Dr. Elizabeth Rodini (Ph.D., University of Chicago) most recently served as Andrew Heiskell Arts Director and Interim Director of the American Academy in Rome. Previously, she was Teaching Professor in History of Art and founding Director of the Program in Museums and Society at Johns Hopkins University, where she taught for 15 years. Dr. Rodini's art historical work centers on cross-cultural encounters in the early modern period, with a particular interest in mobility, recontextualization, and the reuse of objects between Venice and the Islamic world. Her forthcoming book, On the Street of the Hidden Shops: A Metaphoric Archaeology of Rome, tells the deep history of a single city block through the stories of those who lived and worked there across 2,000 years.

Painted in 1480 at the Ottoman court in Istanbul, Gentile Bellini's famed portrait of Sultan Mehmed II has had a rich afterlife, stretching across three continents and entangled with issues ranging from authenticity to historical memory to the formulation of national patrimony. Through a close examination of the portrait and its history, including questions of style, provenance, condition, and display, we will consider different perspectives on its italianità and the ways in which that identity shifts while remaining firm.

Reception will be held at 4:00 pm in Goldberg Formal Lounge. Lecture to follow at 5:00 pm in Danforth University Center (DUC) 276. 

The Rava Memorial Lecture is funded by the family of Paul and Silvia Rava and sponsored by the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.

​La Comunità Italiana di St Louis ha il piacere di invitarvi alla VI edizione del CARNEVALE VENEZIANO - la principale festa di Carnevale in stile Veneziano a St Louis. 

Data: Sabato, 17 Febbraio, 2024
Luogo: 8195 Lackland Rd. St Louis, Missouri 63114

Location: La sala ricevimenti privata di Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Jost, con area di 2,500 sq. ft. e una pista da ballo professionale, è  stata generosamente messa a disposizione per l'evento. Si ringrazia la famiglia Jost, tra i maggiori benefattori della Comunita' Italiana di St Louis, per l'ospitalità.

17.00 - apertura
17.15 - giochi e lavoretti per i bambini con le babysitters
18.30 - cena
19.00 - musica e apertura della pista da ballo 
19.30 - premiazione dei costumi dei bambini
21.00 - premiazione dei costumi degli adulti 
21.15 - lotteria
23.00 - chiusura

***Sono consigliati costumi in stile delle maschere Veneziane e tradizionali***
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BIGLIETTI 

$10 - Adulti 
Partecipazione gratuita per bambini al di sotto di 12 anni 
Biglietti in vendita attraverso Venmo @Giovanna-Leopardi o chiamando Giovanna Leopardi: (314) 566-3873

Il biglietto include: due bevande alcoliche (vino o birra), due analcolici o bibite, pasta cucinata dallo Chef Alessandro Valentino, chiacchiere (crostoli) preparati al momento dallo Chef Alessandro Valentino. Per chi non lo sapesse, le chiacchiere sono il dolce tipico di carnevale. 

***Tutti sono invitati a portare un piatto o una bevanda da condividere***

PREMI

Miglior maschera/costume dei bambini (sotto gli 11 anni)
Miglior maschera/costume ragazzi (12 - 17 anni)
Miglior maschera/costume adulti (sopra i 18 anni) 

LOTTERIA

Avremo una lotteria a favore della Comunità Italiana di St Louis con premi per tutte le età 

"PHOTO BOOTH" / SCENARIO PER LE FOTO A TEMA VENEZIANO

Avremo un'area dedicata alle foto, con accessori e uno sfondo a tema del Carnevale Veneziano

BABYSITTERS

Buone notizie per i genitori che vogliono "staccare per la serata" ma portare i bambini! Avremo un'intera area dedicata ai bambini, con giochi, lavoretti (e.g. creare la propria maschera di Carnevale!) e tre babysitter dedicate e responsabili che intratterranno i bambini permettendovi di godervi la serata! 

RSVP: [email protected]
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Per informazioni o per sponsorizzare l'evento, contattare Michael Cross al numero (225) 239-3897 o mandare un'email a [email protected]

​You are cordially invited to St Louis' 6th Annual CARNEVALE VENEZIANO - the Premier Venetian Masquerade Party in St Louis.

When: Saturday, February 17, 2024
Where: 8195 Lackland Rd. St Louis, Missouri 63114

​About the location: We are excited to have at our disposal Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Jost's private banquet hall with a 2,500 sq. ft. professional ballroom dance floor. The Jost family is a major donor of the Italian Community and we thank them for their generosity.

