PLIDA Logo

Online Italian Language Classes

Italian language classes are now online.

Study and learn Italian, no matter where you are.

By Giuseppe Tassone

The 39th school year of the Dante Alighieri Society of Washington resumes on Tuesday, October 3, 2023. Our evening classes are now online and suitable for everybody in Washington State and in the West. Registration is open until September 25. Don’t miss the deadline. We would love to have you in our program as a new or continuing student. For more information, please contact the director Giuseppe Tassone at school@danteseattle.org. To found out more and sign up: www.danteseattle.org

Dante Alighieri August greeting!

 

 

DANTE ALIGHIERI SOCIETY of WASHINGTON

AUGUST UPDATES

The new season starts in September.

Watch for the upcoming issue of our La Voce Newsletter to learn about
“your door to all things Italian!”

Register now for
Dante Society Language Program Classes

Study and Learn Italian in online classes
From Level A-1 to B-2, and more

Tuesday & Thursday 7:00-8:30 PM (PT)
10 weeks per quarter, October to June

www.danteseattle.org
email school@danteseattle.org
206-289-0419

SAVE THE DATE:
for our first English meeting

September 13, 2023

Rebecca Albiani speaks about Perugino

St. Clement’s Church
1501 32nd Ave S.
Seattle 98144

Doors open 6:00, Dinner 6:30, Presentation 7:30
reservation email will be sent prior to the date
Volunteers still needed
Meeting set-up and audio visual assistance still needed throughout the season! email Joyce Ramee if you can help. Thanks! joyce@danteseattle.org
SAVE THE DATE:
Festa Italiana will be held at Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavillion
on September 23 & 24, 2023
Plan to participate in this weekend of fun!
Volunteers will be needed to staff the Dante booth.
Watch for an email signup in early September.

If you are not yet a Dante Society member, you may join at any time. Membership is $40 individual and $50 family. Your membership dues help to underwrite all Dante events, which promote the Italian language and culture. Society membership also allows you to have a vote in society business and to serve on the Board of Directors.

SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER!

Copyright © 2023 Dante Alighieri Society of Washington, All rights reserved.


 

Summer Updates from Dante

 

 

 

 

 

DANTE ALIGHIERI SOCIETY of WASHINGTON

SUMMER UPDATES
July 10, 2023

Greetings all,
Hopefully this finds you enjoying a peaceful summer, perhaps traveling, or staying right here while Seattle weather is (mostly) exquisite. Please take a moment to read this quick mailing, and note our first events of fall, which will be here before you know it!
A presto,
Joyce Ramee

1) Exchange Student needs host family

From Tony Barnett, with PAX Program of Academic exchange – Seattle schools and several surrounding districts are accepting exchange students.   David, age 16 from Italy, is described as motivated, active, open minded, calm, mature, honest, responsible, creative, sense of humor, interactive. His mother is a teacher and father is a manager. He has 1 older brother. He enjoys soccer, basketball, tennis, cooking, gardening, traveling. His faith background Christian, not active. If you are interested in hosting this young man, or with questions, email Tony Barnett.
tonybarnett1964@gmail.com


2) In Memoriam

from Sam Ciapanna: “I am writing to report the death of one of our Dante members, Andy Camarda, on June 21, 2023.”
No other information was available — Condolences to Andy’s friends and family of behalf of the Dante Society.

3) DANTE SEASON EVENT DATES!!
Program Chairs Joan Tupper and Janet Lenart are working hard to line up interesting presenters for the coming season.
Save these dates and plan to participate!
IN-PERSON MEETINGS*
September 13, 27; October 11, 25; November 8; December 13; March 13, 27; April 10, 24; May 8.
WINTER ZOOM MEETINGS
As always, our first meeting of the month is a presentation in English, our second, in Italian. English meetings are preceeded by a Pasta Dinner, lovingly prepared by prepared by Dante volunteers. Italian meetings begin with “antipasti e vino,” supplied by all who attend. Each presentation is advertised in advance and open to all. Reservations are needed for dinners, $8/person. December 13 is our annual Festa di Natale potluck, (which might have some special news this year, stay tuned!!) and April 10 is the Annual Meeting (with free Dinner).
 

