Italy’s dance heritage

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Friday, February 7th – We invite you to meet Irma Cardano for the DAS’s event dedicated to dance. In the US for masterclasses, Irma will be our speaker for a lecture exploring the profound relationship between Italian culture and the art of dance.
“Dance and Culture: An Italian Perspective and Mastery”, would provide an inspiring opportunity to talk about the role of dance in Italian culture and the personale journey of Irma.
A reception will follow the lecture.

February 7th, 2025
6:30 PM
Venue TBD

 

A magical night of Italian music

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December 4, 2024 – We are beyond excited to bring you a truly special event this December. We are incredibly fortunate to have an amazing Italian quintet joining us in Charleston, flying to the US exclusively for our society members. The evening of incredible music will be our way to celebrate the end of 2024 together in grand style.

Our talented guests are Daniela Tenerini on vocals, Roberto Cesaretti on bass, David Versiglioni on piano, Alberto Rosadini on drums, and Paolo Bartoni on trumpet. Their group was created to deliver an irresistible blend of Italian Swing and Soul, ensuring an unforgettable musical experience.  Their repertoire is inspired by the era of the Dolce Vita, the ‘orchestrine’ in the Night Clubs, Monicelli and Fellini and their maestri such as Fred Buscaglione and Renato Carosone or the giants of Jazz such as Gershwin or Porter.

Through sophisticated and innovative arrangements, the quartet recreates an idealistic bridge between the 50s and our era, proposing the greatest international classics of the past together with contemporary melodies, revisited with irony and taste. Their particularity stands in being able to blend together songs created in the first half of the last century and actual pop songs that, reinterpreted in a vintage style, obtain a new life and make the public undertake a sonorous journey along the same path but in opposite directions.

Supported by their personal style in arranging their songs, the quartet has the goal to caress their public, proposing an endearing repertoire that is able to evoke emotions and, at the same time, to entertain and amuse. An enthralling concert, made up of unexpected songs that fascinate for their simplicity and originality and refined by the elegance and amazing voice of the front-woman Daniela Tenerini.

Details will follow in the e-mail invitation.

Daniela Tenerini

Italian singer Daniela Tenerini

Garibaldi

Garibaldi and Lincoln

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November 19, 2024 – A frayed postcard in a Turin archive has revealed one of the most audacious gambles of the American civil war. Abraham Lincoln offered the command of the northern forces to Giuseppe Garibaldi, unifier of Italy and terror of the Pope. Garibaldi caught the world’s imagination in 1860 after invading Sicily with 1,000 lightly armed redshirts. They defeated 12,000 Neapolitan troops, took the island and, determined to unify the Italian peninsula, invaded the mainland. They occupied Naples and unleashed a wave of support.
Dr. Don H. Doyle will speak to the Dante Alighieri Society of Charleston about Garibaldi, his popularity in the United States, and Lincoln’s approach at the onset of the Civil War. 

Don H. Doyle is  Professor Emeritus of History at the University of South Carolina. He has taught and done research in Italy, as well as England, Brazil and France. His most recent book, The Age of Reconstruction: How Lincoln’s New Birth of Freedon Remade the World, is being launched at the Charleston Library Society in September. He has written and lectured extensively about both the American South and Italian Mezzogiorno. He currently lives on Folly Beach, SC.

Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Location: Gage Hall, 4 Archdale St, Charleston, SC 29401

 

A tale of unexpected friendship at the time of WWII

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October 23, 2024  – During Mussolini’s Fascist Italy, as a dark shroud falls across the nation, a spirited young nurse from the vineyards of Barbaresco and the rebellious daughter of a wealthy Jewish Fascist come of age in the crosshairs of evil. These two socially disparate yet courageous girls forge an unexpected friendship.

We are delighted to welcome author Suzanne Hoffman to Charleston. While gathering stories from over 20 winemaking families in the Langhe region, she had the opportunity to listen to stories from elder generations referring to the Second World War time. These extraordinary stories inspired her novel, which explores themes of friendship and resilience amid adversity.
A Barbaresco wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres will follow to celebrate the Langhe region of Italy.

Date: Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Location: Gage Hall, 4 Archdale St, Charleston, SC 29401

An Intimate Look at a Masterpiece

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September 10, 2024 – In 2024, the world commemorates the anniversary of composer Giacomo Puccini’s passing, and so do we.
What is it about Puccini’s life and music that continues to captivate audiences worldwide?
Charleston Opera Theater will explore the composer and his opera LA BOHEME through insightful commentary and music, presented for the Dante Alighieri Society as they prepare for a fully-staged production in November.

Join us for the opportunity to meet the COT singers and enjoy refreshments, including wines from Puccini’s homeland.
Reserve your seat HERE.
Location: Gage Hall, 4 Archdale Street, Downtown Charleston, SC
Parking is a few steps from the venue: Queen Street parking Garage, 93 Queen Street
Attendance is limited.

Masterful hands for Manuscripts

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May 6, 2024 –  Embark on a journey to explore the captivating world of elaborately illustrated manuscripts from the Italian Renaissance, crafted between 1370 and 1420 in the renowned Scriptorium of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence. Join us as Professor Rebekah Compton, an esteemed scholar and passionate expert of the Italian Renaissance, shares her expertise. As Associate Professor of Art History specializing in Renaissance and Baroque Art at the College of Charleston, Professor Compton will delve into her research focusing on the remarkable 15 volumes of antiphonal choral books adorned with paintings by the masterful hands of Don Lorenzo Monaco and artists close to Fra Angelico.

