DANTE ALIGHIERI SOCIETY PICNIC
This annual get-together will be on Sunday, July 30, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Oakhurst Park in Westminster.
LOCATION: 9311 Lark Bunting Drive - MAP
DIRECTIONS: Turn west off of Wadsworth on 94th and continue until you reach Lark Bunting Drive; turn left and continue until you arrive at the park on your right.
Rhonda Hopkins has kindly agreed to be the Chairperson for the picnic; there is no cost to members and their families but reservations are required and should be made by calling or emailing Rhonda as shown below.
The Society will provide hamburgers, sausages, and hotdogs as well as beer, wine, soft drinks and water. Plates, napkins, cups and plasticware will also be provided. Attending families are asked to bring the following: salad or side dish (last names beginning M-Z) or dessert (last names beginning A-L) and utensils for these dishes if needed. There will be games and activities in the park’s playground. There is a backstop for kickball and a sand volleyball court, but please bring equipment for other games you wish to play.
We are looking forward to seeing you all there, so please make your reservations before July 26 including number of attendees with Rhonda Hopkins at
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Summer is vacation time and I know many of our members are travelling abroad, some to our beloved Italy. We are considering launching a blog on our website where people can share their special experiences in the “old country”. If that’s something you think would be of value to future travelers to Italy, please let me know. A considerable investment of time and treasure went into the development of our new website, and we want to make sure we are taking full advantage of this wonderful tool. Should we decide to move forward with this project, we will necessarily develop protocols to insure the appropriateness of every posted blog. Please let me know want you think about this idea, or any ideas you may have for the betterment of our Society. You can contact me directly through our website.
Grazie, John Giardino.
BENVENUTI
The Dante Alighieri Society of Denver gives a warm welcome to our new members:
Terry Banfield, Shandra Belknap, Jordan Byrne, Kayla Chambers, Liz Cotroneo and Damian Hites, Lynn Dexter, Nancy Egelhoff, Therese Fox, Elizabeth Fuselier, Andrew Gargano, Evan Icolari, Victoria Hulit, Derek Johnson and Karen Magner, Linda and David Kimball, Tanya Mann, Bernice Pasut, Sandor Rebek and Lindsey Sarshad, Faith and Rock Roncaglia, Jesus Roque. Emily Ross, Debra and Bjarne Siverson, Mary Ann Stringile, Jennifer and Peter Talluto, David Tasker and Jordan Wesolowski.
FALL SESSION OF ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES BEGINS SEPTEMBER 18, 2023
The Society’s ten-week summer session of in-person Italian language classes is currently underway. The fall session of Italian language classes will begin the week of September 18, 2023. The schedule for fall classes will be posted on the Dante Society website by August 14. The registration deadline for the fall session is September 11. Classes are taught by experienced and talented bi-lingual teachers, and include beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes. Each class meets for 90 minutes, once a week at 3549 Navajo Street, Denver, in the parish office of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. 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. Please register early because classes do fill up. For more information, please contact the Education Chair Suzanne Fasing at
To register for classes - CLICK HERE
AUGURI DI BUON COMPLEANNO
We wish our members a 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
Clare DiBella
Kelli Hahn
Peggy Battalora
Terry Banfield
Anne Cucchi
Marshall Gile
Karen Magner
Matthew Filiberti
Claudia Browne
1-Jul
3-Jul
5-Jul
6-Jul
11-Jul
14-Jul
14-Jul
15-Jul
16-Jul
Frank W. Giardino
Elliot Strathmann
Alexis Keegan
Kris McKissack
Hannah Seely
Alfred Vialpando
Patrick Lynch
Tonya Clement
17-Jul
19-Jul
20-Jul
20-Jul
23-Jul
23-Jul
24-Jul
25-Jul
HOSPITALITY UPDATE
Hospitality Chairperson Camilla Marcantonio would like to thank the members who have provided refreshments for the cultural meetings. If you would like to contribute to our gatherings in this way, please contact Camilla at the following:
SAVE THE DATE
The following was sent by the Rockies: “This year's IABF Heritage Night at Coors Field is set for Saturday, July 29th (6:10 first pitch) and the link below is live. We will have a pregame reception on the Rooftop (printable flyer forthcoming), and will all be located on the first base side, upper deck, which are great seats for the price ($21 each before the fees and taxes). We will send the flyers for posting as soon as we receive them from Rockies Group Sales.”
For additional information visit: http://rockies.com/IABF
TIPS ON ITALY By Tonya Clement
I am writing today’s article from Italy! While on vacation, there is a word that I hear repeatedly that I feel needs to be highlighted. The word gia’ is used frequently by the locals and it can be used in many different contexts.
It can be the answer to a question, for example, “Hai perso il treno?” Did you miss the train? An Italian may answer the question with, “Gia’!” Their quick response means YES. If you tell an Italian the weather is horrible today – “Il tempo e’ orribile oggi,” they may respond with gia’. It is a bit like yeah or yes.