*Unless otherwise advertised, all In-Person Meetings will take place at
St. Clement’s Church

1501 32nd Ave S., Seattle 98144

 

4) Volunteers still needed
Meeting set-up, audio visual needs, and cooks still welcome! email Joyce Ramee if you can help. Several of the dates above are still unassigned. Thanks! joyce@danteseattle.org


Watch for another update in August, with Language Program and local festival information. Felice Estate!!


Your 2023-2024 DAS Board of Directors
Officers:
Joyce Ramee – President
Bruce Leone – Vice President
John Steedman – Secretary
Harry Reinert – Treasurer
Counselors:
Stacey Howe-Lott
Domenico Minotti
Houghton Lee
Janet Lenart, Program Co-Chair
Joan Tupper, Program Co-Chair
Cammie Enslow
Anastasia Frantsova
James Hoffman
Francesca Agnello
Judith Klayman
Ex-Officio
Dan DeMatteis, Past President
Giuseppe Tassone, Director, DAS Language Program

Copyright © 2023 Dante Alighieri Society of Washington, All rights reserved.


 

Dante English Meeting May 10 with Claudio Mazzola

 

DANTE ALIGHIERI SOCIETY of WASHINGTON
presents

The Rebirth of the Villa from the Medici to Palladio
(English Meeting, Live)
given by

Claudio Mazzola

WEDNESDAY MAY 10, 2023

St. Clement’s Church
1501 32nd Ave S., Seattle 98144

6:00 DOORS OPEN FOR ANTIPASTI
6:30 DINNER
7:30 PRESENTATION

Claudio Mazzola will speak about the rebirth of the villa from the Medici to Palladio. He will analize how the modern idea of the villa developed first in the early Renaissance, in Tuscany, with the idea of the farm villa.  Later, mainly around Venice, many architects developed the concept of the “Villa da diletto” or villa for fun.  We will discuss how these villas, mostly used by the wealthy families of Venice, were structurally different from previous villas.

Claudio Mazzola has been a regular speaker at Dante meetings over the years, presenting particularly on Italian Film.  He  received his “Laurea” in English from the University of Milan in 1981. He also received a degree in cinema studies from the City University of Milan. Claudio went on to receive a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington in 1986. His area of expertise is Contemporary Italian fiction and Italian Cinema. He has published a number of articles on those topics. He has also published a reader for third year students entitled Racconti Regionali (Prentice-Hall, 1990) and a second year grammar book, Insieme (McGraw-Hill, 1995). Before joining the University of Washington he taught at the University of Michigan, Vassar College and the College of the Holy Cross.

Dinner will be prepared by a select “Pre-Dante-Pasta” Chef and is $8./person. Please MAKE A RESERVATION by May 8.
Bring antipasti, dolci and/or vino to share!
 Anyone with known recent exposure to  or symptoms of COVID  should not attend. Masking  is encouraged but optional.

 

 Hope to see you at this final meeting of the Dante season!

———————————————————–
OTHER ITEM OF INTEREST:

Host Families Wanted!!
Edventours is bringing 8 Italian High school students to Seattle for 4 weeks this summer. (June 24-July 22nd) They are looking for host families for the students. Host families will share their American life and culture with a teen while simultaneously learning firsthand from an Italian about life in Italy. Lifelong bonds and friendships usually occur from these exchange experiences. Families get paid $200 per week to host to help offset the cost of food/gas.  Host families can be empty nesters, single parents, parents with young children or teens, etc.  It’s a very rewarding opportunity for the students and the families as well. The website is edventours.com. Anyone interested in more information is encouraged to email Nicole Zahour, nicole@edventours.com

mille grazie!

——————————————————————–

Copyright © 2023 Dante Alighieri Society of Washington, All rights reserved.


 

May 2023 Dante Seattle La Voce

 

Published by the Dante Alighieri Society of Washington                                                     May 2023

President’s Message


Ciao a tutti!
I greet you with two photos of the glories of Skagit Valley this month. Even in chilly northwestern temps and a very strong headwind, the tulips and daffodils were amazing.
There is not a lot to report this time… we had a fine Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) on April 12, with 31 people in attendance. There was a great deal of good energy around the room – good food and conversation, some new volunteers for various tasks, and 3 new members added by unanimous approval to your Board of Directors. Reports and feedback from this year’s events were all favorable- the Language Program is thriving, presentations both in person and on zoom were well received, and new projects, like “Italian-Speaking Tables” at our dinners next year, are helping us gear up for the future.

