Your Door to All Things Italian

We Embrace All Who Enjoy All Things Italian and Desire To Expand Their Knowledge of a Beautiful Country, Its People and Its Language

The Dante Alighieri Society of Washington promotes the Italian language and culture and welcomes all who share those objectives. Each year we present English and Italian programs open to the public, and host the Christmas party and the Annual Wine Dinner featuring wines from throughout Italy. The Society also sponsors an Italian Language program with beginner to expert classes for everyone who wants to learn, improve or perfect their fluency in Italian.

Sign up for our email list here. You will receive news of upcoming events and our monthly newsletter La Voce della Dante.

Upcoming...

• Registration for Italian Language Classes for Spring Quarter is now open. First day of class is Tuesday, April 2nd. Check out the class listings. Dante Alighieri Society members get a $20 discount on tuition. Sign up for membership here.
  
• The Annual Wine Dinner has been rescheduled to Saturday, March 30. If you haven't already signed up, contact Dan DeMatteis at ddematteis@danteseattle.org.  There are a few openings still available. This promises to be a fun event.
• Sign up for the Spring 2019 PLIDA tests now. The registration deadline for Levels B1, B2, and C1 is March 21 and the test is scheduled for April 3. The registration deadline for Levels A1, A2, and C2 is May 8 and the test is scheduled for May 22. Registration information is available here.
  
• The Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association (SPSCA) and Peter Miller Books are sponsoring a talk by Paolo Lattaioli, an esteemed architect and urban planner from Seattle's sister city Perugia. Paolo will be presenting his unique drawings of Italian towns, including Perugia and other cities in Umbria, and talking about the architecture and meaning of Italian piazzas. The presentation will be Wednesday, March 6 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. For more information, contact the SPSCA at event.spsca@gmail.com.
  
• The Dante Alighieri Society's new home is St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 815 East Edgar Street, on the North side of Capitol Hill. Parking is available in St. Patrick's parking lot, off of E. Edgar street. The meetings take place in the Parish Hall, located in the basement of the church and is entered on the West side of the church, off the parking lot. Except for one or two meetings a year, this will be our new location.
  

Next English-language gathering:

Wed., March 13, 2019, 6:30 pm
St. Patrick's Catholic Church
815 East Edgar Street, Seattle 98102

"The Mysteries of the Fisherman’s Tomb: St. Peter, St. Peter’s, and an enigmatic empty grave under a great big dome."

Fr. Tom Lucas S.J., Jesuit art historian, Roman veteran, and friend of the Dante Alighieri Society, will present an illustrated and amusing account of the enigmatic history surrounding the grave of the first bishop of Rome. The lapidary stories of archeology-loving popes, a collapsing floor, an unknown necropolis, a Texan
oil wildcatter, Jesuit scholars, a meddling German monsignor, and a female archeological sleuth combine to make a complex story and a great yarn that entangles the deepest history of Catholicism’s most important
basilica. Come and hear and see what’s hidden under Michelangelo’s dome and the pope’s own altar.

This is our monthly Pasta Dinner, so come prepared to enjoy a dinner prepared by our volunteer chefs. Bring along an antipasto, some dolce, or a bottle of wine to share.

Next Italian-language gathering:

Wed., March 27, 2019, 6:30 pm
St. Patrick's Catholic Church
815 East Edgar Street, Seattle 98102

"Famosi incipit cinematografici italiani" (Some famous Italian cinema opening scenes)

Prof. Albert Sbragia. In questo incontro vedremo insieme le scene di apertura di tre film fondamentali per capire il cinema italiano del ventesimo secolo: Ossessione (1943) di Luchino Visconti, La dolce vita (1959) di Federico Fellini, Il deserto rosso (1964) di Michelangelo Antonioni. Analizzeremo queste scene per vedere come i registi ci offrono fin dall’inizio dei loro film la loro interpretazione di importanti svolte storiche della società italiana dei loro tempi. Il pubblico verrà invitato ad offrire commenti interpretativi sulle scene in questione.

Prof. Albert Sbragia. In this get-together we will watch the opening scenes of three films that are fundamental for understanding twentieth-century Italian cinema: Luchino Visconti’s Ossessione (1943), Federico Fellini’s La dolce vita (1959) and Michelangelo Antonioni’s Red Desert (1964). We will analyze the scenes to see how these directors offer us right from the beginning of their films their interpretation of important historical turning points in the Italian society of their times.  The audience will be invited to offer their interpretative comments on the scenes.

Next Italian language class series:

Spring Quarter 2019

April 2 - June 6
Registration Due by March 22.

Four learning levels available

Learn More and Register...

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Join the Fun and Support Dante Seattle through Your Membership. Check out the attached message from our President on reasons to join.

Dues are effective on the calendar year. Make sure that yours are current.

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