Postponed to May 13 – Annual General Meeting
When: April 15, 2020
Speaker: Board of Directors
Topic: Annual General Meeting
![](https://danteseattle.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/dantebust-1.png)
When: April 15, 2020
Speaker: Board of Directors
Topic: Annual General Meeting
When: March 25, 2020
Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
When: POSTPONED
Speakers: Pat Hoffman
Topic: Seated at Lorenzo’s Table – From Farm to Table
Pat grew up on the east coast and had a long career in immunological research at both for-profit and non-profit institutions. After a year of retirement, she started a 2nd career as a part-time paralegal for a small law firm and is now working part-part-time, giving her more time to travel. Pat is a Dante member whose passion for Italy was ignited in 2002 when her daughter, Kelcey, moved to Italy to work in Rome. Eighteen years and numerous visits later, the desire to discover the beauty of Italy’s diverse regions is still strong and the love of the art, food, wine and people continues to grow and satisfy. She is delighted that she is able to have conversations with “la gente” using her modest command of the Italian language.
FarmerChef Lorenzo Polegri owns Ristorante Zeppelin in the enchanting Umbrian town of Orvieto, Italy. Invited several times to cook at the James Beard house in NYC, he also cooked for President Obama at the White House in 2010.
Ristorante Zeppelin is home to Chef Lorenzo’s internship program for culinary students and his cooking school, featuring afternoon cooking classes and one-week and two-week “culinary adventures” that include cooking classes and visits to the sources that produce the ingredients used in Chef Lorenzo’s recipes. Join six friends on their excellent adventure who spent two weeks with Chef Lorenzo immersed in the history and culinary experiences of the FarmerChef.
When: February 26, 2020
Speaker: Annalisa Bellerio
Topic: Leonardo Da Vinci: Cinque secoli di un mito
Annalisa Bellerio is an Italian journalist, editor and writer. After graduating in History of Art from the University of Pavia, she worked in publishing as editor-in-chief, copywriter, published author and consultant for Italian publishers, magazines and literary agencies. In Milan, the city where she comes from and returns every year on vacation, Annalisa has also worked as a teacher of Italian language, Literature and History, as a guide for art exhibitions and as a volunteer in a middle school specialized for disabled children.
In the United States, where she has lived for six years, she is an Italian language teacher at South Seattle College and Bellevue College. She has been certified “Competent Communicator” by Toastmasters International and “Docent” by Bellevue Arts Museum, where she works as a volunteer.
His paintings have been exhibited in private and collective exhibitions.
Leonardo da Vinci
Cinque secoli di un mito
Cinquecento anni dopo la sua morte, Leonardo continua ad attirare folle di visitatori, a sfidare studiosi e biografi, e a ispirare scrittori, artisti e visionari di tutto il mondo. Milioni di pagine sono state scritte su di lui nel corso dei secoli, ma la sua persona rimane ancora in gran parte avvolta nel mistero. In questo incontro esploreremo la vita e le opere, il contributo innovativo e l’eredità culturale di questa icona del Rinascimento italiano, che ha posto domande cruciali e trovato risposte spesso centinaia di anni in anticipo sui tempi.
Leonardo da Vinci
A Five-Century Lasting Myth
Five hundred years after his death, Leonardo continues to attract crowds of visitors, to challenge scholars and biographers, and to inspire novelists, artists, and visionary innovators around the world. Despite the millions of pages written about him over the centuries, his person still remains mostly shrouded in mystery. In this meeting we will explore the life and works, the innovative contribution and cultural heritage of this Renaissance man icon, who asked crucial questions and found answers often hundreds of years ahead of his time.