Our 2022-23 season draws to a close with the May 10 English meeting, preceded by a wonderful Pre-Dante Pasta dinner. Watch for announcements about this meeting and plan to attend. Also this month: Casa Italiana’s Scholarship Program is still accepting applicants, until May 15. Any child or grandchild, of a Dante member, who is attending college or a trade school is eligible to apply. See this link if interested.

I hope your spring and summer will be lovely seasons, and wish everyone all the best while Dante is on summer hiatus. Thanks as always to Stacey Howe-Lott for creating La Voce every month, and to the Board members of Dante who keep everything going all year. If your summer plans take you to Italy, please plan to share your stories in La Voce upon return!
A presto,
Joyce

May Meetings: May 10

The rebirth of the villa from the Medici to Palladio

Claudio Mazzola will present on the rebirth of the villa from the Medici to Palladio. We will analize how the modern idea of the villa developed first in the early Renaissance in Tuscany with the idea of the farm villa.  Later, mainly around Venice, many architects developed the concept of the “Villa da diletto” or villa for fun.  We will discuss how these villas, mostly used by the wealthy families of Venice, were structurally different from previous villas.

 

 

La Malcontenta

Claudio Mazzola has been a regular speaker at Dante meetings over the years, presenting particularly on Italian Film.  He  received his “Laurea” in English from the University of Milan in 1981. He also received a degree in cinema studies from the City University of Milan. Claudio went on to receive a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington in 1986. His area of expertise is Contemporary Italian fiction and Italian Cinema. He has published a number of articles on those topics. He has also published a reader for third year student entitled Racconti Regionali (Prentice-Hall, 1990) and a second year grammar book, Insieme (McGraw-Hill, 1995). Before joining the University of Washington he taught at the University of Michigan, Vassar College and the College of the Holy Cross.


La Rotonda

Language Program
by Giuseppe Tassone

Since La Voce will be resuming in September after the summer break, this is my last news for the school year 2023-24.

On April 12 I had the pleasure to share my language school report at the Annual General Meeting in which I provided key facts about the Italian language program, an overview of the school year 2022-23, a year over year enrollment comparison for the past five years, classes, highlights of the school years 2022-23, PLIDA exams updates, students’ survey sample
responses and future plans.

Key facts for those unable to participate were the following:
– First traces of Società Dante Alighieri’s school in Seattle in 1908.
– Continuous operation of the Italian language Program since 1984.
– Management of the program under current directorship since 1998.
– First professional website with class offerings and implementation of PayPal payment in 2002.
– Revitalization of the relationship with the headquarters in Rome in 1999-2003.
– Alignment with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in 2012-13.
– Recognition as an official PLIDA (Progetto lingua Italiana Dante Alighieri) certification center in 2011.
– First online offering in 2019-20.
– Implementation of Canvas in 2021-22.
– New Agreement with PLIDA office in Rome with authorization to use the new official PLIDA logo that univocally identifies us as Centro d’esame autorizzato in 2023.

In my overview I reported that the program is doing well in terms of enrollment and students’ progress and satisfaction, retention is good, and students are responding well to our online offering. I also pointed out that the number of students who decided to become members of DAS is increasing. 66% of students in the spring are members and therefore eligible to receive $20 discount on the course fee.

Enrollment is in line with last year and coincidentally the total of FQ and WQ students was precisely the same as last year. The positive result doesn’t prevent us from being vigilant about possible changes in future years for which we must be prepared. We are however very happy that so many students continue to value our Italian language Program as ideal for their desire of learning or improving the Italian language.

As we summarized in the 20 characters allowed per line in the brick that we donated to Casa Italiana from the DAS- Italian language program what students can find in us is “studio e ispirazione”.

In 2022-23 we offered 15 courses at the A1, A2, B1, B2 levels with a total of 271 students enrolled taught by our qualified native Italian speakers with years of experience in our program.

