January 2023 Notiziario

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

It’s a new year, there’s a new Dante Alighieri Society website, and the newly elected and re-elected officers will be sworn in on January 13. Plans are already in place, or at least taking shape, to provide cultural information and education (monthly meetings, language classes, college scholarships), entertainment (concerts and performances), the opportunity to socialize (picnics and parties), and just plain fun for our members (and non-members for many events). Information on all activities is available via the Notiziario, our monthly newsletter, our website, dantealighieriofdenver.com and the Andiamo, Denver’s monthly Italian newspaper. And, of course, I’m always available for questions. Check it out, stay in touch and finally, Felice Anno Nuovo!

John Giardino, President

JANUARY 13, 2023 CULTURAL MEETING

Following the installation of Board officers elected at November’s annual General Meeting, John Giardino, President of the Dante Alighieri Society and experienced woodworker, will be presenting a unique look at an Italian icon.
How It’s Made: The Venetian Gondola. The gondola is not just an ordinary boat. For nearly a millennium, it has been designed and painstakingly constructed to not only accommodate il gondoliere and his/her passengers, but to flowingly negotiate the labyrinth of canals in Venice. Learn more about the surprisingly intricate nuances to ordinary boat building necessary to ensure the utility, safety, and navigability of these one-of-a-kind watercraft.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

It's that time of year again. Membership in the Dante Alighieri Society runs from January through
December so 2023 renewal cards will be mailed near the end of December. Please make any corrections on the card before mailing it back with your payment. Thank you, Rhonda.
Language students:
You can renew and pay for your 2023 membership online when you register for the January classes.

GRAZIE FROM THE EDITOR

I am taking this opportunity to say grazie to several people: to James Jackson for the improved and operational website and please take time to navigate it if you haven’t already; to Roberto Marcantonio for redesigning the colorful Notiziario header with Dante facing his native Firenze; to Rhonda Hopkins for chairing the annual Christmas party and making the white elephant exchange such a fun event, to the entire committee and for the gorgeous flower arrangements that only Margaret Foderaro can create.

 

BUON ANNO A TUTTI!

MOTHER CABRINI SELECTED FOR COLORADO WOMEN’S HALL OF FAME

St. Frances Cabrini (Mother Cabrini) has been selected for induction into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame, based upon the nomination submitted by the Dante Alighieri Society of Denver. Mother Cabrini is receiving this prestigious award for her outstanding accomplishments as a champion of immigrants, children, and the poor. A native of Italy, she was sent to the United States in 1889 at the direction of Pope Leo XIII to assist the masses of Italian immigrants who were living in harsh conditions. She established 67 schools, orphanages, hospitals, and social service agencies in the United States, in Central and South America, and in Europe. Mother Cabrini arrived in Colorado in 1902. At that time, Italian immigrants working in the mines were dying of lung disease, leaving many children orphaned. Mother Cabrini started her first orphanage in the Notary house on Navajo Street. Soon after she established a bigger orphanage, the Queen of Heaven orphanage at 4825 Federal Boulevard which operated until 1968, when orphanages were closed and replaced by foster care homes. Mother Cabrini has a special connection to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. She was one of the leaders who raised funds to rebuild the Church that is standing today, after the original structure was destroyed by fire. She established its elementary school for the children of Italian immigrants in 1902. Mother Cabrini founded a summer camp for orphan girls on the grounds of the Shrine in Golden in 1910. On March 15, 2023, Mother Cabrini will be inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in a formal induction ceremony and celebration at the Sheraton Downtown Denver Hotel. Tickets to the Gala will be available in January at www.cogreatwomen.org If you would like to sit at a table with other Dante Alighieri Society members, please contact Suzanne Fasing at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Or 303-810-9042.

The Dante Alighieri Society of Denver seeks nominations for the Annual Donne di Merito Awards

The Dante Alighieri Society of Denver has long acknowledged the contributions and achievements of Italian and Italian-American women to society as a whole. The Society now wishes to recognize Italian and Italian-American women: donne di merito (women of merit), who have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments that have contributed to the promotion, maintenance and preservation of the Italian culture. Candidates can be local, national or international women who have significant ties to Colorado and have made enduring contributions to Colorado’s Italian heritage. Awards may be given to historical or contemporary women. Award nominations are due on February 18, 2023. Recipients will be announced on March 10, 2023, at the Dante Alighieri Society’s cultural meeting in conjunction with International Women’s Month. Presentation of the awards will be held during the Society’s Awards Luncheon on Sunday, May 7, 2023, at the Mount Vernon Canyon Club.