When: February 12, 2020
Speaker: Prof. Lloyd Howard
Topic: The Power of Music on the Shore of Dante’s Purgatory
Lloyd Howard received his PhD from the Johns Hopkins University in 1976, after which, the subsequent year, he was appointed to a tenure-track position at the University of Victoria, where he taught until his retirement at the rank of Professor in 2016. Along with teaching in the Department over 39 years, he served as Chair of the Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies for a total of 15 years, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Humanities for six-month terms in 1997 and 2000, and Director of the Medieval Studies Program for 3 years. His research focussed initially on the extant poetry of Guido Cavalcanti, before turning to Dante’s Commedia. His approach to interpreting this work follows an alternate, non-linear journey through Dante’s three realms of the afterlife. The signposts that mark the way consist of recurrent linguistic patterns, or formulas, by which the reader is guided through the space that comprises the poem’s 100 cantos. Along with numerous articles, he has written two books adopting this method: Formulas of Repetition in Dante’s Commedia: Signposted Journeys across Textual Space (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2001); Virgil the Blind Guide: Marking the Way through the Divine Comedy (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2010). Scholarly recognition of his methodology includes the former book being chosen as an “Outstanding Title” for 2002 by the American Library Association, and one of its chapters being selected by Harold Bloom to form part of Bloom’s edition on the Commedia: Dante Alighieri, published in 2011. His articles in more recent years have been published by Letteratura Italiana Antica in Rome.
Professor Howard will begin his talk with a brief description of Dante’s world and how the Commedia was transmitted both in written form and orally by singing Dante’s text. He will then turn to the second canto of the Purgatorio, where Dante introduces the soul of the musician, Casella, who, while living, sang Dante’s love poems. He will explore how Casella’s “encore” performance of Dante’s song, “Amor che ne la mente mi ragiona,” goes wrong, as opposed to the Psalm “In exitu Israel de Aegypto,”sung in tonus peregrinus by all the delivered pilgrim souls earlier. Lastly, Professor Howard will discuss the Paradiso where, by flight through the music enhanced spheres, Dante, a famed writer of worldly love songs, reaches the Celestial Rose and, in contrast to when his attention was focused on unworthy loves, the once straying poet fixes his attentive eyes upward to the Virgin Mary, whose intercession brings Dante the pilgrim home to God.
Giuseppe Tassone moved to Seattle from Italy in 1993. He has been the director of the Italian Language Program of the Dante Alighieri Society of Washington since 1998 and the PLIDA coordinator since 2011. He is a language educator, coordinator, and advocate of Italian language and culture. He has a background in economics and finance (B.A. in Economics), but chooses to specialize in Italian language and culture (M.A. in Italian Studies). He has 20+ years of experience teaching, developing curricula, coordinating, testing, and assessing in public and non-profit organizations (e.g. Seattle University, University of Washington, Shoreline College). Giuseppe reviewed and/or contributed to several Italian language textbooks, such as Da Capo, Oggi in Italia, Avanti, Piazza and Sentieri. He is the author of Ricordati di me, Buongiorno Notte – Italian Films Series by Edizioni Farinelli and Un buon Affare – Italian for Business by Hackett Publishing Company available in print (2016) and e-book (2019). Giuseppe teaches at Seattle University and heads the Italian Section in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures. Personal interests are: reading, traveling, cinema, economics, politics, playing and listening to music, swimming, biking, gardening and cooking.
E-mail: tassone@danteseattle.org
Roberta was born in Salerno a city located in the region of Campania in Southern Italy where in the ninth century flourished the renowned Schola Medica Salernitana; the forerunner of the modern university medical schools. She holds a Master’s Degree in Economics and Management for Arts, Culture, Media and Entertainment from the Luigi Bocconi University, and a Master’s Degree in Piano from the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Music in Milan. Roberta has been working in the field of arts management since 2008. She has served as a project manager, fundraiser and arts administrator in high-profile nonprofit organizations and music festivals in Italy. She has taught music and Italian language in middle schools, and has held lectures in performing arts management as a teaching assistant at the University of Milan and at the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala. She has performed many solo and chamber music recitals across Italy. She loves classical music, visual arts, reading, traveling, hiking and of course teaching Italian.
E-mail: roberta@danteseattle.org
Giorgio is a native Italian who grew up in the outskirts of Milan. He holds various university degrees including a doctorate in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He works on engineering research and development projects in the fields of aircraft performance and commercial aviation. He became passionate about teaching and sharing his knowledge of Italy in response to the welcoming and inspiring interest in the Italian language and culture he witnessed and experienced while living in the United States. Throughout the years, Giorgio has taught Italian courses as well as privately tutored business professionals and students from various age groups.