5:00pm - doors open
5:15pm - games/crafts for kids (babysitters provided)
6:30pm - dinner
7:00pm - music begins/dance floor opens
7:30pm - kids costume prizes
9:00pm - adult costume prizes
9:15pm - raffle
11:00pm - close

***Venetian style masquerade masks and/or costumes are strongly encouraged***

TICKETS

$10 - Adults
Free Admission for children 12 and under
Purchase your ticket via Venmo @Giovanna-Leopardi or call Giovanna Leopardi: (314) 566-3873

Purchase of an adult ticket includes: two alcoholic beverages (wine or beer), two non-alcoholic beverages, freshly made pasta dishes made by Chef Alessandro Valentino, and made-on-the-spot chiacchiere (crostoli) by Chef Alessandro Valentino. For those who are unfamiliar, this is the famous dessert that is customary during Carnevale all throughout Italy.

***We highly encourage all to bring a dish or drink to share***

PRIZES

Best Kids Mask/Costume (ages 11 and under)
Best Teen Mask/Costume (ages 12 to 17)
Best Adult Mask/Costume (ages 18 and older)

RAFFLE

We will have a raffle to support the Italian Community of St Louis with fun prizes for all ages.

VENETIAN PHOTO BOOTH BACKDROP

We will have a photo area with Venetian Carnevale backdrop and fun props.

BABYSITTERS

For those bringing your children but still want to "get away for the evening", have no fear!!! We have an entire area dedicated to kids with games and crafts (i.e.: kids can make their own Carnevale masks!) and three dedicated and responsible babysitters who will allow you to enjoy the evening!

RSVP: [email protected]
​
For inquiries or to sponsor this event please call Michael Cross at (225) 239-3897 or send an email to: [email protected]

The Italian Community of St Louis invites you to the Cinema St. Louis presentation of the film concert Tigre Reale (1916), with a live performance by Italian musicians Stefano Maccagno (piano) and Furio Di Castri (double bass).

When: Saturday, March 2nd at 7pm
Where: Hi-Pointe Theatre
Year: 1916
Country: Italy
Duration: 78’
Language: silent, with Italian intertitles and English subtitles

Tigre Reale, a silent film made by Giovanni Pastrone in 1916, is a poem about the power of love and the destructiveness of memory, the cliché of the femme fatale, and the obsession with guilt. Over the troubled love story between the Russian countess Natka and the young diplomat Giorgio La Ferlita, weighs the tragic past of the woman. In the sweetened and rarefied world of a fictional aristocracy, unattainable Dannunzian characters are driven by extreme passions. The film becomes a luxurious stage for the divine Pina Menichelli, who offers here a symbolic interpretation of the excessive and artificial acting that marks and distinguishes some of Italy’s silent cinema.
​
The music score harmoniously combines jazz and a classical-inspired musical language offering the audience a musical experience distant but at the same time perfectly matching the film’s flow. Stefano Maccagno’s piano echoes late romantic and impressionistic influences in combination with an always balanced contemporary touch emphasizing the film’s dramatic tension. Furio Di Castri’s jazz scores wonderfully match all interior sequences while his solo improvisations give the film narration an intriguing atmosphere.

​Our friends at Vicini Pastaria are presenting a Regional Italian Wine Course with Mini Cooking Classes.

Vicini Pastaria (1916 Park Ave in Lafayette Square, St. Louis)

$55/class or $405 for entire 9 class series (registration is transferrable)

Every other Wednesday, 6-8:30pm, Jan 24th-May 15th

In-depth 9 week course beginning with an Intro to Italian wine study & classification in week 1, followed by 8 regional classes each exploring the wines and a signature dish from that region of Italy.

Each class in the 9 class course includes:

• In-depth wine education and tasting led by certified sommelier, Meredith Sutch, CSW of Tavolo Vigneto imports

• Brief demonstration-style cooking class (led by executive chef, Dawn Wilson) of an Italian dish specific to that week's featured region. Taste portions of the finished dish will be provided.

• Antipasti to snack on throughout class

• All recipes & handouts

• All students will receive a 10% discount off all purchases the evening of the class (excluding beverages to be consumed on-site).

• Students registered for the entire 9 class course will receive a 10% discount off all RETAIL wine purchases from Jan 24th-May 15th (applicable to retail wine purchases only; excludes wine to be consumed on-site).

SCHEDULE (Every other Wednesday, 6-8:30pm)

Week 1, Jan 24th: Intro to Italian wine study and classification
Week 2, Feb 7th: Veneto & Friuli-Venezia-Giulia
Week 3, Feb 21st: Trentino-Alto Adige & Lombardy
Week 4, March 6th: Piedmont
Week 5, March 20th: Valle d'Aosta & Alto Piemonte
Week 6, April 3rd: Tuscany
Week 7, April 17th: Abruzzo/Marche/Emilia-Romagna
Week 8, May 1st: Southern Italy (Calabria/Basilicata/Campania)
Week 9, May 15th: Italian islands