Cartolina Christmas programme 24 & 31 December

Cari amici, in the next programme (24 & 31 December 2008), Cartolina brings an Italian Christmas with songs, interviews and a traditional recipe.

We talk about the typical instrument of the Italian Christmas: zampogna. Song: Zampognari in paradiso. Three little girls talk and sing their Christmas songs.

A great Italian tradition is the Nativity Scene, the Presepe. It seems that the first one was made by St Francis of Assisi, at the beginning of the 1200s. This tradition is still alive, as Ester Monti-Reid can testify, on the phone from Auckland, while little Emma provides some background music of her own….
More songs played in this programme are: Piva Piva, Caro Gesù bambino, Bianco Natale, Pasquella di Natale.

Our recipe: porcedduzzi al miele (honeyed piglets). In spite of its name, this is a dessert, traditionally prepared at Christmas time in Apulia. It’s basically small pieces of dough, fried and honey-dipped. Find the full recipe here.

Christmas Festival in the Arts Centre 11 am – 4 pm

Sunday 14 Dicembre : Christmas Festival in the Arts Centre 11 am – 4 pm

The sights and sounds of Christmas will come early to the South Quad at the Arts Centre. The Dante Society and other Christchurch's ethnic communities will present Christmas traditions from Italy and around the world. Learn to say ''Happy Christmas'' in ten different languages, sample seasonal food with a difference and buy from a range of unique Christmas decorations and gifts

November meeting - AGM & Absolutely Abruzzo tours

We finish our activities for this year with an evening at the Linwood Community Arts Centre on Tuesday 11 November (please note change of day!)
 
7.30 pm Annual General Meeting

8 pm Absolutely Abruzzo 

A mixed extravaganza of sound & image will bring Italy to life with some photos and some wonderful singing.

International operatic tenor Michael Howard will sing Italian songs and Luciana Masci will present a short video and photos to illustrate their Absolutely Abruzzo Tours.
 
Both Luciana and Michael have deep family ties to this beautiful region, and lead small groups through carefully crafted itineraries; they stay in restored villas and farmhouses, and everything is included even down to the selected wines, menus, cooking class and recipes as well as many unexpected and thoughtful extras along the way, not to mention Michael’s private concerts, accompanied by local musicians.

 Supper to follow the meeting.

No new updates for a wee while

Hi all,
This is your ex-newsletter editor Jerry. Thank you for reading this blog. I’m sorry but there will be no more updates on this site until a new newsletter editor taking over my place. I quit this job for several personal reasons and I won’t get into details to be kind. Let’s just say now is the time for me to step away.

Per ogni cosa c'è il suo momento, il suo tempo per ogni faccenda sotto il cielo. C’è un tempo per cercare e un tempo per perdere,un tempo per serbare e un tempo per buttar via.

Thanks again, and I hope you continue to enjoy what the Dante Society brings you.

September Meeting - John Doogan's Italian Photo Journey

7:30pm, Wed. 10 September, Linwood Community Arts Centre
Photographer John Doogan will give us a presentation for our September meeting about a brief overview of the tours he takes to Le Marche during the New Year and Epiphany period including La Befana and Pasquella. He will also show images from all over Italy taken during his trips there since 2002. Photographer John Doogan is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Photography with one bar and the Adobe Ambassador for New Zealand. He has won several awards in New Zealand and overseas. See more of John's work at www.digitalcactus.co.nz
John also organises photography tour every December and January in Italy, if you are interested in joining, please visit www.italyphototour.co.nz/

Everyone is welcome to come to our meeting! The usual refreshments and coffee will be provided.

Cartolina programmes 3 Sept.- 1 Oct. 2008

Cartolina radio programs “for those who remember Italy and who dream of it”.

3 September at 7.30 pm & 8 September at 10.30 am:

"Engineered Wood Structures: Building a sustainable future" with Massimo Fragiacomo and Stefano Pampanin. The latest massive timber engineering project in the Civil Engineering dept. of University of Canterbury, in collaboration with University of Sassari and Politecnico of Milano, indirectly brings Christchurch closer to Italy. Stefano and Massimo, two of the key researchers of this project, unravel the search for sustainable, earthquake-proof engineered timber structures of the future, structures especially in relation to earthquake safety.

This should be of particular interest to the engineers, but their talk is very comprehensible and educational to also anyone who is not in this field.

