mercoledì 23 novembre 2011

• A CITTA' E' PULECENELLA - Arte cultura e linguaggio gestuale della città partenopea.
• Conferenza di Ornella D'Auria-Foster, in italiano
  
• Ornella D’Auria Foster (lettrice presso l’ ACL Essex) napoletana che vive in Inghilterra da 14 anni, ci ha raccontato della sua città natale. Ci ha portato per i  vicoli di Napoli parlando dell’arte, della cultura e della gente.
  
  Ha arlato di Pulcinella, uno dei simboli di questa città, e della commedia dell’arte dove la gestualità aveva una importanza fondamentale e di come questa sopravvive ancora oggi nel popolo partenopeo (ed italiano). Ha illustrato alcuni di questi gesti che molto spesso parlano da soli.

Wednesday 26th October 2011

• A BRIEF HISTORY OF OPERA - Part 2
• A talk in English by Andrew Rothwell
• The eagerly awaited second part of Andrew's illustrated introduction to the development of opera by Italian speaking and non-Italian speaking composers.

mercoledì 28 settembre 2011

• LA LINGUA ITALIANA 
• Conferenza illustrata di Alex Dunitz, in italiano
• Fatti interessanti e storia della lingua italiana. Abbiamo scoperto le sue origini e distribuzione geografica con una leggera e divertente presentazione, al termine della quale c'era un piccolo quiz, molto divertente. 

Wednesday 22 June 2011

• A BRIEF HISTORY OF OPERA - Andrew Rothwell (in English)
• Andrew Rothwell’s presentation of A Brief History of Opera was a delight.  Andrew encouraged audience participation as, accompanied by excerpts from well-known and less familiar opera music, he spoke about the contributions made by composers such as Handel, Gluck, Mozart and Verdi , and included some fascinating snippets of information and gossip about some very notable composers!  Since even a brief history requires more time than was available, Andrew promised to come back to present  the  second part

Wednesday 25 May 2011

• FROM FRIULI TO CLAPHAM – A CULINARY JOURNEY (in Italian)

• Mariylisa's lovely talk first presented in January was missed by many and was repeated by popular demand. The home made Tiramisu was again very much appreciated! 

Wednesday 23 March 2011 

• THE LAZIO REGION: PLACES TO VISIT AND HIDDEN GEMS - Barbara Corty (in Italian)
• At the March meeting Barbara Corti gave an inspirational illustrated talkin Italian on the Lazio Region of Italy which is subdivided into thefive provinces of Latina, Frosinone, Viterbo, Rieti and Rome. Apart from Rome, the region of Lazio is mainly rural and among thenatural highlights are some hidden gems such as Castel Gandolfo in theAlban Hills, where the summer residence of the Pope is situated,overlooking Lake Albano. The lakes of Lazio boast clear water andbeautiful surrounding countryside, for example Lake Bracciano, afavourite holiday spot for native Italians and the much quieter andmore secluded Lake Martignano, where there is no room for cars andapproach has to be made on foot.

• Wednesday 23 February 2011

• ALEXANDRO MAGNO: MITO, ARTE E LEGENDA - CLAUDIA DANIOTTI (in Italian)
• Creator of one of the largest empires in ancient history and undefeated commander of one of the most ambitious military expeditions ever achieved, the figure of Alexander the Great has fascinated both the East and West for over 2000 years, from the 4th century BC to the present day. Claudia Daniotti lead a journey into European art, from frescoes to tapestries, sculptures and mosaics, illuminated manuscripts and jewellery, following the footsteps of Alexander’s marvellous legends among mermaids and unicorns, monstrous creatures and oracular trees, explorations of the ocean and flights into the sky.

Wednesday 19 January 2011

• DAL FRIULI A CLAPHAM – UN VIAGGIO GASTRONIMICO - MARYLISA BROWN (in Italian)
• Taking her Mother’s life as the basis for her talk, Marylisa Browne gave a fascinating discourse on the experiences of an immigrant to England in the years after Word War II.  Marylisa used video clips of her Mother speaking about her early life in the Friuli region and her experiences as a cook in Switzerland, Venice and then England where shecame for six months to improve her English and which subsequently became her home.  Marylisa took us through the various courses ofan Italian meal, from antipasto to dolce, the ingredients used and cooking methods.  She rounded off her ‘pasto’ with a sample of home-made tiramisu for all present.
  

