Cultural Activities

Seminars, Lectures & Book Presentations in Italy

 

(for events pictures visit our Photo Gallery)

 

Year 2007

Lecture: “Migranti: dal cinema muto al neorealismo italiano.” [“Emigrants: from the Mute Cinema to Italian Neorealism.”] (With video screening of excerpt taken from the following movies: Napoli che canta, 1926, directed by Roberto Roberti; Ladri di biciclette, 1848 and Miracolo a Milano, 1950, directed by Vittorio De Sica; Cammino della speranza, 1950, directed by Pietro Germi; Napoletani a Milano, 1953, directed by Edoardo De Filippo). Guest Speaker: Matilde Tortora, Professor of Italian Cinema, University of Calabria.

Lecture: “Franca Rame: Una donna in scena.” [“Franca Rame: A Woman on Stage.”] Guest Speaker: Walter Valeri, Harvard University (but currently teaching at URI and at the Boston Conservatory School).

Seminar: “Platone, i suoi dialoghi e il concetto di agorà.” [“Plato, his Dialogs and the Concept of Agorà.”] (Agorà is the Greek for Square). Guest Speaker: Gianni Mazzei, critic, poet and writer.

Seminar: “Ulisse e la metafora del viaggio.” [“Odysseus and the Metaphor of Traveling.”] Guest Speaker: Gianni Mazzei, critic, poet and writer.

Seminar: “L’arte italiana da Piero della Francesca a Caravaggio.” [“The Italian Art from Piero della Francesca to Caravaggio.”] Guest Speaker: Gianni Mazzei, critic, poet and writer.

 

Year 2006

Lecture: “Il gelato italiano: storia, tradizione, qualità.” [“Italian Ice-Cream: History, Tradition, Quality.”]. Guest Speaker: the Worldwide Recognized Gelato Maker Tommaso Affaldano.

Author Meeting: “Incontro con l’Autore. Franco Esposito, poeta, scrittore, giornalista e direttore della rivista Microprovincia di Stresa.” [“Meeting with the Author. Franco Esposito, Poet, Writer and Director of the Journal Microprovincia in Stresa.”] Guest Speaker: Franco Esposito.

Lecture: “Il sistema giudiziario americano e quello italiano.” [“The Italian and the American Jurisdictional system.”] Guest Speaker: Raffaele Sposato, President Emeritus of the Jurisdictional Disciplinary Court of Pennsylvania.

Author Meeting: “Incontro con l’Autore. I Poeti del Musagete.” [“Meeting with the Author. The Poets of Musagete.”] Guest Speaker: Vincenzo Bonifacio, Alfredo Bruni, Ippolita Preziosa and Gianni Mazzei.

Artist Meeting: “Incontro con l’Artista di fama internazionale Franco Azzinari.” [“Meeting with the International Recognized Artist Franco Azzinari.”] Guest Speaker: Franco Azzinari, International recognized painter. 

Book Presentation: “Presentazione del libro di Carmine Abate, Il mosaico del tempo grande. Milano: Mondadori, 2006.” [“Presentation of the Book of Carmine Abate The Mosaic of the Big Time. Milan:  Mondadori, 2006.”] Guest Speakers: Carmine Abate and the URI students taking the Italian literature courses.

Artist Meeting: “I colori del Mediterraneo: dipingiamo insieme al maestro Diego Bellini.” [“The Mediterranean Colors: Let’s Paint Together with Maestro Diego Bellini.”] Guest Speaker: Diego Bellini, painter and expert of contemporary art.

Lecture: “Il Mediterraneo ponte di cultura tra Oriente e Occidente: il  problema dell’identità.” [“The Mediterranean as a Cultural Bridge between East and West: the Problem of Identity.”] Guest Speaker: Oreste Bellini, Professor of Psychiatry at University Federico II of Naples and President of the Italian Society of Psychotherapy-Psychoanalytic.

 

Year 2005

Lecture: “L’emigrazione nella letteratura e nel cinema.” [“Emigration in Literature and Cinema.”] Guest Speaker: Teresa Fiore, Professor of Italian Language and Literature, University State of California, Long Beach.