17 September at 7.30 pm & 22 September at 10.30 am:

Director Elric Hooper and USA tenor Carlo Scibelli (Manrico) talk about the coming Southern Opera season of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il Trovatore, at the Isaac Theatre Royal from 30 September. They tell about challenges and rewards of staging such a big classic, and more about opera in New Zealand and the USA, including the Metropolitan’s controversial program of offering cinemas across the world high-definition “simulcasts” of the Met’s live performances.

1 October at 7.30 pm & 6 October at 10.30 am:

From Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Major Stefano Fusi has come to New Zealand to revive an episode of WWII: a battle for the way to Firenze, that New Zealand soldiers fought there in 1944. Mr Fusi was in Christchurch recently with Jack Cummins, chairman of Christchurch Italy Star Association. Valerie Mayer interviewed them.

How to listen.

* Radio on demand through the internet: just visit: http://www.plainsfm.org.nz/Podcasts/programmes

Select “Cartolina” and you’ll get the list of all available programs.

* For the actual radio broadcast, tune in on PLAINS FM 96.9 on alternate Wednesdays at 7.30 pm, or listen to the repeat program on the following Monday, at 10.30 am.

Leonardo Da Vinci's Machines - Canterbury Museum

30, 31 August, Canterbury Museum
Da Vinci Machines
Join Leonardo da Vinci for a guided tour of the Da Vinci Machines exhibition. He will explain the intricacies of his creations and entertain you with stories and facts from the life of one of the greatest minds in history.
Check back here for tour times.
Admission to Da Vinci Machines: Adult $12, child (under 5 free) $8, family (2 adults and 2 children) $35.00.

Italian Children's School - Term 3

Term 3 of the Italian Children's School has started on 1 August. The school runs on every Friday afternoon from 4 to 5 at the Risingholme Community Centre in Opawa ($30 per term for 8 weeks). Anyone who is interested in joining please phone Maria at 326 6243.

Cartolina, August

Cartolina radio programs “for those who remember Italy and who dream of it”.

This month Cartolina introduces a nice couple from Rome.

7:30pm 6 Aug. & 10:30am 11 Aug: Professor Antonio Capone from Roma University takes us on a fascinating journey through the most advanced research in the field of the tiny components of the Universe. See how neutrinos are chased in Antarctica and in the depths of the Mediterranean Sea. And all in plain words!

7:30pm 20 Aug. & 10:30am 25 Aug: Dottoressa Marina Bicchieri from Istituto per la patologia del libro, the Institute of Books’ Pathology in Rome, takes us behind the scenes of how old manuscripts are analyzed and preserved. Egyptian papyrus, a nun’s letter in a bottle, St Francis of Assisi’s autograph, a Leonardo da Vinci’s codex, all of this is part of Marina’s everyday job.

How to listen.

* Radio on demand through the internet: just visit: http://www.plainsfm.org.nz/Podcasts/programmes

Select “Cartolina” and you’ll get the list of all available programs.

* For the actual radio broadcast, tune in on PLAINS FM 96.9 on alternate Wednesdays at 7.30 pm, or listen to the repeat program on the following Monday, at 10.30 am.

PLIDA Exam in November - APPLY NOW!

PLIDA is one of the three Italian language proficiency tests officially recognised by the Italian government. By passing the B2 level or above, you can use it as a proof of language proficiency when applying jobs in Italy or enrolling universities as foreign students. It works just like TOEFL or IELTS for English, DELF/DALF for French or ZDaF for German.

Dante Chch has recently been endorsed by the Dante Alighieri Sede Centrale as Centro Certificatore, and from November this year we will start running PLIDA exams and preparatory workshops in Chch.

Each of the four basic abilities: Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing is addressed and assessed separately. The length of the examinations varies according to the levels and goes from 90 min. for A1 level (Waystage) to a max. 210 min. for level C2 (Mastery). PLIDA takes place twice per year in May and November. A non-refundable fee is payable to sit the exam, currently it is set around somewhere less than $200 for each level, and a more detailed fee schedule will be released once it is decided.

DA Chch is the only committee running the PLIDA exams in NZ. To help us organise the exams and the preparatory workshops, please contact us if you wish to take the exam or you wish to obtain further details regarding the times and costs. Past exams can be found on the Dante website. For more detail about the test please click here. (.pdf file)

Massimo Folliero Piano Concert - 8 August

Società Dante Alighieri di Christchurch presents: Massimo Folliero Piano Concert

Italian Pianist Massimo Folliero has performed widely in Europe, Japan and the USA. Now on his first New Zealand tour, he’ll be playing Beethoven’s Appassionata and four Scherzo by Chopin in a recital organized by the Italian Dante Society.