Wednesday 17 November 2010

• LE DONNE IN ITALIA NELL'OTTOCENTO - KATE MITCHELL (in Italian)
• Kate Mitchell, from Cambridge University Language Centre, gave a most interesting peep into the world of women in 19th Century Italy. She spoke about the legal, cultural and social aspects of their lives.  Less than 20% were literate and married women were expected by the State and the influential Roman Catholic Church to remain in the home as housewives and mothers, a role which was viewed as most important and intrinsic to the moral integrity of the nation. Women rarely married for love but were governed in their choice of husband by their parents; many more women than today remained single. The school syllabus included ‘domestic duties’ and girls left at the age of 12-13 years old, mostly going on to work in textile, cigarette or other factories.  There was much poverty and a high incidence of TB. Several outstanding women, such as Anna Kuliscioff and Anna Maria Mozzoni, devoted themselves to women’s emancipation and by the early years of the 20th Century more than 60% could read and write, although they still could not vote.
  

Wednesday 27 October 2010

• LE VILLE E GIARDINI DI UMBRIA - TINA GERALDI (in Italian)
• Tina Geraldi (a lecturer from the LSE) gave her long awaited illustrated talk in Italian on the Villas and Gardens of Umbria.  Tina explained how, historically, the wealth and influence of the Church and the Aristocracy in the Middle Ages underpinned the development of so many famous Italian villas and gardens. Tina went on to speak about the differences in style between English, French, Japanese and Italian gardens and with beautiful illustrations elaborated on the various features, e.g. niches, mosaics, temples, waterfalls, fountains, geometric planting, hedges and mazes to be found in Italian gardens. Tina gave members a fascinating and comprehensive voyage through the history and style of the Villas and Gardens to be found in Italy and specifically in Umbria. 

Wednesday 23 September 2010

• ITALIAN BAROQUE MUSIC AND COMPOSERS - ALAN BUSH (in English)
• Alan Bush presented a most informative talk on Italian composers of the Baroque period. Alan concentrated on Monteverdi and Vivaldi and accompanied his lecture with some of their celebrated compositions. He completed the evening with an excerpt from Verdi’s La Boheme ‘Che gelida manina’ sung by Luciano Pavarotti, to thedelight of the audience. 

Wednesday 23 June 2010

• LE VILLE DEL VENETO - CLAUDIA DANIOTTI (in Italian)
• The Veneto region has been for centuries the favourite "summer resort" of the Most Serene Republic of Venice. Between the 16th and the 18th century, more than 4,000 villas were built for Venice's patricians, providing them with the perfect setting to ride, hunt, cultivate the lands and relax, far away from the claustrophobic capital. Mirrored in the Brenta Canal, dotting the countryside or overlooking the valleys from the top of the hills, these grand palaces were enhanced by fountains and gardens and decorated with beautiful frescoes. Claudia Daniotti, who was born and grew up in the Veneto, lead us in a perfect journey into these outstanding beauties of her native land. 

Wednesday 19 May 2010

• ITALIAN OPERA HITS - KATY BINGHAM (in English)
• We were treated with a selection of favourite and tune ful operatic arias performed live. These were bepunctuated by nuggets of information to set the scene in the drama and to highlight other intriguing details: which Italian heroine won her suitor by threatening to make a splash, which monarch serenaded his trees, and whose gourmet dish would horrify a healthy eater!

Wednesday 17 April 2010

• THE ITALIANS IN CLERKENWELL - AUBREY KNOWLES (in English)
• Aubrey Knowles of the Anglo-Italian Family History Society illustrating his talk with historical photographs and maps, Aubrey spoke about the immigrant Italian community that settled inClerkenwell, East London, at the turn of the 19th Century. His great grandfather was one of them; he was an engineer and worked for the Daily Telegraph in Fleet Street. The Italians turned their hands to a variety of skilled and unskilled jobs such as ice-cream making, furniture importing and spectacle manufacturing. Alongside respectable businessmen there was a notorious mob of criminals known as the Santorini Gang. The area became known as Little Italy and the Italian community was instrumental in the building of St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church. They maintained their links with home by keeping festivals such as the feast of the Madonna of Carmelo every July and with street processions and 'beating the bounds'. 

Wednesday 17 March 2010

• I MIEI ANNI RACONTANO ROMA DAL1972 AD OGGI - BARBARA CORTI (in Italian)
• In her first ‘discorso’ to the Southend Anglo Italian Circle, BarbaraCorti gave an enchanting account of life in the Eternal City. Barbara was born in Rome and had the unique privilege of being baptized in St Peter’s!  After attending the world famous La Sapienza University, she eventually moved to the UK. but her heart is obviously still in her native city.  Barbara illustrated her talk with photos of her family and the hidden corners of Rome, as well as the famous sites.  She mixed family anecdotes with stories of Romanlife in a fascinating and lively talk. 