In my report I also talked about extracurricular activities such as SIFF-Cinema Italian Style, La settimana della lingua Italiana nel mondo, La settimana della cucina italiana nel mondo, Dantedì and the Italian Mixer at Seattle Opera under preparation for May 19 in addition to volunteer participation to events organized by the Dante Alighieri Society of Washington.

While I am writing this news, we are finalizing our participation in the Italian Mixer and we are all excited for the event and for the performance of La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi. Students and instructors able to attend will participate as a group or individually but all with the desire, including me, of being able to see each other in person after these months of Zoom lessons. Below our instructor Nicla Riverso with some of our students last year.

Nicla Riverso and DAS students at the 2022 Italian Mixer at Seattle Opera

Going back to the AGM report, I mentioned in the highlights that this was our second year of Canvas implementation which allowed us to refine the content that we created last year by scratch and in the future plan I said that we will continue refining Canvas content and developing not only core material but also additional supplementary material that students can access on their own both for extra practice and review between quarters and summer break. Reaching a broader audience, now that our program is specializing in online learning, was another point along with the consideration of some adjustments for the school year 2023-24 to be discussed at the next Board Meeting.

To conclude I want to remind you that our next PLIDA exam is scheduled for June 21 st at Casa Italiana – Italian Cultural Center while the Italian language program will resume in early October.

We aim to publish on our website the new school year calendar, course offering and course fees for 2023-24 early in June so that current students, new beginner A1 students and all those who wish to experience our Italian language program at any level from any location can register and save their spot for their class.

For any questions about our program, including placement, contact me anytime and I’ll be glad to help you.

I wish you all a wonderful summer.
Buona estate a tutti!

The Italian Connection: Seattle Through the Decades
by Rita Cipalla

P-Patch gardens celebrate 50 years. Thank you, Picardo family!

Seattle’s P-Patch community gardening program began in 1973 with a single plot. Within a year, there were 10. Today, there are 91 gardens with more than 3,600 active gardeners. It’s the fifth largest community gardening program in the country.

How did this exemplary program start? We can thank Ernesto Picardo — the P in P-Patch. After moving from Italy to the Northwest in the late 1880s, Picardo began farming with his two brothers in South Park and then moved to Wedgwood.

Decades later, a neighbor, Darlyn Rundberg, approached the Picardo family and asked if she could use some of their land to start a community garden. They agreed, and Rundberg recruited students and families from nearby Wedgwood Elementary School to help. City officials quickly saw the benefits and moved to replicate the program.

From this modest beginning, the P-Patch program put down roots. The gardens are open to all; there are no locks or gates. Of course, it goes without saying that picking the vegetables and flowers is not allowed! Five decades later, P-Patch community gardens continue to promote environmental stewardship, build community and develop self-reliance. Read the full story here.

This story is part of a new La Voce series about Italian Americans in Seattle, reproduced with permission from l’Italo-Americano, the country’s oldest Italian American newspaper. Stories are printed in both English and Italian, online and in print version. Subscribe here.

Member Announcements

The suggestion has been received that we publish updates from and about members of Dante as we receive them. We can start to do that next season, on a regular basis. If you have memorials, awards/honors, or other announcements to share, please first obtain permission from whoever they are about (!) and then submit them by the 15th of each month to info@danteseattle.org with “announcement for La Voce” as the subject. They can then be compiled with other announcements and sent to our editor.

In memoriam:
On April 22, 2023, Eleonora Di Luck passed away, and her husband, Lido died last year. Both were long time members of and contributors to the Dante Society. May they rest in peace.

Connect with us!
You can find past meetings on our You Tube channel here.
You can find our website here.

The Dante Alighieri Society of Washington is a nonprofit corporation organized to promote Italian language and culture within the state of Washington. Membership is open to anyone interested in the goals and ideals of our society regardless of ethnic origin. La Voce della Dante is published eight times a year by the Dante Alighieri Society of Washington. All rights reserved.

Dante Alighieri Society of Washington
Società per la diffusione della lingua e della cultura italiana nel mondo
https://danteseattle.org
Mailing address:
PO Box 9494 Seattle, WA 98109

Copyright © 2023 Dante Alighieri Society of Washington, All rights reserved.