Notiziario

DONNE DI MERITO AND SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS MAY 2023

Our Society gathered to enjoy its annual Awards Luncheon on Sunday, May 7, and was proud honor this year’s Donne di Merito recipients and to present scholarships to five outstanding university students who will be studying in Italy over the next year. Those attending enjoyed a beautiful musical performance by Darcy Naugle, Coloratura Soprano, and Rosanna Patrona-Aurand on piano.

darcy and rosanna Darcy Naugle and Rosanna Patrona-AurandT rosalie Rosalie Galasso Caputohe 2023 Donne di Merito Awards went to Contemporary Winner Rosalie Galasso Caputo, who was recognized for her significant and enduring contributions as a teacher of Italian and her continued support of the Italian culture in our community, and to Historical Winner, Sister Blandina Segale, who served the communities of Colorado and New Mexico in the 1800s as a teacher and protector of the immigrant and native population. This award was graciously accepted by Mr. Jay Cimino, long-time champion of the city of Trinidad, Colorado. He will place the award there in the garden dedicated to Sister Blandina.

jay Jay Cimino 2023 scholorship 2023 Scholarship WinnersThe Giulio Marcantonio Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Chelsea Elliot from the University of Colorado at Boulder who will study in Florence in CU’s Global Seminar: Dante in Florence. Four students from the University of Denver were awarded Dante Alighieri Society Scholarships: Madison Bryant, who will study at John Cabot University in Rome; Aleimi Garcia-Briones, who will attend the University Studies Abroad Consortium in Torino; Rylee Patrick, who will study at Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence; Connor Villines, who will study at Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence in the summer and at the Sant’Anna Institute in Sorrento in the fall.

This event is a highlight of the year’s activities and would not be possible without the support of all who have contributed to our Scholarship Fund. A special “thank you” goes to members of the Scholarship Committee and to our Board for their hard work and continued support to make this occasion memorable for all who attended.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

One of the highlights of the year for the Dante Alighieri Society of Denver is our Annual Awards Luncheon, which took place this year on Sunday May 7. In addition to recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who were honored, the celebration was an affirmation that the Dante Alighieri Society continues to fulfill its mission, “to share and celebrate the richness of the Italian culture and language with the entire community”. Your Board strives to ensure that what we offer is interesting, educational, inspiring, and fun! We’ll always keep you informed, via the Notiziario and our website, of all the exciting events scheduled for members and guests. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about your Society.

Grazie, John Giardino.

JUNE CULTURAL MEETING: Night at the movies.

On Friday, June 9^th, 7:30 p.m., we will show “Pranzo di Ferragosto” (Mid-August Lunch) in Italian with English subtitles; this film stars Gianni DiGregorio in a charming tale of great food, feisty ladies and unlikely friendships during a very Roman holiday. Refreshments and social hour will follow.
LOCATION: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church Parish Hall.
ADDRESS: 3549 Navajo Street, Denver.

AUGURI DI BUON COMPLEANNO

We wish our members a Buon Compleanno during their birthday month.

Codey Fredenhagen
James Jackson
Joseph Liberatore
Tammy Sneed
Joanne Valvano
Christine Harms

3-Jun
3-Jun
3-Jun
6-Jun
6-Jun
7-Jun

birthday

John Giardino
Laurie Mazzola
Leah Becton
Debra D’Adamio
Katie Baxt
Laura Horesh

11-Jun
11-Jun
13-Jun
19-Jun
25-Jun
27-Jun

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!

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE

Our annual picnic has been set for Sunday the 30^th of July at the usual Oakhurst Park in Westminster from 4 to 8 p.m. The Park is located at 9311 Lark Bunting Drive. Details and directions will be in the July edition of the Notiziario.

BENVENUTI

The Dante Alighieri Society of Denver gives a warm welcome to our new members: Nancy Allan, Lida Aflatoony, Peg McMillen, and Dayna Torrieri.

HOSPITALITY UPDATE

Hospitality Chairperson Camilla Marcantonio would like to thank the members who provided refreshments for the April cultural meeting. If you would like to contribute to our gatherings in this way, please contact Camilla at the following: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GOOD NEWS AGAIN FROM ROME AND THE VATICAN FOR YOU TRAVELING TO ITALY IN 2023.

rome The agreement between the Vatican and the Dante Alighieri Society has been renewed once again for the year 2023. It allows members to visit the museums at a lower price and get in front of the long lines simply by presenting the Dante Alighieri Society membership card. The cost to visit the Museums is approximately 16 euros per person, and 1 euro if you decide to purchase the Art and Faith DVD on the Treasures of the Vatican. The DAS membership card may be obtained by contacting Rhonda Hopkins at 720-596-4169, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or Gianfranco Marcantonio at 303-494-3080 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . For additional privileges for Dante Alighieri Society members while in Italy, CLICK HERE

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES SUMMER SESSION BEGINS JUNE 19, 2023

The Summer 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 June 19, 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.. To register and pay for classes, CLICK HERE

The registration deadline for the summer session is June 12, 2023.

