On the 27th of April, for our monthly Colazione alla Dante, Professor Bruno Ferraro will talk about Italian writer Italo Calvino, assisted, as usual, by Colazione's host Matteo Telara.

A few words from Professor Ferraro: 

"I have had the honour to meet Italo Calvino in Urbino in 1982, two years before he was due to present the Norton Lectures at Harvard; he discussed them, not long before he left this planet, with Jorge Luis Borges  - who had delivered his lectures a few years earlier; they had met in Rome in 1984 and one can only fathom what the proverbial fly on the wall would have caught of their conversation. Borges from Brasil, Calvino from Cuba – yes, he was born there though San Remo was his Italian home, the pigna (pine cone) - which one meets on the way to the township - symbolizes his attachment to the Ligurian region and to “Villa Meridiana” where his parents, both botanists, taught him to appreciate plant and landscapes which, later, became such an essential part of his writings".

Looking forward to see you on the 27th of April, in Dante's rooms, at 10am.

Dante's Team

Join us for a coffee and a talk with Bruno Ferraro and Matteo Telara:

RENAISSANCE WOMEN POETS

Before Italy was united as the country we know today (1871, with Rome the capital) the cultural and artistic expressions were diverse, following the geographical configuration of the country. As two diametrically opposed representatives of what was known as a “the movement of female poets”; though all influenced by Petrarch’s poetry, both in form and themes, two writers have been selected to highlight variety of themes and conduct of life: Gaspara Stampa and Vittoria Colonna, Michelangelo’s good friend.

POETESSE DEL ‘500

L’Italia, come la conosciamo oggi, nasce solo nel 1871 con Roma la capitale; nelle varie regioni, città e province la cultura – dopo la poesia religiosa del secolo precedente di cui si ricorda Santa Caterina da Siena - conosce un nuovo gruppo di scrittrici di varie origini: cortigiane (cioè legate alle corti), donne di estrazione borghese che ha permesso loro un certo livello di istruzione, religiose. In questa presentazione, oltre ad illustrare le condizioni politico-culturali dell’epoca, si verranno a conoscere due rappresentanti di questo momento felice per la produzione letteraria delle donne; la poesia petrarchesca sottende tutta la produzione letteraria ma due rappresentanti sono diametricalmente opposte sia come formazione sia come vita: Gaspara Stampa e Vittoria Colonna, amica di Michelangelo.

Saturday 26th August 10am-12pm

Dante Rooms

Freemans Bay Community Centre

52 Hepburn St, Freemans Bay

All Welcome! Vi aspettiamo!

Watch Prof. Bruno Ferraro talking about Michelangelo on Seven Sharp  

This coming Saturday, during our “Colazione alla Dante”, professor Bruno Ferraro will join Matteo to talk about the most famous Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, and… The America’s Cup!