Lecture: “Dante e il senso del suo viaggio nell’aldilà.” [“Dante and the Meaning of his Trip in the Other World.”] Guest Speaker: Dante Della Terza, Emeritus Professor of Italian, Harvard University and University Federico II of Naples.

Lecture: “L’identità.” [“Identity.”] Guest Speaker: Doctor Oreste Bellini, Professor of Psychiatry at University Federico II of Naples and President of the Italian Society of Psychotherapy-Psychoanalytic.

Lecture: “Il restauro della Cappella Sistina e l’Arte di Caravaggio.” [“The Restoration of the Sistine Chapel and the Art of Caravaggio.”] Guest Speaker: Doctor Giovanni Morello, Global Coordinator of Exhibitions, Vatican Library and Museums, and President of the Vatican Foundation “Beni e Attività artistiche della Chiesa.”

Lecture: “Astrattismo concettuale.” [“Conceptual Abstractionism.”] Guest Speaker: Diego Bellini, painter and expert of contemporary art.

 

Year 2004 

Lecture: “The Concept of Space in Italo Calvino e in Contemporary Italian Literature.”  Guest Speaker: Arielle Saiber, Professor of Italian, Bowdoin College.

Lecture: “La traduzione in inglese dell’opera di Carmine Abate.” [“The English Translation of the Works of Carmine Abate.”]. Guest Speaker: Elvira Di Fabio, Senior Preceptor in Italian e Director of the Harvard Summer School, Harvard University.

Book presentation: “La festa del ritorno. Mondadori, 2004. Finalista Premio Selezione Campiello.” [“The Feast of Return. Mondadori, 2004. Finalist Prize Campiello Selection.”] Guest Speaker: Carmine Abate, Writer.

Lectures: “Il monaco e le passioni. Aspetti dell’antropologia monastica medievale;” [“The Monk and Passions. Aspects of Medieval Monastic Anthropology.”] “Le radici filosofiche e teologiche dell’Europa medievale.” [“The Philosophical and Theological Roots of Medieval Europe.”]Guest Speaker: Alessandro Ghisalberti, Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy, Catholic University Sacro Cuore, Milan.  

Lecture: “La vita di San Nilo attraverso le immagini del Domenichino.” [“The Life of San Nilo through the Images of Domenichino.”] Guest Spekaer: Giovanni Morello, Global Coordinator of Exhibitions, Vatican Library.

Journal presentation: “Centenario della morte di Girolamo De Rada (1814-1903). Microprovincia. Omaggio a Girolamo De Rada.” [“Centenary of the Death of Girolamo De Rada (1814-1903). Microprovincia. Omage to Girolamo De Rada.”]. Guest Speakers: Italo Costante Fortino, Prof. of Albanian Language and Literature, Istituto Orientale di Napoli; Michelangelo La Luna, Prof. of Italian, University of Rhode Island; Domenico Cassiano, Historian and Writer; Vincenzo Belmonte, Historian and Poet; Franco Esposito, director of Microprovincia.

 

Year 2003

Lecture: “La letteratura dell’emigrazione.” [“Literature of Emigration.”]. Guest Speaker: Elvira Di Fabio, Senior Preceptor in Italian e Director of the Harvard Summer School, Harvard University.

Book presentation: “Tra due mari. Mondadori, 2002.” Guest Speaker: Carmine Abate, Writer.

Seminar: “Il teatro e i viaggiatori in Sicilia. Il teatro di Pirandello e il concetto di regia.” [“Theater and Travelers in Sicily. The Theater of Pirandello and the Concept of Production.”] Guest Speaker: Giuseppe Di Pasquale, director and writer.

Seminar: “Il teatro e i viaggiatori in Sicilia. I viaggiatori stranieri in Sicilia.” [“Theater and Travelers in Sicily. The Foreign Travelers in Sicily.”] Guest Speaker: Arnaldo Lombardi, publisher.

Lecture: “Vittorini e le influenze della letteratura americana su quella italiana: Pavese e Vittorini 1926-1949.” [“Vittorini and the Influence of the American Literature on the Italian one: Pavese and Vittorini 1926-1949.”]. Guest Speaker: Gianpiero Chirico, jounalist and literature critic.

 

Year 2002 

Lectures and book presentation: “Leopardi e noi: riflessioni al seguito del bicentenario della nascita.” [“Leopardi and us: Reflections on the Bicentenary of the Birth.”] Guest Speaker: Dante Della Terza, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University and University Federico II of Naples.