Donne di Merito candidates may be submitted online HERE

Deadline for nominations: Saturday, February 18, 2023
Recipients announced: Friday, March 10, 2023
Presentation of awards: Sunday, May 7, 2023

SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDY IN ITALY 2023-2024

We will again be awarding scholarships to university students planning to study in Italy in the coming year.  If you or a student you know might be a candidate for a scholarship, please look for more information and application forms on our website HERE

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES WINTER SESSION BEGINS JANUARY 9, 2023

The Winter 2023 session of Italian language classes offered by the Dante Alighieri Society of Denver will be in-person language classes at 3549 Navajo Street, Denver 80211 in the parish office of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. Each class meets for 90 minutes, once a week, for 10 weeks, beginning the week of January 9, 2023. The class schedule is listed below, and it is also posted on the Society website. Classes are taught by talented bi-lingual instructors who have significant experience teaching Italian. Cost is $115 for members and $145 for non-members. New members are welcome to join the Dante Alighieri Society when they register for classes. For more information, please contact the Education Chair Suzanne Fasing at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Register Here

The registration deadline for the winter session is January 2, 2023.

Beginner 1. Mondays, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, beginning January 9, 2023 through March 13, 2023 (Brunetti). In this class students with little or no knowledge of Italian will learn to communicate in simple everyday situations. Students will study the basic building blocks of the Italian language, including the alphabet, rules of pronunciation, basic syntax, and grammatical structures. Topics include subject pronouns, definite and indefinite articles, regular verbs in the present tense, and noun-adjective agreement. Required Text: The New Italian Project 1a

Beginner 1. Tuesdays, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, beginning January 10, 2023 through March 14, 2023 (Howell). In this class students with little or no knowledge of Italian will learn to communicate in simple everyday situations. Students will study the basic building blocks of the Italian language, including the alphabet, rules of pronunciation, basic syntax, and grammatical structures. Topics include subject pronouns, definite and indefinite articles, regular verbs in the present tense, and noun-adjective agreement. Required Text: The New Italian Project 1a

Beginner 2. Mondays, 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm, beginning January 9, 2023 through March 13, 2023 (Brunetti). In this class students will build upon their existing knowledge while incorporating new vocabulary and grammatical structures through conversation, role plays, listening, reading and writing activities. Topics include irregular and modal verbs in the present tense, articulated prepositions, and possessive adjectives. Required Text: The New Italian Project 1a

Beginner 2. Tuesdays, 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm, beginning January 10, 2023 through March 14, 2023 (Howell). In this class students will build upon their existing knowledge while incorporating new vocabulary and grammatical structures through conversation, role plays, listening, reading and writing activities. Topics include irregular and modal verbs in the present tense, articulated prepositions, and possessive adjectives. Required Text: The New Italian Project 1a

Beginner 3. Thursdays, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, beginning January 12, 2023 through March 16, 2023 (Brunetti). In this class, students will build upon their prior studies through listening, reading and writing activities. Topics include past and future verb tenses, and the required text will be covered in its entirety. Emphasis will be placed on everyday conversational situations using grammar and vocabulary from the textbook. Required Text: The New Italian Project 1a

Beginner 4. Wednesdays, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, beginning January 11, 2023 through March 15, 2023 (Brunetti). In this class, students will build upon their prior studies through listening, reading and writing activities. Topics include future verb tenses and learning about holidays and train travel in Italy. Required Texts: The New Italian Project 1a

Intermediate 2. Wednesdays, 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm, beginning January 11, 2023 through March 15, 2023 (Brunetti). In this class students will continue to expand their studies of increasingly complex grammatical structures and vocabulary through listening activities, role plays, readings, and videos. Topics include direct object pronouns, reflexive verbs and the impersonal form.
Required Text: The New Italian Project 1b

Advanced 2. Thursdays, 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm, beginning January 12, 2023 through March 16, 2023 (Brunetti). In this class students will continue to expand their vocabulary and understanding of more advanced grammatical concepts through listening activities, role play, readings, videos, and conversation. The class will be conducted primarily in Italian and topics will include double object pronouns, relative pronouns and the gerund. Required Text: The Italian Project 2a

AUGURI DI BUON COMPLEANNO

We wish our members Buon Compleanno during their birthday month.