During the talk, Professor Compton will unravel the intricacies of the geometric linework embellishing these manuscripts, unveiling hidden motifs and mesmerizing patterns. Attendees will also have the unique opportunity to witness a demonstration showcasing the various materials, including parchment and pigments, utilized in the creation of these extraordinary masterpieces. Don’t miss this enlightening exploration into the artistry and craftsmanship of Renaissance manuscripts.
The lecture will be held at Gage Hall (4 Archdale Street, Downtown Charleston) on Monday, May 6th, at 6pm.

An Italian entrepreneurship story

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April 22 – Join us for a lecture about Entrepreneurship with the remarkable journey of Mediterranean Shipping Company and its Charleston office.
The story of the company began in Italy in 1970 with just one vessel. Fast forward to today, it has become the world’s largest container shipping company by both fleet size and cargo capacity, boasting a fleet of over 760 vessels. Operating across 300 routes and calling at 520 ports worldwide, MSC has a total of 30,000 employees and handles a staggering 22.5 million containers annually. In 2022 MSC unseated Maersk as the world’s largest shipping line by container capacity, according to data from the shipping analytics firm Alphaliner. The shakeup ended Maersk’s 25-year reign as the undisputed champion of cargo shipping.
Our guest speaker will be Brittney Knisley Lawler, is a Charleston, SC native with a Bachelor of Science in International Business from the College of Charleston. She started her career at MSC right after graduation in 2010, managing import/export contracts and later moved to export customer service. In 2017, she became Deputy Branch Manager and is now the Branch Manager of MSC’s Charleston office.
Reserve HERE your seat.

A trip to Operatic Italy

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February 6, 2024 – Wonderful performance by Edward Brennan and Hälis Rünk Enthralls, amazing voices of Charleston Opera Theater for the Dante Alighieri Society of Charleston. We couldn’t be more grateful and more proud for their amazing singing, guiding us through timeless arias by Italian operas. They were introduced by Louis Barrella, M.A., Music Educator for over 50 years, specializing in Opera Appreciation. He is a guest lecturer at Colleges, Museums and Cultural Institutions; also for the Education Dept. of the Metropolitan Opera.
After the engaging session of conversation and music, guests were graciously treated – like tradition at the Dante events – to a selection of Italian wines and hors d’oeuvres.

His Majesty Black Truffle

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January 22, 2024 – A very special event dedicated to Italian cuisine. A guest chef from Umbria, Junio Valerio Gallina (foto on the right) – trained at the 3 Michelin Star restaurant Niko Romito – taught us how to make the perfect risotto with Winter Black Truffle. Not a normal risotto, but the perfect one!
For this unique Charleston event we welcomed not only the chef but also a delicious load of truffles direct from Carlo Caporicci, the owner of Tenuta San Pietro a Pettine in Umbria (photo on the left).
A very special GRAZIE to Carlo Caporicci, that shipped to us as a donation of 500 grams of the species PREGIATO NERO, the most precious among the black truffles.
Carlo tells that when he was a child he learned the art of interpreting a storm, predicting how the sun or the snow will affect the truffles. 
Work with truffles means to respect the soil, and, above all, it means always being ready for the unpredictable.

 Carlo is third generation. in San Pietro a Pettine where all started in 1948.
The estate has three hundred hectares of age-old woods with protected and reserved truffle grounds and one of the property’s jewels is a Romanesque parish church from the 13th century dominating the striking valley between Assisi and Spoleto.
Another treat of the evening was the rare opportunity to sample the white and the red wines of the Fendi family Umbrian vineyards.

Understanding Piero della Francesca

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November 27, 2023 – Lecture dedicated to Piero della Francesca by Dana Prescott, BA, MA, writer, painter, and educator, who has lived and worked in Italy for most of the past 30 years, will offer a rare insight on the genius of the Early Renaissance painter and how poetry helped us understand his art. Th event will have very special readers for 6 short poems selected by Dana, including Sarah Moriarty, Executive Director of Charleston Literary Festival, and Asiah May, Poet Laureate of Charleston.
See you at Gage Hall, 4 Archdale St, Charleston, SC
Monday, November 27 at 6pm.
A reception with Italian wines and food will follow the presentation.

Now something about Dana Prescott, an incredible woman with a very interesting career. She taught painting and drawing at Temple University, Cornell University, and University of Washington in Rome, amongst other programs. She was Director of the European Honors Program of Rhode Island School of Design and served as Andrew Heiskell Arts Director at the American Academy in Rome. She was Executive Director of Civitella Ranieri for 15 years, until she retired in 2022. Civitella Ranieri is an international residency program bringing together visual artists, writers, and composers, located at a 15th-century castle in the Umbria region of Italy.
Dana Prescott’s work was included in the anthology ‘Apple, Tree’ in 2019 and her poems have been published in the Bennington Reviewand The Journal for Poetic Research, amongst others. She is the editor of the anthology, ‘Feathers from the Angel’s Wing,’ a collection of poems inspired by the paintings of Piero della Francesca.