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 Special Classes:
ITALIAN GOURMET FOOD CLUB Thursday, January 28th, 2009 / 6:30-8:30 at CI *- Club dates can be customized for your group or party. Please inquire. Fee: $ 70 (includes: appetizer, first course, main course, side dish, dessert, and wine) The Italian Gourmet Food Club is a dining, drinking, and cultural experience - that goes beyond eating. New York offers great restaurants but rarely do diners glimpse into the best kitchens to learn the history of great Italian food. Participants in the Club share the pleasure in learning about the history of artisanal Italian food and its preparation while eating traditional and contemporary Italian dishes made with the freshest ingredients. Participants make friends and network in a unique Italian culinary setting offered only at CI. CINE-CLUB: 79 YEARS OF ITALIAN FILM (1930-2009) Thursday, February 18th @ 6:30pm / $15*, La Sconosciuta (2006) by Giuseppe Tornatore *-includes one complimentary glass of wine Italian cinema is mostly known for its Neo-Realism period (embodied in the masterpieces by Vittorio De Sica) and the brilliant films of Federico Fellini. Yet, Italian Cinema is so much more. Since the beginning of the history of film, Italian Cinema has continually introduced innovative directors and talented actors, screenwriters, composers, set designers, and costume designers to the world. New movies: La Sconosciuta (2006) by Giuseppe Tornatore, Mio Fratello č Figlio Unico, Il Covo Di Teresa (2006) by Stefano Sollima, Notturno Bus (2007), Il Dolce E L'Amaro (2007), Il Covo Di Teresa (2006), and I Galantuomini (2008). The Cine-Club: 79 Years of Italian Film (1930-2009) allows participants to discover cinematic gems and contemplate diverse themes in Italian life. Represented in the film series are classics, such as: I Tartassati (1959), Il medico della mutua (1968), Il giorno della civetta (1968), Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto (1970), and In nome del popolo italiano (1971). The Italia Today films (1980-present) offer an especially rare look at Italian contemporary cinema and society with films, including: Ricordati di Me (2003), Io e Napoleone (2006), Manuale d'Amore 2 (2007), Il divo (2008), and Bianco e Nero (2008). The screenings include discussions on history of film and present-day Italian cinema, the protagonists, and themes that the films explore over time: from love and politics to family and immigration—revealing the Italian way of life for more than half a century. All films are in Italian and subtitled. The series is team-taught by actor, teaching artist, and Italian language instructor Laura Caparrotti and filmmaker and Italian language instructor Riccardo (Riki) Costa. CAFFE' LETTERARIO TBD / $35 Decades ago in Italy, intellectual women started what was known as the Salotti Letterari, or literary salons, where artists, philosophers, and writers met to share opinions and exchange and celebrate ideas. Fast forward, the city of Paris gave birth to Café society and soon all over Europe, the Caffe' Letterari became the meeting point for everyone who wanted to make his/her voice heard. Today in Italy, the Caffe' Letterari have evolved into spaces where not only you can enjoy a latte or cappuccino while reading a novel but also are places where you can attend performances, engage in discussions on all subjects, listen to presentations, etc.–all in the name of "Culture." Collina Italiana is proud to present its own Caffe' Letterario, run by the women at CI, particularly actor, journalist, and Italian language instructor Laura Caparrotti. In celebration of Italian culture, especially writers and their novels, and essays, as well as to improve CI students' Italian language skills and expand on their knowledge of Italy, Laura leads participants on a unique journey to discover what remains unknown to most and is new in Italy–all of this and more in a cozy salon atmosphere. Professional actors will also be invited to Caffe' Letterario for a dramatic reading of a short story or essay by an Italian author and at the end of each performance or reading guests engage students in discussions in Italiano. Participants are provided copies of all material. Caffe' Letterario is a window into seeing the real Italy, through the experiences of native Italians. The class, designed for intermediate and advanced students, is conducted in Italian. In keeping with the salon spirit, coffee and pastries are served at every session. The Caffe' Letterario program is in collaboration with Kairos Italy Theater http://www.kitheater.com PARLA COME MANGI: Italian Language and Culture Supper Club For the series Parla Come Mangi: Italian Language and Culture Supper Club, Collina Italiana (www.collinaitaliana.com) has partnered with Alloro (www.alloronyc.com), an Italian restaurant in New York City that boasts creative contemporary fare in a funky chic setting. CI's Italian Language and Culture Supper Club at Alloro begins promptly at 6:30 PM and a three-course dinner (antipasto, primo piatto, dolce, and caffe) is served between 7-8:30. Alloro's creative cooking includes many specialties such as: Passatina di fagioli cannellini con bottarga di tonno e colatura di alici (appetizer: Cannellini bean puree with tuna roe and anchovy oil); Lasagne con cipolla bianca e tartufo nero (entrée: Lasagna with pearl onions and black truffles); Tortino di cioccolato piccante con sorbetto all'alloro (dessert: Spicy chocolate tart with laurel bay leaf sorbet). Parla Come Mangi: Italian Language and Culture Supper Club is a unique conversation class and a delectable Italian culinary experience. At a monthly sit-down dinner at a select Italian restaurant, a CI language teacher facilitates discussion entirely in Italiano around core themes (tailored to participants' levels), including: travel to Italy: where to go? what to see?; survival Italian: how to ask for information, how to reserve a hotel room, and how to order in a restaurant or bar; making small talk; la moda: dressing in Italy; Italian conception of romantic relationships; art, music, and literature of Italy; Italian contemporary film; Italian society: regionalism beyond North and South; the Italian family, the role of the church, and Italian educational system; Italian politics, the economy, and current affairs; etc. In addition, the restaurant owners, chef, and staff address the group entirely in