Sabato Culturale
at Casa Italia means exciting cultural events!
EVERY SATURDAY MORNING——10 am Continental Breakfast. 10:30 am Start
Please register to help us plan for refreshments. Freewill ($5+ suggested) donations accepted and encouraged. To RSVP at https://casaitaliachicago.org/sabato-culturale/ or casalibrary@gmail.com
Your Italian American identity is hard work. Learning the language, mastering the history of Italy AND of Italians in America isn’t easy. We at the Italian Cultural Center, Casa Italia, have everything you need to recapture your Italianità. Be there or miss out on exciting opportunities to enhance your Italian American Identity. Join us for Sabato Culturale!
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April 11th: Frank Di Piero Saving our Stories: From Cenetta to Podcasts to Children’s Books Frank Di Piero is the podcast host of Italian American Life with Frankie D., the very first Italian American Podcast since 2013. Di Piero has done over 150 Italian American Moments, which are one-minute videos highlighting the many great stories and accomplishments of Italian Americans. He has written 5 children’s books promoting Italian culture the last two books are being bilingual. Follow Di Piero at ItalianAmericanLife.com Clck Here To Register For The April 11 Event ______________________________________________
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April 18th Remembering Padre Feccia Father Augusto Feccia, founding member of the Italian Cultural Center, Casa Italia. Using photos, videos, Radio Maria recordings, and the reminiscences of his many friends, we will celebrate the cultural work of Padre Augusto Feccia of the 1970s and 2000s. One of the many heroic Scalabrinians who served the Italian community in Chicago in the period 1903-2024. Please contact the Casa Italia office if you would like to be one of the presenters at this event. Clck Here To Register For The April 18 Event
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 April 25th Judith Valente “La Dolce Vita: What Italy Can Teach Us About Living More Mindfully and Joyfully” Judith Valente worked as a staff writer for the Wall Street Journal and on-air correspondent for national PBS-TV, Chicago Public Radio and the NPR affiliate in central Illinois where she currently lives. She is the author of six spiritually titles, including The art of Pausing and How to Live, as well as three collections of poetry. Her newest book is the Italian Soul: How to Savor the Full Joys of LIfe. She has given presentation on how to live a more contemplative life in nearly every state and leads an annual cotemplative retreat/pilgrimage to lesser-known sacred sites and parts of Italy. She lives in both Normal IL and Abruzzo, Italy. Clck Here To Register For The April 25 Event ______________________________________________
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May 2nd Professor Martin Giesso “Italians in Argentina” Retired professor of anthropology at Northeastern University, Martin Giesso, tells us about Italians in his homeland, Argentina, with a slide lecture on the Grand Hotel that greeted the thousands of Italian immigrants to Argentina. Argentina is widely considered the most Italian nation outside of Italy, with over 60% of its population (roughly 25–30 million people) claiming some Italian heritage. Between 1857 and 1940, massive waves of Italian immigration shaped the country’s culture, resulting in significant influences on food, language and customs. Its population of Italian ancestry is secondly only to that of Italy itself. Professor Giesso is one of the 20 volunteers who keep the Casa Italia Library humming, our published books on the Amazon market and the videos of our events on YouTube.
Clck Here To Register For The May 2 Event ______________________________________________ |
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| May 9th Casa Italia Writing Retreat-Mothers’ Day Special led by Christina Marrocco Christina Marrocco is an evocative Italian American writer and poet whose work explores family, memory, and the complexities of working-class life. Her debut novel Addio, Love Monster won the Chicago Writers Association Award for Best New Independent Press Fiction (2022). Her forthcoming novel, The Way Beauty Comes Apart, set in turn-of-the-century Wales and told from the perspective of the dead, will be released soon. Through guided prompts, reflection, and discussion, Christina will help participants shape meaningful personal memories into vivid narrative writing. Move stories from your head and heart onto the page. Part of the Casa Italia initiative Saving Italian American Stories$10 fee includes lunch 10am- 2pm. Click Here To Register For The May 9th Event
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May 16th Christ Stopped in Eboli, film screening From Wikipedia, “Christ Stopped at Eboli “ (Cristo si è fermato a Eboli), is a 1979 drama directed by Francesco Rosi, adapted from the celebrated book of the same name by Carlo Levi. It stars Gian Maria Volonté as Levi, a political dissident under Fascism who was exiled in the Basilicata region in Southern Italy. An excellent depiction of South Italian Folk Culture, the film was was the first to receive a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1983. It was included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Clck Here To Register For The May 16 Event
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May 23rd IA Literati Meet the authors, learn about the process that brought their words and ideas to the printed page. Hear them read from their published books. Buy their books. Help SAVE OUR STORIES. Master of Ceremonies: Frank Di Piero. Authors include: Lou Bruno, Carla Simonini, Peter L. Belmonte, Ryan Byrnes, Richard Leto, Leah Eskin, Mike Rosanova, Frank Di Piero. Event Chair: Anna Weiss
Clck Here To Register For The May 23 Event ______________________________________________
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| * Schedule subject to change |