Lecture: “L’arte di Caravaggio.” [“The Art of Caravaggio.”] Guest Spekaer: Giovanni Morello, Global Coordinator of Exhibitions, Vatican Library.

Lecture: “L’incontro delle culture mediterranee (latina, bizantina, islamica ed ebraica) nel Medioevo.” [“The Meeting of the Mediterranean Cultures (Latin, Byzantine, Islamic and Jewish) in the Middle Ages.”]. Guest Speaker: Alessandro Ghisalberti, Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy, Catholic University Sacro Cuore, Milan.

Lectures: “Islamic Culture and Poetry in Sicily;” (held in Sicily) & “Islamic Culture in the South of Italy.” (held in Calabria)  Guest Speaker: William Granara, Professor of the Practice of Arabic, Harvard University.

Lectures: “Sicilian Family Names in America;” (held in Sicily). “Some Recently Translated Italian-American Writers.” (held in Calabria). Guest Speaker: Carol Bonomo Albright, Director of the journal Italian Americana.

Seminar: “Il barocco nella Val di Noto.” [“Baroque Art in Val di Noto.”]. Guest Speaker: Paolo Giansiracusa, Professor of Art History, Istituto Belle Arti di Catania.

Lecture series/studies day: “La festa dei morti: studi demo-antropologici.” [“The Feast of the Dead: Demo-Anthopological Studies.”] Guest Speakers: Mario Bolognari, Professor of Anthropology, University of Messina; Ottavio Cavalcanti and Cesare Pitto, Professors of Anthropology, University of Calabria. (The same cultural activity took place also in the year 2001 and 2000).

 

Year 2001

Lectures: “L’arte di Caravaggio.” [“The Art of Caravaggio.”]  and “Michelangelo e la Capella Sistina.” [“Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel.”]. Guest Spekaer: Giovanni Morello, Global Coordinator of Exhibitions, Vatican Library.  

Lecture: “Dante e la Divina Commedia;” [Dante and the Divine Comedy.”]. Book Presentation: “Presentazione dell’opera Da Vienna a Baltimora.” [“Presentation of the Book From Vienna to Baltimore.”] Guest Speaker: Dante Della Terza, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University and University Federico II of Naples.

Lectures: “San Nilo di Rossano (910-1004) e la fioritura del monachesimo in Calabria;” [“San Nilo of Rossano (910-1004) and the Blooming of the Monachism in Calabria;”] “Sophia: l’intelligenza dell’uomo alla ricerca dell’oro della sapienza.” [“Sophia: the Intelligence of Man’s Search for the Gold of Wisdom.”]. Guest Speaker: Alessandro Ghisalberti, Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy, Catholic University Sacro Cuore, Milan.

Lecture: “Epic Poetry in the Renaissance.” Guest Speaker: Laura Benedetti, Assistant Professor of Italian, Harvard University (currently teaching at Georgetown University, in Washington DC).

 

Year 2000

Book presentation: “La seconda edizione del Ballo tondo. Fazi Editore.” [“The Second Edition of Round Dance. Fazi Publishers.”]. Guest Speaker: Carmine Abate, Writer.

Lecture: “La Letteratura Meridionale nell’Ottocento.” [“Southern Literature in the XIX Century.”] Guest Speaker: Dante Della Terza, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University and University Federico II of Naples.  

Lecture: “Il Pensiero Meridionale nel Settecento e nell’Ottocento.” [“Southern Philosophy in the XVIII and XIX Century.”] Guest Speaker: Franco Crispini, Professor of History of Philosophy and Chair of the Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia, University of Calabria.

Lecture: “Gli Arbëreshë incontrano gli Inuit dell’Artico Canadese.” [“The Italian-Albanian Meet the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic.”] Guest Speakers: Mikela Kilabuk, Inuit representative; Cesare Pitto, Professor of Anthropology, University of Calabria.

TV Broadcast program dedicated to De Rada and the Italian-Albanian culture and traditions. With Osvaldo Bevilacqua, RAI 2 Program Presenter of the cultural show Sereno Variabile.  

A complete schedule of cultural events is available upon request.