May - Jun 2021 DANTE AND THE MAKING OF ITALIANS DAS Australia Adelaide IN AUSTRALIA Brisbane Cairns COMMEMORATIONS FOR Canberra Gold Coast THE 700TH ANNIVERSARY Hobart Melbourne OF THE PASSING OF Mildura Perth DANTE ALIGHIERI Sydney Townsville Hosted by the Dante Alighieri Society of Sydney as an online webinar Paolo Totaro AM Foundation Chairman of the Ethnic Affairs Commission (1977-1989) 27 May 2021 - 6:00pm to 7:30pm To celebrate the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri’s death, you are all invited to join the Dante Alighieri Society of Sydney for a free talk on Zoom on 27 May 2021 at 6 pm, by visiting the Events section of the website: www.dantealighieri.com.au Paolo Totaro AM, Foundation Chairman of the Ethnic Affairs Commission (1977-1989), poet, pianist, and public servant in a variety of positions, will talk about “Dante and the making of Italians in Australia”. Email: [email protected] Come to a fascinating presentation by AN AUSTRALIAN SPORT BASE IN ITALY? Curtin University’s pollination biologist and ecologist Strange but true DANIELA SCACCABAROZZI FLORAL APPEAL - The Intriguing Strategies WARWICK FORBES Head of the Australian Institute of Sport Europe Used by Some Plants Such as Orchids to Attract Bees and Other Pollinators Why AIS set up a base in Gavirate (Varese, Italy)? 8pm Thursday 20 May 2021 8pm Thursday 17 June 2021 Lev. 2 Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre Lev. 2 Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre 180 London Cct (entry via Civic Square) 180 London Cct (entry via Civic Square) See page 17 See page 17 NEWS FROM THE OFFICE What’s Inside? Upcoming Events NATIONAL LAUNCH OF 3 May 5.30pm - 7.30pm DANTE UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS Conversazione e Cultura @ The Italian Place 3 M. Curtotti . 10 May 5.30pm - 7.30pm DANTE ALIGHIERI SOCIETY AT Conversazione e Cultura @ The Italian Place UNVEILING OF PEACE POLE . 6 17 May 5.30pm - 7.30pm SEI APRILE: CARBONARA DAY Conversazione e Cultura @ The Italian Place L. Catizone . 7 24 May 5.30pm - 7.30pm CIRCLING THE SQUARE IN ST PETER’S: Conversazione e Cultura @ The Italian Place A SUGGESTION FOR AN ITINERARY IN ROME 31 May 5.30pm - 7.30pm J. Docker . 9 Conversazione e Cultura @ The Italian Place DANTE ALIGHIERI IN THE YEAR 2021 2 June Festa della Repubblica B. Bonino ............................................ 11 17 June Warwick Forbes: The Australian Institute of L’ANGOLO DELLA LINGUA Sport/European Training Centre at Gavirate (Varese) Y. Alberti ............................................. 14 WORD SEARCH – SPORT Regular Events R. Perre & C. Perre . .15 Dante Musica Viva Choir rehearsals on Thursdays from WHO IS DANIELA SCACCABAROZZI, 5pm to 7pm THE SPEAKER AT OUR CULTURAL EVENT Conversation classes on Thursdays (7 - 9pm). OF 20 MAY 2021? . .17 Grammar classes on Tuesdays (Beginners and THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SPORT IN Continuing Beginners) and Wednesdays (Intermediate, ITALY A PRESENTATION BY WARWICK FORBES Continuing Intermediate and Advanced). ON 17 JUNE 2021 . .17 PER UN SORRISO: Library ANCHE IN TEMPI DI COVID SI PUÒ! The Dante library is open during office hours. S. Zucchini Catizone . .18 L’ANGOLO DELLA POESIA Office Hours Y. Alberti ............................................. 21 The new office hours of the Dante Alighieri Society of ARTURO MALIGNANI – Canberra Inc. are 9:00am - 3:30pm Monday to Friday. A FRIULIAN INVENTOR For all enquiries, please call the office on (02) 6193 Y. Alberti ............................................. 22 5028 or send us an email to [email protected] GROTTA AZZURRA – BLUE GROTTO Visit us at www.danteact.org.au and click ’like’ on E. Jaccoud . .23 Facebook to be up to date! Committee Members President Franco Papandrea Vice-Presidents Cathy Perre and Alessandro Merola Treasurer Anthony Hanrahan Dante Review Editorial Board Secretary Sam Palma Journal Editor Luigi Catizone Committee Members Franco Perussich, Gabrielle Deputy Editor Michael Curtotti Gangitano, Joshua Brown, Julie Docker, Anne-Marie Email [email protected] Hogan and Fariba Imani ISSN 1441-8592 Periodico bimestrale del Comitato di Canberra della Società Dante Alighieri • Published by Dante Alighieri Society of Canberra Inc. 2nd Floor Notaras Multicultural Centre 180 London Circuit Canberra City ACT 2601 Phone 02 6247 1884 Email [email protected] Website www.danteact.org.au Designed and printed by: Impress Printers, Canberra, www.impressprinters.net.au The publisher, editors and printers expressly disclaim all and any liability to any person whatsoever with respect to any contents in the publication 2 | Dante Review May – June 2021 NATIONAL LAUNCH OF DANTE UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS Professor Rodney Lokaj Takes Us on a Journey from Melbourne to Spoleto in a Heartbeat Michael Curtotti In 1321, 700 years ago, Dante Alighieri’s remains by DAS Rome: an initiative to provide support and were interred in Ravenna; the city where Dante technical facilities to the work of promoting Italian had lived out his last