Newsletter di Febbraio
Dear friends of Dante,
Il calendario di Febbraio:
I would like to start by wishing you all a joyful and happy new year!
Now that the Christmas and New Year's celebrations are over, we
can indulge in the Carnival festivities, which, especially in Italy, will
find their culmination in February – and because if you say Carnival
you think of Carnevale di Venezia, I want to dedicate the Culture
page to the ancient craft of mask making and the history of the
Venetian masks.
4 febbraio
School Open Day (p.2))
9 febbraio
1st term 2016 starts (p.2)
In January, Dante ran its one-week long intensive Italian language
course and when I visited the classes I was stunned by the
enthusiasm of the students and the many different stories they
told me about why they are learning Italian. Perhaps their stories
(see p. 3) will inspire you to learn Italian too. If you are interested,
don't miss the school’s open day on 4 February. It’s a great
opportunity to meet the teachers and find out which course is right
for you.
9 febbraio
First session of Ginnastica con
Fiorella 2016 (p.6)
20 febbraio
Annual General Meeting (p.2)
every Friday and
Tuesday
Ginnastica con Fiorella (p.6)
In any event, you are all invited to come to our Annual General
Meeting on 20 February to meet each other, have a chat and drink
a coffee with cornetto. And if you are really keen, the following
Saturday, on 27 February, you can do it all over again at this year's
first Colazione alla Dante.
27 febbraio
Colazione alla Dante
Buona lettura!
Stefania
Seguici!
President: Massimo Ciccioni
Vice President: Alessandra Zecchini
Secretary: Flavia Berucci
School Director: Sandra Fresia
Newsletter: Stefania Perrotta
Freemans Bay Community Centre
52 Hepburn Street,
Freemans Bay, Auckland
Dante office: 09 3763853
P.O. Box 91637, Victoria Street West,
Auckland 1142
[email protected]
St. Marco’s Square, Venice
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Febbraio 2016
Attivitá & eventi
School Open Day!
LEARN ITALIAN!
Thursday 4 February from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm at the
Dante’s Venue.
Come to our School Open Day for an Italian coffee,
meet our teachers and staff, and find out the best
Italian course for you! We have classes for adults and
children, all levels, from absolute beginners to
advance conversation and Italian for travellers.
Term 1/2016 will start on Tuesday the 9 February.
Enrolments are open! you can enrol by email.
Click here to check out classes/times for Adult courses
and for Children courses and to enrol.
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Our Annual General Meeting will be held at 10.00am on
Saturday 20 February at the Dante Rooms at Freeman’s
Bay Community Centre. It’s a chance for everyone to find
out about how Dante is run, and to have a chat over a
cappuccino & cornetto after the formal meeting finishes.
We will also vote in a new committee.
Italian Intensive Course 2016
This year the Italian Intensive Course has been from 20 to
24 January and was very successful, counting over 50
students in 4 classes. Read more about the experience of
our students next page.
We would like to
particularly thank our
Merano
sponsor, Pukeko Bakery,
that supplied delicious
focacce for the classes.
Brunico
La ricetta del mese: La Pinsa Romana
Nella mia ultima visita a Roma ho trovato molti locali che
offrivano una piatto tradizionale ri-scoperto di nuovo: la
Pinsa romana è antenata dell’odierna pizza, ha origini
molto antiche, ma è tornata in auge negli ultimi anni
grazie al recupero dell’antica ricetta, risalente ad epoca
romana, e al diffondersi sempre crescente di pizzerie (o
meglio pinserie) dedicate esclusivamente a questo tipo di
focaccia molto simile alla pizza che si distingue per la
morbidezza del suo impasto, croccante all’esterno, per la
leggerezza e per la sua elevata digeribilità. La moderna
pinsa è una rivisitazione dell’antica ricetta proveniente
dalle popolazioni contadine romane, che macinando
diversi tipi di cereali (miglio, orzo, farro) ed aggiungendo
sale ed erbe aromatiche preparavano delle schiacciate o
focacce dalla forma allungata. Il termine pinsa infatti
deriva dal latino pinsere, che significa schiacciare,
macinare.
La ricetta originale nei secoli è stata in vario modo
modificata, fino ad arrivare ai giorni nostri, dove con
rivisitazioni moderne, abbinate alle tecniche di
lievitazione e maturazione, è nata la pinsa romana
moderna. Ed è proprio la particolare miscela di farine, l’
aggiunta di molta acqua fredda nell’impasto e i
lunghissimi tempi di lievitazione, dalle 72 alle 150 ore, a
renderla cosi leggera e croccante.