Friday 8 August at 7.30 pm, Chapel of the Music Centre, 140 Barbadoes Street.
Door tickets: $10; students with ID: $5.

August Meeting - Engineered Wood Structures: building a sustainable future

7:30pm, Wed. 13 August, Linwood Community Arts Centre
The meeting this month will be the presentation titled "Engineered Wood Structures: Building a sustainable future" by Massimo Fragiacomo, Stefano Pampanin, Alessandro Palermo and Andy Buchanan.

The latest massive timber engineering project in the Civil and Natural Resource Engineering Department of University of Canterbury, with the collaboration with University of Sassari and Politecnico Milano, indirectly brings Christchurch closer to Italy. We are very fortunate to have most of the key researchers of this project together in Christchurch at the same time to give us a talk about the future of timber structures. This should be of particular interest to the engineers, but the talk will be very comprehensible and educational to also anyone who is not in this field.

The talk will be in English (with a nice Italian accent), and everyone is welcome to come to our meeting!

July Meeting - Sentiero degli Dei

7:30pm, Wed. 9 July, Linwood Community Arts Centre
The meeting this month will be the presentation titled
"La nave da crociera che vola tra le nuvole: Walking the Sentiero degli Dei on the Costiera Amalfitana - an illustrated talk by Denis Walker."

Sentiero degli Dei (Path of God) is a well known trekking path on the Amalfi coast, famous for it's beautiful scenery, and on a nice day you can see the Capri island from the path. Denis Walker will talk about his recent trip to the path, with some photos to show the stunning beauty of the region.

The presentation will be in English, and everyone is welcome to come to our meeting!

Cartolina, 9 - 23 July

Cartolina radio programs “for those who remember Italy and who dream of it”.

9 & 14 July: Evelyn & Alistair Robertson talk about their trip to Torino, where they witnessed the launch of the new Fiat Bambina, a great festa for all Italian cars lovers. We also have a quick update on the resurgence of Fiat industries. Listen to Domenico Modugno’s song ‘Ciao Bambina’ (what else?!)

23 & 28 July: Ewan Mitchell talks about his passion for Italian cars and food, and of his Mitchelli’s Deli Café in Ash St.. You can find a photo of the Mitchelli’s team on the Dante website. Then a nice winter recipe: zucca al forno, that is, baked pumpkin, with cheese and leek.

How to listen.

* Radio on demand through the internet: just visit: http://www.plainsfm.org.nz/Podcasts/programmes

Select “Cartolina” and you’ll get the list of all available programs.

* For the actual radio broadcast, tune in on PLAINS FM 96.9 on alternate Wednesdays at 7.30 pm, or listen to the repeat program on the following Monday, at 10.30 am.

House for rent in Tuscany

A house with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen. No swimming pool or garden. Fully furnished. Available from April to October, for people with transportation. The house is located at Setteponti, with Romanesque churches, in the Beato Angelico Valley between Florence, Siena and Arezzo. It is also close to Trasimeno Lake and Rome.

The place can house 8 people. The rent is 900 euro per month, 450 euro for 15 days, and 300 for a week. If you are interested, contact Teresa teresa.ricci.51@gmail.com for more information.

Una casa normale, senza piscina e giardino, con 4 camere da letto, 3 bagni, soggiorno, cucina; completamente arredata. periodo da aprile ad ottobre. Per persone con automobile.

Setteponti, chiese romaniche, in valle Beato Angelico, triangolo Firenze-Siena -Arezzo. escursioni lago Trasimeno, Roma.

I posti letto sono 8, per la spesa :per un mese 900 euro, 15 giorni 450 euro, 1 settimana 300 euro. Contatta Teresa a teresa.ricci.51@gmail.com se vuoi più informazioni.

Cartolina, 28 May to 25 June

Cartolina radio programs “for those who remember Italy and who dream of it”.

