Istituto di Cultura di Chicago:"THE ITALIAN PIAZZA THEN AND NOW"

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Monday, October 20th marks the opening day of the 8th annual Italian Language Week. “L’italiano e la piazza” is the theme for this year’s Italian Language Week, an initiative organized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Accademia della Crusca. On this occasion, the Italian Cultural Institute has organized a selection of events to explore the piazza, a symbol of social encounter and integration and a public space brimming with possibility, from a variety of viewpoints. These events are presented under the auspices of the Consul General of Italy in Chicago Alessandro Motta.

Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Italian Government Cultural Institute, 500 N Michigan Avenue, Suite 1450, Chicago , IL 60611

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 6 PM

Istituto Italiano di Cultura

PASOLINI AND THE PIAZZA

Prof. Armando Maggi of the Department of Romance Languages and Literature at the University of Chicago will analyze the role of the piazza in the films of Pier Paolo Pasolini. He will also be showing lesser-known film entitled “La sequenza del fiore di carta” (“The Paper Flower Sequence”). In Italian with English subtitles.

Wednesday, October 22, 6-7:30 PM

University of Chicago Department of Romance Languages

Harper Room 103

SCREENING OF IL PALIO DI SIENA

Francesca Puggioni, Lecturer of Italian at Department of Romance Languages at University of Chicago, will present the documentary of Director Lorenzo Gigliotti, which explores the rich culture and tradition behind the “Palio di Siena,” one of Italy’s most famous horse races held twice annually at the Piazza del Campo in Siena.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 4:30 - 6 PM

McCormick Tribune Center Forum

1870 Campus Dr., Northwestern University, Evanston Campus, 60208

COMEDY IN THE PIAZZA

As part of the activities devoted to the theme of “L’Italiano e la piazza” for this year’s Settimana della Lingua Italiana nel Mondo, Northwestern University will host an interdisciplinary round-table discussion, with complementary performances, entitled “Comedy in the Piazza,” to explore the millennial history of the piazza as the setting for comic theatre in the Italian peninsula from the Greeks to the 19th Century. For this occasion, Northwestern University professors from the departments of Classics, English, and Italian are preparing a publication of acting-oriented translations into English of great comic plays by Epicharmus, Plautus, Terence, Machiavelli, Ruzante, the Commedia dell’Arte, Carlo Goldoni, and Salvatore Di Giacomo. Prof. Kathryn Bosher, Prof. Daniel Garrison, Prof. Francesca Tataranni, Department of Classics, Prof. William N. West, Department of English, and Prof. Thomas Simpson, Department of Italian, will each briefly discuss his or her research and the challenges of translation, after which under the direction of Italian Artistic Director Paola Coletto, professional actors, Sean Kaplan, David Knezz, Erica Mott, and Anya Calygman will perform script-in-hand performances, bringing the texts to life.

Friday, October 24, 6PM

Europa Bookstore

832 N. State Street, Chicago

RECENT PUBLICATIONS ON DISPLAY

Italbooks, a division of the Italian Trade Commission, celebrates the 8th annual Italian Language Week. Throughout the duration of Italian Language Week, a selection of Italian books dedicated to exploring the Italian piazza from a variety of points of view, along with the most recent publications on teaching Italian as a foreign language, and other books on the Italian language, will be on display at Europa Bookstore.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 3 PM

Gene Siskel Film Center of Chicago

164 North State Street

ORCHESTRA DI PIAZZA VITTORIO

It was in and around a Roman piazza that a very exciting musical project was born in 2001, the Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio. The Orchestra grew out of the popular, ethnic neighborhoods surrounding the piazza and is composed of immigrant musicians from all over the world. It is also the subject of a film directed by Agostino Ferrente, a kind of diary part documentary, part musical that follows the birth and development of the project. The Director, Agostino Ferrente, will be present. The film will also be screened on Sunday, October 26th at Brown Hall , Washington University in Saint Louis at 7 pm .

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 6 PM

Istituto Italiano di Cultura

THE ITALIAN PIAZZA THEN AND NOW

Adriano La Regina, professor in the Department of Archeology at the University of Rome “La Sapienza,” as well as Dr. Aldo Cazzullo, journalist for the Corriere della Sera, will discuss the historical and modern day significance of the piazza. Professor La Regina, who will be speaking at the 2008 Chicago Humanities Festival on ancient Roman aqueducts and the magnificence of Rome , will explore the piazza from an historical point of view, making particular references to its ancient roots in the Roman world. Dr. Aldo Cazzullo, who is in the United States to promote his new book “Outlet Italia,” will move from ancient Rome to the modern day, by describing how Italian public squares today are empty, as people flock instead to outlet stores, in order to purchase more and more material goods. A question and answer session will follow.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 9am – 3 pm

Loyola University , Chicago , Lake Shore Campus

6525 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago , IL 60626

ITALIAN LANGUAGE IMMERSION DAY

A variety of didactic and entertaining activities corresponding to the theme of this year’s Settimana della Lingua, will be presented by the teachers of Loyola University and students of Italian. This event is open to Italian language students from all universities. Students interested in participating should contact Prof.ssa Anna Clara Ionta at aionta@luc.edu or Prof. Wiley Feinstein at wfeinst@luc.edu.

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