Viva Italia: Week celebrates all things Italian
By Arwen Fleming
Italy has been the birthplace and home to great artists, writers
and thinkers, and Italian is the fourth most common language
spoken in Canada.
To celebrate all things Italian, the University
of Calgary’s Department of French, Italian and Spanish presents its annual Settimana Italiana: Week of Italian Language in the World, Oct. 23 to 29.
Festivities will include screenings of Italian language films,
public lectures on Italian language and art history, and a
dance performance by members of Calgary’s Italian community.
“Italian language and culture have made a tremendous impact on
Western culture, whether we realize it or not,” says Dr. Stefano
Giannini, assistant professor of Italian at the U of C.
“We want to increase the visibility of Italian culture and
pay homage to its many contributors. The festival also offers
the chance to get to know and to honour the large Italian-Canadian
community in Calgary," says Giannini. “This is a community
that is very active in promoting the values of friendliness,
respect and tolerance.”
This year’s celebrations are particularly meaningful, as the Department of French, Italian and Spanish celebrates the official launch of its new major in Italian and the establishment of the U of C’s summer study abroad program in Perugia, Italy (July 2007).
Both were made possible with the support of Calgary’s Italian community.
Highlights of the week will include a screening of Caterina
in the Big City on Monday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m.; Roberto Feruglio’s lecture in
Italian on present-day Italian language Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m.; and a screening of Ciao Professore! on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. All three events will take place in CH D420.
Concluding the week will be Dr. David Bershad’s lecture on Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait, Lady with an Ermine. Bershad, a professor of art history at the U of C, will discuss the history and significance of the painting, which is considered by many art historians to be the first portrait of the modern age. His lecture will take place Friday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. in Admin 140, and is followed by a reception at 7 p.m. in the Atrium, which will include a performance by Calgary’s Italian Folk Dancers.
All events are free and open to all.
For more information or a complete schedule of events, please
call 220-5300 or see http://fis.ucalgary.ca/newevents/ITAL_WEEK_2006.pdf
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