Patricia Hurley (28 May & 2 June) tells of a wonderful opera tour that she’ll be leading soon with Christchurch Symphony Orchestra CSO Murray Shaw, starting on 19^th of August in Verona and ending on the 13^th of September in Villa Petrolo in Tuscany. The tour will also touch Parma and Lucca, with excursions to Siena and Arezzo. And, if everything goes according to plan, in Parma flautist Luca Manghi will be playing host in his home region, where he’ll be spending his holidays. It looks like a dream tour, with the Prada outlet not too far from Villa Petrolo as just the icing on the cake…. Actually, it should be also Porcini season….

Abruzzi (11 & 16 June). Gail Hopkins tells how to find and buy a house in the Abruzzi, an Italian region full of great secrets. From her first trip there, to the connection with “il Trovacasa”, and then establishing “the Housefinder”, it’s all an adventure connecting New Zealand with Roman-founded Sulmona and the Peligna Valley.

From Dante Gold Coast (25 & 30 June): Catherine Newman tells about life on the Gold Coast and the local Dante Society. Catherine is also the newsletter editor of the Gold Coast Dante, and you can see her work, and catch up with what happens there, checking their website: www.dantegoldcoast.com

Red Pepper Jelly is a recipe that comes directly from Catherine’s mum’s kitchen in Canada.

How to listen.

* Radio on demand through the internet: just visit: http://www.plainsfm.org.nz/Podcasts/programmes

Select “Cartolina” and you’ll get the list of all available programs.

* For the actual radio broadcast, tune in on PLAINS FM 96.9 on alternate Wednesdays at 7.30 pm, or listen to the repeat program on the following Monday, at 10.30 am.

What's on the bookshelf of Dante Chch??

Here's a rarely known fact: our library has more than 700 books, 50 videos, magazines and music CDs.
By being a member of the Dante Society in Christchurch, you can borrow the books during out meeting or by contacting us for other arrangement.

Please go to our catalogue http://www.librarything.com/catalog/dantechch from time to time as it is still in progress of development, and new titles will be added during the year.

If you have read any of the books listed in the catalogue, please leave a review there by clicking on the head icon at the right hand side (requires signing in)

June "Meeting" - Italian Republic Day Dinner

The ever-popular Italian Republic Day Dinner returns:

at

BOATERS RESTAURANT

fine 3-course meal, with sing-along etc.

Friday 13 June at 7 pm

Price: $30 per person (exclude drinks. Drinks can be purchased on that night and must be paid for to the restaurant)

Please send your cheque, headed to Dante Society, c/o Robyn Black, 48 Huntsbury Ave, Christchurch 2, by Saturday 8 June.

Please send contact phone number, and specify any dietary requirement.

Places will be allocated on the basis of ‘first arrived, first served’. In case of contemporary overbooking, preference will be given to current members of Dante Society who have renewed their subscription. People who cannot be accommodated will be contacted by phone and their cheque will be posted back.

Italian Cooking Classes

Il Tortellino is the fitting name of a new school of Italian cooking started by Elisa Testoni. It offers a variety of classes, all of high standard traditional cooking, with tasting, wine, coffee… very Italian style. Because Elisa is also a teacher of Italian language, there is a double flavour to her classes.
All details are on: www.iltortellino.co.nz or contact Elisa directly: info@iltortellino.co.nz; Phone: 355 6883; Mob: 021 1224573. Dante members get 10% discount.

Pubblicità - Au Pair Service

We receive and circulate the following information:
For those of you who are having a busy household and not enough hands to cope with it all, Linguavision's Au Pair service place experienced au pairs (live in nannies) from overseas in families as part of a cultural exchange and this free of charge. They have contacts as well to place people in Italy. Mail your enquiries to info@linguavision.com or have a look at the website: www.linguavision.com

Paintings by Carlo Mirabasso

Carlo Mirabasso was born in 1959 in Tivoli, Rome where he attended and graduated from art school. Today he lives and works in the region of Umbria, the home of pre-Renaissance art, of which Mirabasso says, "I love the Umbrian region and its medieval villages" In 1979 Mirabasso graduated from art school in Rome. In the 1980s and '90s, in addition to painting, he worked in the field of advertising design and illustration.

Since 1996 Mirabasso has worked as a full time, professional artist. Today his finely executed paintings present a magical, pictorial world. In these works the artist's unique touch of modernity contrasts interesting with references and backdrops of Renaissance architecture.

His paintings are stylish and enchanting with wide appeal. The artist regularly exhibits throughout Italy, with recent shows in Rome, Milan, Teramo, Potenza, Verona, Brescia, Vicenza, Padova. He is now proudly and exclusively represented in New Zealand by International Art Centre, Auckland.