Wednesday 17th February 2010

• IL CIELO SOPRA DI NOI:L'ASTROLOGIA E L'ARTE ITALIANA - CLAUDIA DANIOTTI (in Italian)
• Art historian Claudia Daniotti gave a fascinating talk in Italian on the sun, moon, stars, planets and signs of the zodiac as depicted in numerous paintings, sculptures, works of art and buildings such as the Doges Palace in Venice and the Parthenon in Athens. With a wealth of illustrations and drawing on tales from Greek Mythology, the Roman Gods and Christian symbols, Claudia had her audience entranced. 

Wednesday 20th January 2010

• UNA SERATA DI DIVERTIMENTI CON ANNA MARIA EGABRIELLA (in Italian)
• We enjoyed a great start to the new year as AnnamariaBaker & Gabriella McGhee presented a fun evening of'divertimenti',putting members' knowledge of Italian history, geography, language,culture & general knowledge to the test with some light-hearted quizzes and story telling. This was followed by a short AGM when theCommittee Members presented their reports on the past year's activities and were unanimously re-elected. 

Wednesday 18th November 2009

• SERATA A TEMA LIBERO - PIETRO URSO
• ItalianCircle members were delighted to welcome popular local teacher, Pietro Urso, who hosted an evening of questions and discussion onvarious aspects of life in Italy. A wide variety of topics was coveredranging from the place of the bicycle in Italy today (second onlytofootball!) to ’imprecazione’  andof coursethe evergreen subject of the Italian mafia which took in, on theway, tax evasion and the meaning of Bella Figura. Pietro concluded witha stout defence of Italian television. All this drew input from membersleading to somelively discussion.

Wednesday 21st October 2009

• ITALIANS INTHE UNITED KINGDOM - GIOVANNI GRAVINA
• Giovannispoke in Italian about the journey made by Italian émigrés to the UKearly in the 20^thCentury and their initial shock at the grey skies and cold weather thatmet them. Focussing particularly on the Italian community in Ipswich,heillustrated thetype ofwork they undertook – not only selling Italian ice cream, but alsoknifegrinding, fortune telling and walking the streets playing the barrelorgan – with some fascinating photographs. Many of the Italianimmigrants to Ipswich came from the Campania region and were employedinthe Cranes Textiles business. Giovanni went on to discuss how Italiansliving in the UK maintained their own cultural traditions. Today, Italian food iswidely available but a century ago even spaghetti was a rarity! Giovanniconcluded his talk with examples of how Italian culture, fromfootball’sFabio Capelli to films, food, the Estorick Art Gallery andthe specialist Italian Book shop in London, now permeates life in theUK. 

Wednesday 23rd September 2009

• Sadly for thelarge audience, the proposed presentation on the Villas and Gardens ofUmbriahad to be postponed due to last minute technical difficulties. HoweverTina Geraldi and Pietro Urso stepped into the breach leadinga fascinating discussion in Italian prompted by questions from thefloor. Topics ranged from the dialects spoken in the various regions ofItaly, the history of the unification of Italy, its politics andeconomics and the ongoing differences between the peoples of the northand south of the country.

Wednesday 18th June 2009

• AN EVENING OF MUSIC WITH ELIZABETHUPSHER
• Memberswere treated to a delightful summer’s ‘Evening of Music’. Well knownlocal soprano, Elizabeth Upsher, played and sang a variety of popularmusic including arias from Madame Butterfly and La Boheme, evergreenfavourites such as Pie Jesu and Panis Angelicus and several enchantingsongs by Mozart and Handel. The evening was rounded off with the nativeItalians in the audience joining Elizabeth in such well known songs asSanta Lucia and O Sole Mio.

Wednesday 20th May 2009

• THE ESTORICK COLLECTION OF MODERNITALIAN ART IN LONDON - CLAUDIA DANIOTTI
• ClaudiaDaniotti, an Education Assistant at the Estorick Gallery in London,spoke in Italian about the founding of the Gallery by Erick Estorick inthe second half of the 20th Century and then went on to speak aboutsome of the Italian Futuristic works of art displayed in the gallery,illustrated by a slide show.

