portal - Zwei 2025 „Demokratie“. (in German)
Here You can find all articles in English at a glance: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/explore-the-up/up-to-date/university-magazine/portal-two-2025-democracy