Two flutes Concert

Catch up with our friend Luca Manghi on Friday, 1:10pm 2 May, 'Lunch Time Series' at the Great Hall in the Arts Centre: “Two flutes Concert”, with Tjasa Dykes, flute, Luca Manghi, flute, and Iola Shelley, piano.

The program is quite varied:
W.F. Bach: Sonata III; G. Petrassi: Dialogo Angelico; B. Hoadley: Manaia; K. Cuzner: Jazz Jingles; K.& F. Doppler: Fantasy and Variations on themes from the opera Rigoletto.

Prices: $10 waged, $8 unwaged and seniors, $6 students, $2 children.

Monthly Meetings – Torino and the (Re)Born Bambina

Linwood Community Arts Centre, cnr. Stanmore & Worchester Rds, Wed. 14 May, 7:30pm
Evelyn and Alistair Robertson spent several months in Europe last year travelling around in their campervan. On 4 July they went to Torino for the launch of the new Fiat 500. Evelyn will talk about what happened in Piazza Vittorio Veneto and show photos of the new car and some of the special events which took place during the day. After visiting Torino, Evelyn and Alistair walked the Cinque Terre, then headed north to Genoa and crossed into France via Alba and the Colle di Tenda.

After the talk there will be complimentary supper - and coffee made with our new Bialetti mega-caffettiera.

Cartolina 30 April to 2 June

Cartolina radio programs “for those who remember Italy and who dream of it”.

Cari amici, apologies from Cartolina and from PLAINS FM for airing the wrong interview on 2 April. The lost program is being rescheduled in June.

30 April & 5 May: Tramping. Francesco and Cam Greco from Pisa, and Noeline Keeling from Christchurch talk about mountains in both Countries, and food & friendship, as the two tramping groups they belong to exchange visits. Francesco has also opened a sub-section of the Pisa C.A.I. in Seattle, so look out if the Tower there starts leaning…

14 & 19 May: Re-elected On. Marco Fedi and Sen. Nino Randazzo talk about the elections, their work in the past government and their goals in the new one. Being at the opposition will not hamper projects already started, on which there is general consensus (e.g. citizenship to Italians abroad who have lost it). Increasing funds for the Italian language and culture abroad is part of their focus.

28 May & 2 June: Patricia Hurley tells of a wonderful opera tour that she’ll be leading soon with Christchurch Symphony Orchestra CSO Murray Shaw, starting on 19 August in Verona and ending on 13 September in Villa Petrolo in Tuscany. The tour will also touch Parma and Lucca, with excursions to Siena and Arezzo. And, if everything goes according to plan, in Parma flautist Luca Manghi will be playing host in his home region, where he’ll be spending his holidays. It looks like a dream tour, with the Prada outlet not too far from Villa Petrolo as just the icing on the cake…. Actually, it should be also Porcini season….

How to listen.

* Radio on demand through the internet: just visit: http://www.plainsfm.org.nz/Podcasts/programmes

Select “Cartolina” and you’ll get the list of all available programs.

* For the actual radio broadcast, tune in on PLAINS FM 96.9 on alternate Wednesdays at 7.30 pm, or listen to the repeat program on the following Monday, at 10.30 am.

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Cartolina - April

2 & 7 April : Abruzzi. Gail Hopkins talks about how she visited and fell in love with the Abruzzi, an Italian region full of great secrets. From her first trip there, she went on to connecting with “il Trovacasa”, and then establishing “the Housefinder”, to help people find and buy a house in Abruzzi, and specifically in the Val Peligna area.

16 & 21 April: Coro della Portella. Wilma Laryn takes you for a musical journey in the Abruzzi region, through the songs of Il coro della Portella, an all-male Alpini choir that was formed in 1982 near l’Aquila, and that specializes in researching and promoting the regional repertoire. All the songs are in Abruzzese dialect, (translation provided beforehand). Many of them are adaptations of ancient, even medieval tunes, while others are the typical mountain songs. We talk also about Abruzzi-filmed Spaghetti Western and explain how to make spaghetti alla chitarra. We give a traditional recipe: Agnello brodettato Abruzzi style, that is lamb with a lemon and egg sauce.