Beginner 1. Mondays, 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., beginning June 19, 2023 through August 28, 2023 (no class on July 10). 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. There are two sessions of this class. One session meets on Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., beginning June 20, 2023, through September 5, 2023 (no class on July 4 and July 11). The other session meets on Wednesdays, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., beginning June 21, 2023, through August 30, 2023 (no class on July 12).

In this class students will build upon their existing knowledge while incorporating new vocabulary and grammatical structures through conversation, videos, listening and reading 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. There are two sessions of this class. One session meets on Mondays, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., beginning June 19, 2023, through August 28, 2023 (no class on July 10). The other session meets on Tuesdays, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., beginning June 20, 2023, through September 5, 2023 (no class on July 4 and July 11).

In this class, students will build upon their prior studies through conversation, videos, listening and reading activities. Topics include past and future verb tenses. Emphasis will be placed on everyday conversational situations using grammar and vocabulary from the textbook. Required Text: The New Italian Project 1a

Beginner 4 and Intermediate 1 (combined). Thursdays, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., beginning June 22, 2023 through August 31, 2023 (no class on July 13). In this class, students will build upon their prior studies through conversation, videos, listening and reading activities. Topics include future verb tenses and review of previous class material. Required Texts: The New Italian Project 1a and The New Italian Project 1b

Intermediate 4. Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., beginning June 21, 2023 through August 30, 2023 (no class on July 12). In this class students will continue their studies of increasingly complex grammatical structures and vocabulary through conversation, videos, listening and reading activities. Topics include present and past conditional verb tenses and review of previous class material. Required Text: The New Italian Project 1b

Advanced 4. Thursdays, 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm, beginning June 22, 2023 through August 31, 2023 (no class on July 13). This class will be predominantly in Italian, and will introduce more advanced vocabulary, past tenses of verbs, and subjunctive tenses, with topics including Italian history. Students will continue to develop their speaking, listening, reading and writing abilities. Required Text: The Italian Project 2a

TIPS ON ITALY By Tonya Clement

The number one lesson for learning Italian is to let go of striving for word for word translation. My instructor tells me there are some things that you just have to accept and remember. One of the best examples of this is the use of the verb fare (to do). This verb is used in everyday conversation in Italy and has many different translations in English. For example in the US we say we are going to take a shower or take a photo, but in Italy, they say they are going “to do” these actions. Here is a list that you would do well to remember:

Fare una foto = to take a photo.
Fare la doccia or fare il bagno = to take a shower or bath
Fare colazione = to have breakfast
Fare una domanda = to ask a question
Fare una scelta = to make a choice
Fare una telefonata = to make a phone call
Fare pace = to make peace
Fare i compiti = to do homework
Fare un giro = to go for a walk
Fare tardi = to be late
Fare feste = to have fun
Fare la spesa = to shop for groceries
Fare acquisti = to go shopping
Fare amicizia = to make friends
Fare un favore = to do a favor

These are collocations. In other words, these are predictable combinations of words that you will use frequently when speaking Italian. Memorize these and you are well on your way to good communication.

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 CLICK HERE

BRIEF NEWS FROM ITALY from The Local

• Authorities announced that Pasquale Bonavota - who features in Italy's list of most dangerous criminals as a boss of Calabria's 'Ndrangheta mafia - was arrested in Genoa, Liguria after spending nearly five years on the run.
• Italy's Department for Civil Protection issued alerts covering half of the country as stormy conditions were forecast to continue in the coming days.
• Many people were killed in severe flooding in the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna that has had more than 48 hours of almost continuous heavy rainfall, while many other parts of Italy were also hit by storms. Italian media reported that over 900 people have been evacuated and rail services suspended in the most affected regions. The inclement weather has even caused the cancellation of the annual Formula One Grand Prix of Imola.
• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently began meetings with opposition parties in an attempt to drum up support for her plans to change Italy's system of government and hand more power to the President or Prime Minister.
• American coffee giant Starbucks opened the doors to its first outlet in Rome's historic center as the company announced plans for more branches across the capital as well as in Naples and Bari.