We want to include more members in this column, so please send a quick email,
with your birthday month and day, to Dante Society board member, Suzanne Fasing, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Grazie!

BENVENUTI

The Dante Alighieri Society of Denver gives a warm welcome to the following new members:

Bridget Bemhard, Morgan Casavant, Lara Cutkosky, Clare DiBella, Greg DiPaolo, Emily Dowd, Robert Eagle, Noelle Frechet, Christine and David Harms, Esther Kennedy, Gabor Kesseru, Michelle Link, Adam Lombardi, Jennifer Marsh, Laurie and Louis Mazzola,Steve Mclachlan, Coco Oslund, Nicholas Pattelli, Ross Paolino, Cindhura Reddy, Siobhan Roder-Cox, Sara Sheiner, Luisa Staerkel, Elliot Strathmann, Tony Tapia, and Kathryn Wallisch.

TIPS ON ITALY By Tonya Clement.

Have you ever stopped to think about how many words we use on a daily basis that look or sound similar to the Italian equivalent?  The words I am sharing today arrived to us through the Italian language.  So even if you are not taking an Italian language class, you already are speaking Italian and building a foundation of solid Italian vocabulary.

Food and Drink:  biscotti, macaroni, cappuccino, bruschetta, zucchini, pistacchio, mozzarella, minestrone, ciabatta, scampi, broccoli, gelato, pasta, lasagna, panini, pizza, spaghetti, bologna, amaretto, antipasto, arugula, carpaccio, espresso, fettuccine, latte, macchiato, maraschino, parmigiano, pesto, polenta, prosciutto, salame, spumoni, tortellini, trattoria, al dente,

People:  diva, ballerina, duo, soprano, mafia, paparazzi, barista, maestro, soprano,

Music:  Allegro, alto, basso, cello, concert, forte, intermezzo, opera, solo, tempo, vibrato, falsetto, duetto. crescendo, bravo, piano, tempo, viola,

Place or Structure or Substance:  casino, volcano, lava, terracotta, stravaganza (extravaganza), riviera, ghetto, al fresco, granito, mezzanino, patio, villa,

Illness or State: influenza, fiasco, finale, scenario, malaria,

Other:  motto, stanza, magenta, stiletto, propaganda, graffiti, tarantula, confetti, tombola, folio, piccolo, vendetta, presto, 

As I start the New Year, I am going to make it my resolution to build on my portfolio of Italian words by learning a new word each day. How is that for an aggressive goal?

FUND RAISING OPPORTUNITY FOR SCHOLARSHIP FUND

King Soopers offers organizations a simple way to raise money by returning 5% of grocery sales made on your card to the organization. To participate in the program…

For Computer Users:

• Go to kingsoopers.com - in the upper right-hand corner of the page – hover over the Account icon
• First sign into your account. (Or create a new account) Once that is done, go back to the same drop-down menu by hovering over the account icon again, this time click on the My Account Button.
• This will take you to another page – scroll to the bottom of the page and look for COMMUNITY REWARDS SECTION – click on the view Community Reward link.
• This will take you to another page look for the Find Organization Spot – type in Dante Alighieri and hit the magnifying icon and it will bring up Dante Alighieri Society of Denver click that and you will be enrolled.

To enroll using the app on your cell phone:

• Go to the King Soopers app once you are there go to the top right of the of the app where the three lines are, hit the three lines.
• This will send you over to another page – three spots down on this page is the Rewards Link, hit that spot.
• This will take you to the rewards area, click on the Community Rewards Link
• This will take you to the enrollment page – hit the blue button to search for organizations – then type in Dante Alighieri and hit the search and this will bring up the Dante Alighieri Society of Denver click on the name and you will be enrolled.

After you shop, at the bottom of your receipt will state: “we are contributing to the Dante Alighieri Society of Denver”.
If you have any questions, kindly contact Veronica Goodrich 303-421-1547 or Carol Marsala 303-237-0688.

CALENDAR 2022

MISSION STATEMENT
The Dante Alighieri Society of Denver strives to share and celebrate the richness of the Italian culture and language with the entire community.