30 April & 5 May: Tramping. Francesco and Cam Greco from Pisa, and Noeline Keeling from Christchurch talk about mountains in both Countries, and food & friendship, as the two tramping groups they belong to exchange visits. Francesco has also opened a sub-section of the Pisa C.A.I. in Seattle, so look out if the Tower there starts leaning…(Click "Read more" to read more!)

Cartolina is the program of Italian culture and life for those who remember Italy and those who dream of it….
It airs on PLAINS FM 96.9 every second Wednesday at 7.30pm and repeats on the following Monday at 10.30am.
It’s also radio on demand: you can now play complete programs on your computer; visit www.plainsfm.org.nz and click on “pod cast" to see the list of Cartolina programs that you can listen to. The recipes from the radio programs are also available on the Christchurch Dante website.
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Art exhibition – “Italia”

Alexis International Fine Art, 57 Mandeville Street, Riccarton, opens on 10 Apr.

Following on from his 2006 success in New York, 2007 has seen Keith Morant enjoy even greater success in Europe. Keith was presented with the ‘Premio alla Carriera’ –‘The Lorenzo Il Magnifico Award for a Lifetime Achievement in Art’.

This time the Alexis International Fine Art presents what Keith terms the “fruit of his foray” into Italy. In May he opens in Bologna through his Italian curators, Trevisan International Art, a show titled ‘Little Treasures’. For more information visit www.alexisart.co.nz

Monthly Meetings – House-finding in Abruzzi

Linwood Community Arts Centre, crn. Stanmore & Worchester Rds, Wed. 9 Apr., 7:30pm
Since visiting regularly the Abruzzi region and helping lots of Cantabrians find the home of their dreams there, Gail Hopkins has plenty of stories to tell and pictures to show. Abruzzi, where the spaghetti western movies are filed, is the latest real estate hot spot following Tuscany and Umbria. Abruzzi is unspoiled, with harsh mountains and mellow sea, Roman ruins and Medieval towns...and plenty of good food and hospitality.

After the talk there will be complimentary supper - Spaghetti with Sauce Abruzzi style and coffee made with our new Bialetti mega-caffettiera.

March Activities!!!

Rather than our regular meetings, we start the year with two very different but equally exciting activities.

On Monday 10 March at 7:30pm there is a concert by Italian pianist Filippo Faes. Filippo Faes is professor of chamber music at the Conservatory of Castelfranco Veneto. He holds masterclasses in Europe and the USA (North Texas University) and is often a member of the jury of international competitions. Since 1999 RAI SAT Television has already broadcasted three times the ten sequels of "Conversations at the piano with Filippo Faes", a program he created and played in. He is one of the candidates for the current Piano vacancy in University of Canterbury; and we wish him all the best. The concert is at the Great Hall of the Arts Centre, tickets cost $15 or $10.

On Saturday 15 March the Dante Society will again join the other ethnic communities for the Culture Galore (12pm - 4pm,Ray Blank Park, Maidstone Rd). Please come and have some real espresso and to know more about our activities this year. No matter you are Italians living in Christchurch, students of the Italian language, or someone just being interested in the Italian culture, we are looking forward to seeing you there!!

Cartolina

Cari amici, welcome to the new year of Cartolina programs “for those who remember Italy and who dream of it”.

Some of you have already discovered the convenience of listening in their own time, through the internet, simply visiting here. Select “Cartolina” and you’ll get the list of all available programs.
If you are keen on the actual radio broadcast, tune in on PLAINS FM 96.9 on alternate Wednesdays at 7.30 pm, or listen to the repeat program on the following Monday, at 10.30 am. Contents of the single programs are on the “Radio Program” page of the Dante website

The upcoming programs are:

Tribute to Pavarotti. In four programs, from 23 January to 5 March, Cartolina celebrates Pavarotti’s artistic life playing some of his famous and less famous recordings, interspaced by comments from a number of people with connection or interest in the opera world: Beverley Cock and Dame Malvina Major (23 January), Luca Manghi and Ruth Todd (6 February), the former Italian Ambassador, Liana Marolla, and Christopher Doig and Suzanne Prain (20 February), and Antony Ernst and Denis Walker (5 March).

Mercatini (19 & 24 March). Guests Lis Burt & Frans Huysmans, owners of the Mercatini shops in Auckland-Newmarket and in Christchurch at 216 Madras St., talk about their expeditions through Italy to source great furniture, made by artisans who follow traditional hand craft methods. Recipe: prawns with cannellini beans. We’ll play a song, just received from a young Italian song writer, Gerardo Amato: “Cha cha cha della nostra Italia”, and more music, from the Tuscan folk repertoire.