Wednesday 22nd March 2009

• MY LANDLADY AND HOW TRIESTE BECAMEPART OF UNIFIED ITALY - TREVOR JOSCELYNE
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• TrevorJoscelyne talked in Italian about his days as a young man working forthe British Council in Milan in 1971/72, when he lodged with an elderlywidow born and bred in Trieste. He recounted many interesting tales andanecdotes of the lady’s memories of Trieste before and during World WarI and rounded off his talk with a short presentation of old photographsof the buildings and people of Trieste.

Wednesday 18th March 2009

• UnfortunatelyTina Geraldi was unwell and unable to give her talk on the villas andgardens of Umbria. Pietro Urso stepped in at the 11th hour sparked alively ‘discussione’ on topics ranging from the creeping of Englishwords into the Italian language to the power of the Mafia. A verysuccessful evening!

Wednesday 18th February 2009

• GRANDFATHER’S MEMORIES AS APOLICEMAN IN SICILY IN THE SEVENTIES - JOSIE NICASTRO
• Memberswere enthralled with tales in Italian of law student Josie’s Nonno(Grandfather) who spent fifty years with the Carabinieri working undercover and with the judiciary against the renowned SicilianMafia. Josie illustrated her talk with photos including oneshowing her Grandfather being presented with the Gold Medal forServices to the Italian State.

Wednesday 21st January 2009

• THE NEW FIAT CINQUECENTO - JASONSAUNDERS
• Thenewly designed, ground-breaking Fiat Cinquecento was the subject of amost interesting and informative presentation in English given by JasonSaunders to members of the Southend Anglo-Italian Circle onWednesday 21^st January. Jason gave abrief history ofthe Italian Fiat Motor Company which was founded in 1899 and talkedabout the first Fiat 500 which was produced after the end of the SecondWorld War. He outlined the revolutionary design features of the newFiat Cinquecento which illustrate the unique talent of the Italians forstyle and utility. Several members of the Circle took up Jason’s offerto view and sit in a new Fiat Cinquecento which he had parked outsidethe meeting hall.  The talk was followed by a brief AGM withrefreshments and panettone.

Wednesday 19th November 2008

• BUT WHERE ARE ALL THE TOURISTS? -SHEILA STOKES
• SheilaStokes talked to us in Italian about the countryside and the villagesof Piedmont, a region well known to her but that is little visited byEnglish tourists.

Wednesday 22nd October 2008

• ITALIAN CINEMA - GIOVANNI GRAVINA
• Giovannigave an extremely interesting and well received, illustrated talk inItalian about the rise of the Italian Cinema industry at the time ofWorld War II, its decline during the 1970s and the present dayrenaissance.  Accompanied by illustrations he gave briefbiographies of such famous directors as De Laurentiis, Pier PaoloPasolini, Michelangelo Antonioni, Francesca Archibugi and FedericoFellini and covered a whole spectrum of films from Neorealism (MammaRoma) to Comedy (Divorce Italian Style), Thrillers and of course,Sergio Leone’s famous 'Spaghetti Westerns' (A Fistful of Dollars, For AFew Dollars More, etc.)

Wednesday 24th September 2008

• FUN EVENING
• Anna-MariaBaker and Gabriella McGhee hosted a fun evening encouraging members totalk in Italian with a light-hearted quiz involving history, geography,music and cooking.  The evening started with an invitation tomembers to try out some Italian tongue-twisters and concluded with teaand coffee together with a slice of panettone. A verysuccessfuland entertaining evening!

Wednesday 18th June 2008

• PUCCINI 150 - ANDREW ROTHWELL
• Acelebration of the life and music of Giacomo Puccini in the 150thanniversary year of his birth.

Wednesday 21st May 2008

• THE SECRET ANIMALS OF ROME - TINAGERALDI
• Anunusual, almost secret, tour through a Rome in which everything isthere to be discovered. This city conceals stories great and small inwhich the main characters are animals. We walked through alleys andsquares to discover some of those little animals; some hidden in astone, some in the cornice of an antique building, some in a privatecourtyard. Cats, snakes, tortoises, insects, all with a story to tell,sometimes bizarre, sometimes forgotten, but always worth discovering.

Wednesday 23rd April 2008

• THE MEDICI: BANKERS, POLITICIANS,POPES AND PATRONS - JAMES GILPIN
• Jameslooked at the development of the Medici family during the 15th and 16thcenturies and how they managed to survive two periods in exile fromFlorence and then establish themselves as hereditary rulers for anothertwo hundred years. He explained how they rose to prominence within theCatholic Church and then married into the French royal family,legitimising their authority over Florence and how this was reinforcedthrough artistic patronage.