In his free time, Giorgio enjoys photography, hiking, history and mathematics, museums and fine arts, theatre performances, and traveling.
Email: giorgio@danteseattle.org
Gabriella Vagnoli was born in Pisa, Tuscany, home of the famous Leaning Tower. She grew up in a multicultural family thanks to her Brazilian mom and remembers teaching Italian for the first time as a child to her Brazilian cousins. She obtained a Laurea in English and Spanish Language and Literature at the Università degli Studi di Pisa and during her college years spent a year in the University of Reading, UK, studying mainly the works of Shakespeare. After obtaining a Certificate as a Teacher of Italian (DITALS II) at the Università per Stranieri di Siena, she has taught in a full immersion school in Florence, a children's full immersion program in Chicago and a Community College in Illinois.
Besides teaching Italian, she has obtained a BFA in Illustration at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design and is a published children's book illustrator.
Email: gabriella@danteseattle.org
Tiziana was born and raised in Sardinia, a beautiful Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea. She has always been passionate about foreign languages and cultures, and studied French and German at the Scuola Superiore Interpreti e Traduttori in Milan, where she obtained her first Foreign Languages and Interpreter BA degree. She then pursued her MA in English and German Language and Literature at IULM, one of the most prestigious universities in Milan, Italy for Language and Communication studies.
Tiziana moved to the US in 2000 and started working in the software industry, where she applied her linguistic skills and cultural knowledge to localization and testing projects. She also took on various leadership roles and managed teams of linguists and testers across different countries and time zones. Tiziana is passionate about teaching Italian and sharing her insights into the Italian culture and lifestyle. She has taught from beginner to advanced Italian courses for the most prestigious schools in the Pacific Northwest: The Dante Alighieri Society, Seattle Language Academy and Bellevue College. She also privately tutors American business professionals who want to learn or improve their Italian. She is currently working on her Spanish, as she enjoys learning new languages and cultures.
In her free time, Tiziana likes to read, hike. cook, travel, and spend time with her family and friends.
Email: tiziana@danteseattle.org
Laura was born in Palmanova, in Northern Italy, a star shaped fortress built by the Serenissima Republic of Venice to protect the territory from the invasions of the Hapsburg and the Ottoman Empires. She was raised speaking Italian, French and Friulano (her native Northern Italian dialect). Laura received a Laurea in Linguistics from the Università di Udine where she specialized in Spanish and English literature. Since then she has lived and worked in Holland, Switzerland, Spain, England, America, and Italy. In addition to teaching in our program, Laura is authorized to cover the role of intervistatrice in our PLIDA Examination Board.
E-mail: lauracbolan@danteseattle.org
Francesca is an Italian native, born in Cremona, northern Italy. She holds a laurea in Biology from the University of Padua and Masters of Biology from Eastern Michigan University. She left Italy in 1994 and has lived in New Zealand and the United States. She has a passion for teaching her native language, as a way of maintaining and exploring the Italian language and culture with different eyes. She has taught privately and in many institutions to students of different proficiency levels groups. Francesca is interested in literature, art and design, and in her free time, she likes reading, cooking, and making ceramics.
Email: francesca@danteseattle.org
Damiano is a native of a small countryside town in Northern Italy, about 17 miles away from Padua, a city famous among other things for its university, the fifth-oldest surviving in the world. He received his B.A. and M.A. Cum Laude in Japanese language and culture from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, while specializing in linguistics and translation. He lived in Japan for three and a half years, where he continued his studies and his sociolinguistic research on (im)politeness in language. While in Japan, he also started working as an Italian teacher, discovering his passion for conveying the beauty of the Italian language and culture abroad.
Email: damiano@danteseattle.org
Nicla is a native of Napoli, Italy. She has a Laurea in Materie Letterarie (degree in humanities) and a Laurea in Pedagogia (degree in Education) from the Università degli Studi di Cassino. She earned her M.A in Italian and her PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington. She has published articles and book chapters on gender and theater as well as politics and religion in Counter-Reformation Italy and in the last years, has been teaching Italian literature, language, and culture in different institutions. In addition to teaching in our program, Nicla is authorized to cover the role of esaminatrice and intervistatrice in our PLIDA Examination Board.
E-mail: nicla@danteseattle.org