Vedi qui la ricetta di Giallo Zafferano
Bolzano
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Febbraio 2016
Attivitá & eventi
Corso intensivo 2016
We all know that there are many reasons to learn Italian.
The most common one is the love many people have for
everything Italian – things like Italy’s beautiful cities and
landscapes, its food and culture. This reason also
prompted most of the students who attended this year's
intensive Italian course between the 20 and 24 January
at the Dante School.
Some people have very particular reasons. For instance
Angela, who wants to learn Italian because she is
planning to explore the country to find Italian
butterflies, ideally the Apollo butterfly -,
or Tony, who 30 years ago with his
then fiancée ran away to Italy to
get married in Assisi, a kiwi version
of the very Italian fuitina*. Tony
and his now wife have visited Italy
many times since then and even
lived in Rome for a few months.
Then there is Bob who went to Italy to discover the
places where his father fought in WWII, and Francis, also
called Francesco, an Italo-American who has been living
in NZ for 18 years and wants to rediscover his family
origins.
Students like Dianne and Vicki, who have completed
their second language year, or John and Stephanie, who
have regularly visited Italy for the past 30 years and are
only waiting for their four children to leave to indulge
their passion even more .
Other students just adore the sound of Italian, like Key,
who heard it for the first time in Lugano many years ago
and decided to make it hers, or like Anthea, who also
speaks French but prefers Italian and has visited five
different parts of Italy on as many trips.
I met all of these lovely people on the second-to-last day
of the intensive course. It was a beautiful hot sunny day –
but nobody seemed to notice, perhaps because of the
highly entertaining teaching style of Luca and Matteo, of
veteran teachers Sandra and Maria, or the practical Nadia
and Fiorella who, with battipanni in hand explained the
concept of "cambio stagionale"*.
Every student I spoke to agreed that the course was huge
fun and planned to be back at the start of the first term
on 8 February.
And who knows, perhaps by then
the "advanced" scholars will have
learned how to handle a
battipanni and Angela will have
finally found Apollo.
More to follow…
*see Parole del Mese on page 6
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Febbraio 2016
Cultura
Le Maschere del Carnevale
The wearing of masks in theatres dates back as far as the
ancient Greek festivals in honor of Dionysius, god of
theater. When the Romans conquered Southern Europe,
they adapted the Grecian love of theater and the use of
masks in plays and celebrations. The Venice Carnival,
which dates back to the 15th century, is still famous today,
attracting visitors from all around the world to the color
and excitement of this ancient tradition.
What we do know, however, is that
this all ended with the fall of the
Venetian Republic, at the end of the
18th century and was finally revived
only in the 1980s with its distinctive
traditions and celebrations making
Venice as one the best Carnival
destinations for tourists from all over the world.
The process of making a Venetian masquerade mask
starts with the base mask. It is made using a technique
similar to paper maché. It uses few tools, few materials
and no chemicals - and the outcome is a base mask that
is much stronger than the typical paper maché. The
decoration of the masks is very open to the creativity
and artistic talent of the mask maker and can include
techniques found from painting to theater scenery, and
materials ranging from wax to fine fabrics and feathers.
Read more here.
The first law regulating the use of masks dates back to the
13 century, but nobody knows when the Venetians actually
started wearing them as a part of everyday life. The masks
represented absence of rules and freedom of action. You
could do anything you liked with the anonymity of a mask
and adventure was possible in Venice itself, among the
offices of institutions, regardless of the laws and the
vetoes of morality, however severe they were.
In New Zealand, Italy Mask by Dream of Italy offers a
wide range of of over 500 authentic hand-crafted
Venetian masks in different styles, made in Italy by real
artisans and they also supply a certificate of authenticity
from the manufacturers.
So, over time, the Carnival broke the traditional
boundaries and masks entered the realm of everyday life.
In some places, they actually were compulsory by law. For
example, in the state casino, you could only play if you
were wearing a mask
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Febbraio 2016
Gli amici della Dante
Discover with us the special discounts you have access to, thanks to your Dante card!
Only up-to-date Dante cards are accepted! Follow the link to subscribe or renew your membership!
