As part of the 21st Annual Week of Italian Language in the World, we are pleased to present "Dante, l'Italiano", an in-person event organized by our friends at the Italian Cultural Society in Washington DC, taking place at the Chevy Chase Village Hall in Chevy Chase, MD. 

Often considered the "Father of the Italian Language", Dante wrote the Divine Comedy in the vernacular rather than Latin, bringing literary authority and prestige to Italian and shaping the direction this new language would take. He argued for the eloquence of the vernacular in his remarkable essay De Vulgari Eloquentia and for its efficacy in his Vita Nuova.

During this presentation, Prof. Virginia Jewiss, will highlight Dante’s extraordinary linguistic creativity and his enduring contributions to the beauty and power of Italian through key passages from these works.

CHILDREN ARE WELCOME!

During the presentation, in the adjacent room, Maestra Fiorenza Castelli will entertain children 4-12 yrs old in a themed workshop aiming to teach them the importance Dante played in Italian language and culture. Story time will include the reading of “Il viaggio di Dante – Un'avventura infernale” by Virginia Jewiss. At the end of the workshop, children will be able to meet the author!

A maximum of 60 adults and 12 children will be allowed in-person. Proof of vaccination is required for adult participants and masks are mandatory for everyone. Guests who are not able to join in person, can watch the event on the Facebook page of the Italian Cultural Society.

WHEN: October 23, 2021 at 4 PM ET
WHERE: Chevy Chase Village Hall, 5906 Connecticut Ave NW, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
EVENT LANGUAGE: English

go to the event page