Italian for an evening of total language immersion. The Parla Come Mangi: Italian Language and Culture Supper Club (conversation class and prix-fixe dinner) is $65 per session (including a complimentary glass of wine, tax, and tip). Join one session or the series for an authentic Italian cultural and culinary experience. ...Benvenuti e Buon Appetito! Kindly make your reservations no later than 3 days before each event (see dates and times below) at Collina Italiana: 212.427.7770 or by e-mailing info@collinaitaliana.com. You may also reserve through Alloro at info@alloronyc.com or call Gina: 212.535.2866. Space is limited. Alloro is located at 307 East 77th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues) on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Parla Come Mangi: Italian Language and Culture Supper Club Monday, January 18th (beginners) / 6:30-8:30 at Alloro Monday, January 18th (intermediate/advanced) / 6:30-8:30 at Alloro SURVIVAL KIT CLASSES The Survival Kit classes address a traveler's need for basic conversation skills in Italian before taking off from the airport. Learn in Italiano how to introduce yourself and others, ask for directions and information, reserve a hotel room or make a dinner reservation, order in a restaurant or bar, shop, visit museums, etc:
Survival Kit Classes Starting on Thursday, January 21 $ 170 for 4- 90-minute classes TAVOLA ROTONDA: Every other month, students at CI meet informally with instructors to discuss, in Italian, topics of interest, such as Italian politics, contemporary society, history, film, travel, fashion, etc. ITALIAN LITERATURE CLASS: Please inquire about schedule and rates Overview of some of the biggest names in Italian Literature Lesson 1: PETRARCA A look at the life and times of the 14th Century Italian author, Francesco Petrarca, who penned Il Canzoniere, one of Italy's most important literary masterpieces. Petrarca's unrequited passion for Laura is the theme of the many verses. Lesson 2: BOCCACCIO Italian literature of the 14th Century is well known for both its licentiousness and comic relief. We will examine work by Giovanni Boccaccio, author and poet, censored during the 1300s and charged during the period for immorality in and scandal over his work. Not until much later was Boccaccio reconsidered as an important figure in the history of Italian literature. Lesson 3: MANZONI We will read passages written by Alessandro Manzoni, 19th Century poet and novelist, and analyze the themes and characters in his work, such as the lovers Renzo and Lucia in I Promessi Sposi whose marriage was thwarted by astonishing historical events. Lesson 4: LEOPARDI A phenomenal poet and essayist in 19th Century Italy, Giacomo Leopardi was influenced by his father who encouraged the boy early on to study Latin and Greek. Later Leopardi implemented a comparative method of studying language whereby he analyzed texts simultaneously in both Latin and Greek, creating a novel approach to scholarship. We study Leopardi's Il Dialogo della Natura e di un Islandese (from the Operette Morali) among other great work by the writer. Lesson 5: VERGA Giovanni Verga represents the birth of Italian Realism at the end of the 19th Century during which time the opulence of the bourgeois world is pitted against the poor living conditions and struggle for the survival of the masses, especially in the South of Italy. Passages from Verga's I Malavoglia are read and analyzed. Lesson 6: MONTALE 20th Century Italian author, poet, editor, and translator Eugenio Montale won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1975. A bright and perceptive critic of the past century and inquisitive of the condition of man and his isolation in the world, Montale is parsimonious with words while his poetry remains hermetic in form and content. The poem I Limoni from Ossi di Seppia will be read and discussed in detail. LATIN (grammar and literature) Latin provides a strong foundation for learning Italian, French, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish. Latin word structures and sentence patterns encourage greater cognitive abilities such as increased observation, accuracy, and analysis. The Latin language also offers insight into Roman civilization and the customs, values, and ideas in Western culture today, including government, religion, art, literature, and economic systems. Lastly, more than 60% of English vocabulary comes from Latin, as well as the technical vocabularies of medicine, botany, law, astronomy, art history, and music. Basic LATIN (grammar and literature) are now available beginning September 2008. Private and semi-private Latin classes are offered upon request. Please inquire. Private Latin classes: $70/ hour Semi-private (2 students) Latin classes: $100/ hour ARCHITECTURE OF RENAISSANCE AND BAROQUE ROME: An Illustrated Lecture. Please inquire about schedule and rates The greatest period in Italian architecture since antiquity begins in Florence in the early Fifteenth Century and continues in Rome through the Seventeenth and early Eighteenth Centuries. The great works of Bramante, Michelangelo, Bernini, and Borromini are among the highlights of the Roman achievement, as are the planning of Baroque Rome at the behest of various popes. This period of brilliance culminates with spectacular gardens, piazzas, and fountains—the most famous of which is Salvi's Fontana di Trevi. Here, architecture, urban design, sculpture, and the play of water come together in an unsurpassed composition that beguiles, delights, and convinces all but the hardest-hearted that they must return to the eternal pleasures of the Eternal City. In a PowerPoint presentation and discussion, we shall address the aesthetic excellence and historical resonance of these achievements÷both for those who would see them for the first time and those who consider them old friends of inexhaustible fascination. DANTE'S LA DIVINA COMMEDIA: La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy) is one the best expressions of medieval culture and poet Dante Alighieri's personal masterpiece. Students begin reading l'Inferno, the most important cantico, translate passages and discuss its historical significance in 14th Century Florence. The complete Commedia (Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso) will be read throughout the year. |
     photos: © 2010 Roberta Fineberg
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