Summer Festival Time!

June 17 -21: annual Feast of Caduti Superga Mola, in Bensonhurst on 20th Avenue from 68th-74th St. Lots of Italian delicacies to sample!

July 6 - 19: Feast of Mt. Carmel at North 8th Street and Havemeyer Street, and from Metropolitan to Union avenues in Williamsburg. This event dates back to the 1950s, and features food and carnival rides. It culminates with with a dramatic procession of the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel around the neighborhood, as well as with the Dance of the Giglio, which takes place several times during the run of the festival.

July 30 - August 2: the 18th Avenue Street Festival is sponsored by the Santa Rosalia Society; 18th Ave. between 67th St. and Bay Ridge Parkway. This festival was founded by immigrants from Palermo and features the Procession of St. Fortunata.

Earthquake in L'Aquila

Today we pause to remember those who lost their lives in the earthquake in L'Aquila, in Abruzzo.

Here is a little background information on the town:

L'Aquila is in central Italy and is capital of the Abruzzo region. It has a population of 72,913 inhabitants. Laid out within medieval walls, it is surrounded by the Appenine mountain range.

A maze of narrow streets, lined with Baroque or Renaissance buildings and churches, open onto elegant piazzas. It is a lively university town and is home to numerous cultural institutions including a repertory theater, symphony orchestra, fine art academy, a film institute. A popular summer and winter destination for Romans, it is little visited by foreigners.

The earthquake that struck on April 6, 2009 was a 6.3 magnitude quake. Many other earthquakes have struck the town throughout its long history.

New Italian language school in Park Slope

COLLINA ITALIANA PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN

Opening in Park Slope on March 16
120 Garfield Place
Suite A-6
(between 5th and 6th Avenues)
please inquire

Grammar and Conversazione

	Basic Grammar and Conversazione	Intermediate Grammar and Conversazione	Conversazione
Monday	6:30-8:30pm (Level 1)
Tuesday		6:30-8:30pm (Level 1)
Wednesday	10:30am-12:30pm (Level 1) 2:30-4:30pm (Level 2) 6:30-8:30pm (Level 1)
Saturday			10:00am-12:00pm (Level 1)

The price for 10 2-hour classes is $435.

Red sauce Italian in Brooklyn

There's an interesting thread on old-school Italian restaurants in Brooklyn on Chowhound. Check it out - this is great food for a cold winter's day.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/559371

Flooding in Rome

Over the last few days, Rome has suffered torrential rains, leading to some of the heaviest flooding in the past century. Although the Tiber reached its peak, its banks have held.

Italian authorities said the Tiber will take several days to return to normal levels but there was no longer a risk of flooding. Civil Protection was also coordinating the removal of two barges that crashed against bridges after breaking their moorings on Friday. Italian media reported that a young man from Ireland fell in the river but his body has not been found yet. Hundreds of volunteers and officials had been deployed around Rome ahead of the flood's peak, while sandbags were lined up to contain any possible river overflow.

Firefighters Thursday rescued dozens of motorists stranded in their cars. Because of the intense rain, the streets of some northern Rome neighborhoods were already flooded by water and covered in thick brown mud. One woman died on Thursday when her car was submerged by a wave of water and mud in an underpass. The body of a second victim was found in the southern region of Calabria after a bridge collapsed.

Roman authorities have told citizens to remain home and stay indoors.
Earlier this month, much of the Italian city of Venice was underwater as some of the heaviest floods for several decades burst the city's famed canal networks and inundated historic landmarks such as St. Mark's Square.

During this holiday season, let's all remember the citizens of a place we love.

Rarely seen artist Gino De Dominicis in NY

Up next at P. S. 1: Gino De Dominicis

On view October 19, 2008 - February 9, 2009

The contemporary art space P. S. 1 in Long Island City will be the first American museumt to mount an exhibition of Gino De Dominicis, the Italian artist b. 1947 in Ancona, and d. at the age of 51 in Rome. The show will will focus on his paintings made from the 1980s until his death in 1998. An Italian artist whose life was shrouded himself in mystery, he was an idiosyncratic figure whose work cannot be categorized as part of an artistic trend or movement. Even the news of his death was suspect; for years earlier he had reported his own demise in a fictionalized autobiography. De Dominicis rarely exhibited in North America. This will be a rare opportunity to view his art first-hand.

This exhibition is organized by P.S.1's soon-to-retire Director, Alanna Heiss, with assistance from Curatorial Advisor Andrea Bellini, and Fondazione Merz Curator Laura Cherubini.

P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
22-25 Jackson Ave at the intersection of 46th Ave
Long Island City, NY 11101
(718) 784-2084
Hours: 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Thursday through Monday, closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day.

Admission is a $5.00 suggested donation for Adults, 17 and older; $2.00 for students and senior citizens; free for MoMA members and MoMA admission ticket holders. benefits.

Italian film at the Brklyn International Film Festival

Here is a great opportunity to see the latest in Italian film at some interesting venues: The Brooklyn International Film Festival takes place from May 30 to June 8 at several sites - Brooklyn Lyceum, Park Slope; Brooklyn Heights Cinema; Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza; East Coast Aliens, Greenpoint; and Lumenhouse, Bushwick. Specializing in work by young filmmakers from throughout the world, the festival will include feature films, documentaries, short subjects, animation, and experimental work.

A few Italian films are part of the roster:
- Suddenly Last Winter, 2008, a feature directed by Gustav Hofer of the South Tyrol region (www.suddenlylastwinter.com)

- Apollo 54, 2007, a feature by Giordano Giulivi (www.apollo54.com)

- ABC Columbia, 2007 a joint Italian/French/UK/US/Finland documentary by Enrica Colusso, originally from Rome

Most tickets are $10; the festival offers ticket pass and packet options on their website. Schedules and locales, as well as info on every film, is available at www.wbff.org.



-