Wednesday 20th February 2008

• TORINO – Rossella Rigattieri
• Rossellatalked in Italian about Turin and the changes that have taken placeover the centuries to this beautiful, royal city. Turin evolved from acentre of the Roman Empire to the place of residence of kings and thecapital of Italy. In the 1960s it became an industrial centre developedaround FIAT. It is a centre for the production of chocolates and wine.It hosted the Winter Olympics and boasts many museums, known all overItaly. Rossella took us on a journey through history, culture, legend,magic and reality.

Wednesday 24th October 2007

• Dr Paul Roberts – An evening dedicatedto the Italian languages Howmany languages are spoken in Italy? How spoken Latin degenerated to thepoint of becoming a beautiful new language? Why only two per cent ofItalians were speaking Italian at the time of the creation of theItalian state in 1861? Why words do not exist in Italian to describe aseries of common objects? Is the influence of English on the Italianlanguage of today positive or negative? – In Italian.

Wednesday 26th September 2007

• PAVIA - TREVOR JOSCELYNE
• DrTrevor Joscelyne, who worked in Milan for the British Council, talkedto us about how Shakespeare used Italy in his plays. He concentratedparticularly on how Venice and Venetia feature in Shakespeare’swriting. In English.

Wednesday 21st November 2007

• FRANK KEENAN – Changes in livingpatterns in provincial Italy particularly in the Marche, from 1970 to2007 – In Italian

Wednesday 20th June 2007

• SHAKESPEARE AND ITALY: WHAT DIDSHAKESPEARE KNOW ABOUT VENICE AND THE VENETO? - TREVOR JOSCELYNE
• DrTrevor Joscelyne, who worked in Milan for theBritish Council, talked tous about how Shakespeare used Italy in hisplays. He concentratedparticularly on how Venice and Venetia featurein Shakespeare’s writing.In English.

Wednesday 23rd May 2007

• THE SHADOWS OF VENICE - ROSSELLAMERLINO
• RossellaMerlino spoke about the historic monuments and places that make Venicea world famous city. Rossella also introduced another side of Venice:the custom of going out with friends to visit the bars and inns of thecity to drink wine and enjoy small nibbles of salami and fish – allsummed up in the phrase ‘andar per ombre per cicchetti’. Illustrated,in Italian.

Wednesday 25th April 2007

• THE FOUNTAINS OF ROME - JAMESGILPIN
• Illustratedlecture in English by James Gilpin of “White Hat Tours”.

Wednesday 21st March 2007

• LOMBARDY AND LAZIO
• AnnaMaria Baker and Gabriella McGhee talked to us in Italian aboutdifferent aspects of their regions, once in the north and the other inthe centre.

Wednesday 14th February 2007

• PROTECTING THE FUTURE - FRANCO LATORRE
• FrancoLa Torre spoke to us in Italian about green issues that affect Italyand the beautiful planet on which we live.

Wednesday 21st June 2006

• MONTEVERDI – SACRED AND SECULAR -ANDREW ROTHWELL
• AndrewRothwell spoke in English of this influential seventeenth centurycomposer, especially about The Vespers and Orfeo.

Wednesday 24th May 2006

• ITALY IN THE SIXTIES - FRANK KEENAN
• FrankKeenan spoke in Italian about his experiences in Italy in the 1960s.

Wednesday 22nd March 2006

• BUYING A PROPERTY IN ITALY -SHEILA STOKES
• SheilaStokes spoke in Italian and in English of her experience of propertybuying in northern Italy.

Wednesday 25th January 2006

• CINECITTĀ AND THE ITALIAN CINEMA -OLIVER SOROTSKAR
• OliverDorotskar explained in Italian the history of Cinecittà and talkedabout films associated with the famous studios.

Wednesday 25th May 2005

• MATTINATA: A PLEASURE IN EVERYSEASON - FRANCO LA TORRE
• FrancoLa Torre who comes from Puglia, spoke to us in Italian about hisvillage called Mattinata.

Wednesday 23rd February 2005

• GIUSEPPE VERDI – LIFE AND MUSIC -ANDREW ROTHWELL
• AndrewRothwell gave us a lecture in English on Verdi’s life, with musicalexamples.

Wednesday 26th January 2005

• COFFEE CULTURE - GIANNI LAURETTA
• GianniLauretta, an authority on coffee, told us in Italian of the importanceof coffee in today’s society, including Italy. Followed by a degustation!