More commonly the word gia’ means already when you are expressing concern. For example, Hai gia’ finito di mangiare? When gia’ is used in this case you are sort of underscoring the already as in saying have you (already) finished eating so soon?
There is a third case where you may see or hear the word gia’ and it will come before a name in a newspaper or on the news. For example Giorgio Armani, gia’ Ministro della Moda. What I am really saying is Giorgio Armani, the Ex Minister of Fashion.
Gia’ is pronounced “Jah”….a soft “G” that sounds like the “Jo” in Jolly. Just drop the lly and you have the proper pronunciation of gia’.
Gia’ abbastanza! Enough already.
BRIEF NEWS FROM ITALY
- Rome Fiumicino seen as Lufthansa's new southern hub after ITA deal. Lufthansa hopes to develop Rome Fiumicino as a southern hub for the group and will focus on long-haul flights from the Italian airport to Northern and Latin America. Lufthansa will buya 41% stake in ITA Airways, the successor of former flagship carrier Alitalia, through a 325 million euro ($357.76 million) capital increase and is aiming to take full control of the airline in the future. (We The Italians)
- Ancient books in northern Italy frozen to salvage them from flood damage. Ancient books and manuscripts, some dating back to the 16th century, that have been affected by devastating floods in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna are being stored in freezers in an effort to salvage them. (We The Italians)
- The No. 1 ‘underrated’ city in the world, according to 175 travel experts, is the new ‘hot city’. Sharael Kolberg, a travel journalist for over 20 years, recently asked 175 travel enthusiasts, experts and agents about what they think is the most underrated city to visit. The most popular answer was surprising: Bologna, Italy. “Bologna is very up-and-coming and poised to be the new hot Italian city to visit,” says Tom Marchant, founder of luxury traveling company Black Tomato, “And as the home of Bolognese pasta, it’s a foodie mecca.” (We The Italians)
- How much more will Italian museums cost this summer? Many of Italy’s famous museums and attractions have hiked their ticket prices by ten percent or more since last summer - and further price increases are on the way. High inflation and widespread demand are driving up the cost of holidays in Italy this summer. Prices are rising fast. (The Local)
- Floods in Italy: Scientists investigate cause of 'one-in-200-year' disaster. After floods devastated much of the northeastern Emilia Romagna region this month, researchers said on Wednesday that climate change wasn't the only factor behind the "rare" event. (The Local)
- Aid Package. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced a €2 billion aid package to help northeastern areas affected by floods that killed 14 people, displaced thousands and left swathes of farmland submerged. (The Local)
- Uber to shut down food delivery service in Italy. The Uber Eats food delivery service is leaving Italy after seven years, the company announced on Thursday. (The Local)
- Italy braces for first summer heatwave with highs of 33C (94F). After weeks of rainy weather, temperatures are set to rise dramatically this weekend as Italy prepares for the first heatwave of the year. With hot and sunny conditions expected across the entire country this weekend, summer seems to have finally arrived in Italy. (The Local)
CALENDAR 2023
CULTURAL MEETINGS
EVENTS
July 30 - Annual picnic
LANGUAGE CLASSES
Fall session begins Sept 18
WEBSITES TO VISIT FOR MORE ABOUT ITALIAN CULTURE
- Societa’ Centrale Dante Alighieri – http://ladante.it
- Societa’ Dante Alighieri di Roma - http://www.dantealighieri-roma.it
- Dante Alighieri Society of Denver, Colorado – http://www<strong< a="">>.dantealighieriofdenver.com</strong<>
- Dante Alighieri Society of Pueblo: http://www.dantealighieriofpueblo.org
- DAS of Denver in Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dante-Alighieri-Society-ofDenver/153670041417079.
- News from Italy – http://video.sky.it/news/diretta.
- Italian art - http://www.arte.it/.
- Italy news in English – http://www.thelocal.it/.
- Travel and Events – http://www.i-italy.org/.
- The World of Dante – The study and teaching of the Divine Comedy, http://www.worldofdante.org.
- Web site for TG5 (Mediaset) Notizie dall’Italia – http://www.mediasetitalia.com/nazioni/colorado.shtml.
- US Citizenship – http://www.uscitizenship.info/italian-american-history-and-culture/.
- Contemporary art and culture – (Arte e cultura contemporanea), http://www.artwireless.it.
- First Web TV on Italian language and culture – http://www.alma.tv.
- Italian American Museum - http://www.ItalianAmericanMuseum.org.
- Radio Italia – http://www.radioitalia.it/player.php.
- Stations based in Italy as well as international stations – http://www.italiansinfonia.com/stations.htm.
- Wikipedia’s list of Italian radio stations – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_radio_stations_in_Italy