Abruzzi (2 & 7 April). Gail Hopkins tells how to find and buy a house in the Abruzzi, an Italian region full of great secrets. From her first trip there, to the connection with “il Trovacasa”, and then establishing “the Housefinder”, it’s all an adventure connecting New Zealand with Roman-founded Sulmona and the Peligna Valley.

Italian Children's School

The Italian Children's School has started on Friday afternoon the 15th of Feb. in Opawa at the Risingholme Community Centre. For more information about the school please write to Maria Fresia at mariafresia1@hotmail.com

Authentic Venetian Masks

If you have come to the Italian National Day dinner last year or the our Christmas stand at the Arts Centre, you might have seen the beautiful Venetian masks made by our Venetian friend Alberto. Now you can buy them at a very reasonable price at the furniture store Mercatini, 216 Madras St. (click "read more" to read more...)

Mercatini (and its twin shop in Newmarket, Auckland) sells wonderful artisan's furniture imported from Italy. The owners of Mercatini are happy to keep the masks for decoration of their shops and to sell them on our behalf. Please go there and have a look if you are considering getting a mask or a beautiful piece of furniture!

New Membership Fee

We would like to kindly remind you to renew your membership for 2008. To cover the expenditure of our activities, the membership fee for 2008 is changed to:
$20.00 single
$27.50 family
$12.50 unwaged/pensioner/student
You can renew your membership at our meeting in March, or you can send a cheque made out to Dante Society, to our Treasurer: Robyn Black, 48 Huntsbury Avenue, Christchurch, with all your details to update our mailing list.

We would like to thank all the members for the supports over the years, and we hope that you could continue supporting us. Your contribution is our only support!

Dante Event - Italian Concert & Dinner at The Akaroa Music Festival

Gaiety Hall, Akaroa, Wed.30 Jan

This Festival is a brand new concept, set up by teachers of the University of Canterbury School of Music. It’s a one-week event, with music master classes, and concerts, each concert featuring a country: French, Spanish, Korean, and Italian nights.
During the interval, a national themed buffet will be available, with separate ticket (you can go to the concert without the dinner, but you cannot go to the dinner without the concert).
As fund raising for the Children School, the Dante Society has undertaken the task of catering for the event for the Italian night. Tickets can be purchased through Tiketek, or as door sale.


Italian Night with "Il racolto" and Brigitte Murray
Italian music - brightly coloured, individualistic, coonfident, stylish, arrestingly decorated bubbling with enthusiasm and spirit. Il Raccolto will perform most popular and famous composers of the Italian period authentic in an authentic Baroque style. Maurice Till, one of NZ's most accomplished pianists who has appeared on stages all over the world for the past 60 years with artists such as Elisabeth Schwarzkopt and Pierre Fournier will accompany the stunning soprano Brigitte Murray in the second half of this concert. Dinner: a selection of pasta dishes, mixed salad, panettone.
Tickets: $20 adult, $18 senior, $12 child & student. Italian dinner: $25. Cash Bar available for drinks.

Please make your reservation as soon as possible. Dinner reservation closes 3 days before the event, door sales are available for the concert. Please come to support our Children’s School, and enjoy a wonderful night in charming Akaroa! For more information, please visit: http://www.akaroafestival.org.nz

Gusto Italiano - Canterbury Farmers Market

Come and visit the Canterbury Farmers Market on Saturday mornings and you can purchase the wonderfully cooked authentic Italian dipping/pasta sauces (sugo alla norma, pesto genovese etc.) and calzoni there for very reasonable prices from Andrea and Brunella.

Canterbury Farmers Market is held at the Riccarton House and Bush (opposite to Christchurch Boys' High School) every Saturday morning from 9am to 12pm. Click here for the map.

UC Summer Course - ITAL 101 Beginners' Italian

For any current Canterbury student who wishes to get some extra credits in university during the summer and get a solid foundation in the Italian language, the "ITAL 101 - Beginner's Italian" is offerred again this year.
Starting from 7 Jan, This 1.5 month long course offers a serious introduction to Italian language in reading, writing, speaking and listening comprehension.
For more information, visit the course website.

If you wish to enrol, please go to the Registry on 7 Jan. The enrolment has to be complete on that day.