years in exile and where his culture and language around the world. This is an tomb may still be visited today. initiative of particular importance, he noted, in this time affected by COVID-19 which has made online In 2021, global commemorations are being held spaces so much more important to everyone. around the world to mark the seventh centenary Dr Brown read passages from Canto 1 of the Divina of Dante’s passing, including in Australia. The Commedia taking us to the beginning of Dante’s eleven Dante Alighieri Societies of Australia, with own poetic journey and his encounter with his own the support of Dante Rome, have joined together mentor, the ancient Roman poet Virgil. Dr Brown to host a series of face to face and online events to reflect on Dante’s significance to Australia and the world more broadly. On 25 March 2021, to coincide also with Dantedì 2021, the Dante Alighieri Society of Canberra hosted the national launch of the seminar series as a locally, nationally (and internationally) webcast event. Around 65 people attended the face to face commemoration in Canberra and the online zoom webinar was joined by around 100 online participants. The event was also simultaneously webcast to the DAS Canberra Facebook page Professor Rodney Lokaj drawing a total online audience of over 500 participants. An edited version of the webcast is now available and can be viewed via the national series website at https://danteaustralia.org/canberra-national- launch-dante-day-25-march-2021/ The event included a reading from the Divina Commedia by Dr Joshua Brown, Convenor of Italian Studies at ANU; speeches by Professor Franco Professor Franco Papandrea Papandrea, President of DAS Canberra and by Her Excellency Francesca Tardioli, Ambassador of Italy; the main presentation by Professor Rodney Lokaj, webcast from Spoleto; and musical performances by Fleur Millar, Michael Row and Sam Row. Proceedings were opened with a short video message from the Secretary General of the Dante Alighieri Society of Rome, Alessandro Masi, to mark the centenary. Il signor Masi noted the importance of the commemoration and announced the launch of a global digital platform “Dante Globale” hosted Dr Joshua Brown May – June 2021 Dante Review | 3 Spoleto section of the State Archives of Spoleto for hosting Professor Lokaj to speak to the gathering from the archives. Her Excellency Francesca Tardioli also addressed the meeting reflecting on the significance of the commemoration. Dante, the poet, the philosopher, the politician, the person, she observed, embodies and symbolises Italy as a whole: and he is a paradigmatic representative of Italian culture. He was seminal in fostering the Italian language in an era when the “vulgar tongue” - the common speech - was not held in respect. His contribution was also much more significant - the universal principles embedded in his thought have influenced modern society. She shared the story of the first printed edition of the Divine Commedia. As a result of war in the city of Mainz, printers and typographers, masters of the new mechanical art of printing fled their home. Among them was the typographer Johann Numeister, a student of Gutenberg - who H.E. Francesca Tardioli found refuge in Foligno; only 30 km from Spoleto. In 1472, together with the Italian entrepreneurs, recalled the words of another great Italian poet, Mariotto and Emiliano Angelini, he produced the first Eugenio Montale, about Dante: printed edition of the Divina Commedia. The paper for it was produced by Benedictine monks who also “The further we get away from Dante and his world, the were great entrepreneurs managing two paper mills greater is our desire to know him and to make his world which they had maintained for around two centuries. known to others” The Ambassador observed that the story represents In introducing the National Launch, Professor the sense of what culture was and still is for Italy. Papandrea noted the significance of the national She expressed her gratitude to people around the launch in the history of the Dante Societies in Australia, world including the Dante societies for their joyful which have existed in Australia for 125 years. He commitment to keeping alive the traditions of Dante. observed that in 125 years, the societies in Australia had never before come together for a national Participants then enjoyed the presentation of initiative of any kind, whether in respect of Dante or Professor Lokaj who shared his story. He recalled any other topic. Professor Papandrea thanked the himself as a nineteen year old having his first 11 societies of Australia for their collaboration in the encounter with Dante at Swinburne University “Lei, national seminar series and speakers for forthcoming legga, traduca” “You, read and translate” his professor events, as well as Professor Lokaj himself. Franco also directed him. From these words, whose meaning warmly thanked the members of the Dante Alighieri was at first unknown to him, Professor Lokaj began Society of Canberra organising working group for a life of adventure.