Learn Italian: È specialmente oggi che si valuta il progetto. - It is especially today that one evaluates the project.

The adverb is formed from the adjective speciale. Normally, you add -mente to the feminine singular form of an adjective. However, when an adjective ends in -le or -re (like speciale or regolare), you drop the final e before adding -mente. This makes the word flow much better when spoken, so speciale becomes specialmente.

What is the purpose of the È ... che structure in this sentence?

This structure is a cleft sentence, used to create emphasis. By wrapping specialmente oggi in È ... che (It is ... that), the speaker strongly highlights when the evaluation is happening. Without this emphasis, the sentence would just be a standard statement: Si valuta il progetto specialmente oggi.

Why use si valuta instead of just valuta?

This is the passivizing si, which acts like the passive voice or the impersonal "one" in English. It means "the project is evaluated" or "one evaluates the project". Since the noun receiving the action (il progetto) is singular, the verb valuta is conjugated in the third-person singular.