It is 1953 in the tight-knit Italian neighborhood in Wilmington, Delaware. In the shadow of St. Anthony's Church, named for the patron saint of lost things, lives the Grasso family. Maddalena and Antonio express the emotions of many new immigrants—longing for home, family and olive groves; dreaming about the seemingly endless opportunity in the land of the American Dream. Castellani’s book continues the discussion begun with Sogni d’Oro oral history project.
Facilitated by professor Susan Williams.
Admission: free
CIC Library
(4th floor)
Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library
Thursday, Oct. 15
5:30 PM
America Dreaming: Joys and Sorrows of Little Italy
Though many common themes run throughout stories of the “immigrant experience,” no single story defines it. Each immigrant, each community, tells his or her own great American tale, informed by tradition and expectation, family and geography, hope and loss. In this presentation, novelist Christopher Castellani will read excerpts from his novel The Saint of Lost Things, set in an Italian-American community in 1953, and discuss its inspirations and backstory. The novel is the second in a trilogy that began with A Kiss From Maddalena, set in Italy during World War II, and will end with a forthcoming novel set in the mid-1990s. Come prepared to share your own stories, and to ask questions about both the novels themselves and the writing process.
Facilitated by Professor Susan Williams.
Potluck dessert reception! Bring a plate to share; sample the array of tempting biscotti, pizzelles, and ricotta treats!
Admission:
Tickets: $10/general public; $7/faculty, staff and seniors; $5/FSC students (at the door)
Free with CenterStage membership card!
ASL interpreters will be provided.
Kent Recital Hall (Conlon Music)
Tues. Nov. 3, 2009
2 PM and 7 PM
Film: The Golden Door (Nuovomondo)
In the early 1900s, a poor Sicilian family leaves Italy in search of a better life in America. Before leaving they meet a mysterious woman named Lucy, a Brit, who wants to marry someone before the ship reaches the opposite shore. The tough—and sometimes cruel practices of Ellis Island—are also explored in this sensitive drama of immigration.
Miramax Films · D: Crialese · PG-13 · 120 min. · 2007 · in Italian and English with English subtitles
Tickets: $7/general public; $5/staff, faculty and seniors; $3/FSC students (at the door)
Ellis White Lecture Hall
(Hammond Campus Center)
Wed. March 24, 2010
3:30 PM
Venice, Verona and Urbino: Visual History through Architecture
Why is the architecture of Venice so fascinating to tourists; and what does it reveal about the time in which it was built? Other Italian towns and cities—like Urbino and Verona—have entirely different architectural forms that reveal different developmental stories: from the perfection of Renaissance form in the hill town of Urbino to the Mannerist forms of Verona. Professor Wadsworth has taught for two summers with the Fitchburg State program in Verona, traveling and shooting architectural images as much as possible. Fascinated by these varying styles, she has been inspired to research this more thoroughly. In 2009, she was the recipient of the Faculty Research and Scholarship Award.
Admission: free
Kent Recital Hall (Conlon Music)
Thurs., April 22, 2010
6:30 PM
Fri., April 23, 2010
6:30 PM
A Taste of Piedmont
Piedmontese cheeses are amazing—an array and variety of textures, milks and styles. Cheese monger Vince Razionale from Formaggio Kitchen can wax poetic about Piedmontese cheeses and the wines from its beautiful grapes for hours… and we have asked him to do so! This year’s Italian tasting pairs wine and cheese and the accompaniments—honey and preserves—with a little sweet ending. Don’t wait. Last year the event sold out early.
Reservations required.
Tickets: $35/wine tasting included
Mr. Razionale’s talk is sponsored by the Sandro and Lillian Clementi Lecture Fund
The Fay Club
Main Street Fitchburg
Wed. May 5, 2010
6:30 PM
Italian Book Club
Va' dove ti porta il cuore (Follow Your Heart) by Susanna Tamaro
One of the best-selling Italian novels of recent years, Va' dove ti porta il cuore is a bittersweet story that takes the form of a letter written by an elderly woman to her granddaughter, from whom she is estranged. As she looks back over her life, the woman explores universal questions about life and death, love, parent-child relationships, and even profound questions of the soul. The book is presented using a newly developed technique—Linguality—each page having its own translated glossary (from Italian to English) while retaining the original writing. Facilitated by Assistant Professor Rala Diakite.
Admission: free
CIC Library
(4th floor)
Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library
Center for Italian Culture: Calendar