10% discount on all products
Italian Foodies Ltd,
PO BOX 106-185 Auckland City
1143 Auckland
Phone: +64(0) 9 213 2270
www.Italian Foodies.co.nz
10% discount
Cracroft Chase Vineyard
110 Shalamar Drive, Cashmere,
Christchurch 8022
Ph (03) 337 9339
www.cracroftchase.co.nz
10% discount
Sapori d’Italia Import Ltd
Unit D/12 Saturn Place
North Harbour, North Shore City
POBox 302322, North Harbour 0751
Auckland
Ph: 09 4159053
Fax: 09 4159073
www.sapori.co.nz
10% discount
Il Casaro Ltd
Unit 1 - 27 Ashfield Road / Wairau
Valley, Auckland
Ph: 09 442 5419
www.ilcasaro.co.nz
10% discount
Giapo Haute Ice Cream
279-281 Queen St
(Next to the Civic Theater)
Auckland
Ph: 09 550 3677
www.giapo.com
15% discount
Eurodell Retail Store
337, Lincoln Road
Auckland
Ph: 09 836 8595
www.eurodell.co.nz
Obtain your coupon to start
your shopping online with a
10% discount!
ph: 09 8340290
mail: [email protected].
nz
10% discount!
Sovrano @ A Touch of Italy
68g Greenmount Drive, East Tamaki Auckland
Hours: Mon – Fri 8.30-5pm | Saturday: 10am-2pm
Phone 09 2733701 / www.sovrano.co.nz
15% discount (from
Wednesday to Sunday)
Settebello Pizzeria Italiana
3/1 Rata st, New Lynn
Auckland
Ph: 09 826 0777
www.settebello.co.nz
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Febbraio 2016
Radio Cartolina
10 February: Bricks and Community: this was the appeal for
the family team behind Mitchelli’s Café, to move after the
earthquakes to The Tannery in Woolston (East of the
Christchurch CBD). Ewan Mitchell talks about the Italian
flavour of the Café, and of the unique urban development
that is The Tannery. We play Domenico Modugno’s
Pasqualino Maragia` (about moving East), Dean Martin’s
That’s Amore, and Mambo Italiano, sung by Sofia Loren.
24 February: Adriana and Emilio Festa talk about their move
to New Zealand, the art of cheese making, and about their
businesses: Emilio’s Cheese and Festa in Tavola. Their
products are available from several markets, often
presented by the producers themselves: a great selection of
truly Italian-style cheese, and patisserie that includes the
renowned cannoncini. We play the Nomads’ Mediterraneo.
Mitchelli’s Café, Emilio’s Cheese and Festa in Tavola are
three sponsors of Radio Cartolina, highlighted in this
summer series of ‘Italian Connections’. If interested in
adding your business, or your private contribution, please
contact the Christchurch Dante Society: dantechch@gmail.
com
La poesia del mese
“Carnevale vecchio e pazzo”
di Gabriele D’Annunzio
Carnevale vecchio e pazzo
s'è venduto il materasso
per comprare pane, vino,
tarallucci e cotechino.
E mangiando a crepapelle
la montagna di frittelle
gli è cresciuto un gran pancione
che somiglia ad un pallone.
Beve, beve all'improvviso
gli diventa rosso il viso
poi gli scoppia anche la pancia
mentre ancora mangia, mangia.
Così muore il Carnevale
e gli fanno il funerale:
dalla polvere era nato
e di polvere è tornato.
On http://plainsfm.org.nz/podcasts/programme/cartolina
you can find all recent programmes in podcast. Buon
Ascolto!
Parole del mese
Don’t forget:
Pilates con Fiorella resumes on 9 February 2016 at the usual
times, every Tuesday at 2pm and every Friday at 12pm.
Colazione alla Dante this month will be on Saturday 27
February from 10am to 12pm. Everyone is welcome!
Thanks to our sponsor:
Cambio stagionale
Tradizionalmente si fa al finire della stagione
invernale e della stagione estiva con lo scopo di
mettere via indumenti e arredamenti pesanti e
tirare fuori quelli estivi e viceversa. In queste
occasioni si fanno anche grandi pulizie a casa per
eliminare polvere, cattivi odori o detriti
accumulati durante i mesi in cui la casa non viene
areata sufficientemente.
Fuitina
La fuitina, dialettismo siciliano con il significato di
"piccola fuga", significa l'allontanamento di una
coppia di giovani aspiranti coniugi dai rispettivi
nuclei familiari di appartenenza, in modo da porre
le famiglie di fronte al "fatto compiuto"
inducendole a concedere il consenso per le nozze
dei fuggitivi.
Arrivederci a marzo!
6