July 2024
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Summer officially arrived at 2:51 MDT on June 20th. School’s out, people are going on vacation, the weather is getting warmer, you know, the normal summer stuff. While we had an enlightening cultural meeting in June, the Society has decided to take the month of July off. Rather than doing our own program, we will be supporting Our Lady of Mt. Carmel’s annual celebration and bazaar. We’d like to invite everyone to participate in this meaningful and fun weekend. Then, on August 11, we will be having our Annual Members Summer Picnic. Beyond that, we’re well into planning for Italian Heritage Month in October, looking at other Italian organizations to host their events in conjunction with the month-long celebration. As always, we’re here for you so don’t hesitate to let us know what more we might be able to do to “share and celebrate the richness of the Italina culture and language with the entire community”.
Grazie, John Giardino
SUMMER PICNIC - SAVE THE DATE!
The Dante Summer Picnic will be held on August 11th this year.
Please save the date and plan on attending. All information will be in the August Notiziario and on our website after July 16th.
Date: August 11th
Time: 4pm - 6pm
Where: Oakhurst Park West Pavilion, 9311 Lark Bunting Drive, Westminster, CO 80031
CULTURAL MEETING
Virility, Blood, and Honor: Italy’s Belated Entry into WWI in 1915
Presented by: Steven C. Hughes, Professor Emeritus of History at Loyola University Maryland
Date: Sept. 13th
Time: 7:30pm
LOCATION: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church Parish Hall
ADDRESS: 3549 Navajo St, Denver, CO 80211
Refreshments and social time will follow.
ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES
FALL SESSION OF ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES BEGINS SEPTEMBER 16, 2024 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 16, 2024. The schedule for fall classes will be posted on the Dante Alighieri Society website by August 12. The registration deadline for the fall session is September 9. Classes are taught by experienced and talented bi-lingual teachers, and include beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes. Each 10-week class meets once a week for 90 minutes.
New students are welcome to join the Dante Alighieri Society when they register for classes.
COST: $130 for members, $160 for non-members
LOCATION: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church - Parish Hall
ADDRESS: 3549 Navajo St, Denver, CO 80211
Tips on Italy by Tonya Clement
This article is being written while I am on vacation in Italy, and I just cannot wait to share my recent discovery. For something different, we decided to take a train to Genova and hire a guide to take us on a food tasting tour. This is one of the best things we have ever done as we learned so much about the history of the city. While the food was the main event, I was most impressed to learn about the painted houses. The houses that line the Ligurian Coastline all have a similar look and feel and they undoubtedly end up being photographed by all tourists. As you think of places you like Portofino and Cinque Terre, you will likely visualize the houses that are painted in pastel shades of pink, green, blue and yellow and speckled with forest green shutters, beautiful balconies, doors with lovely archways with strips of ribbon outlining the doors, and flower boxes chock full of overflowing bouquets.
As I commented about how beautiful the buildings are, my guide told me to look a little closer. Some of what appears to be a marble sculpture or cornice is just artwork painted on the building. Oh my! And yes, some of the windows are not real, they are simply a fake façade added to give the illusion of a garland surrounding a window or a curtain flowing inside a window. So why is this being done and who are the people trying to fool?
Since the Renaissance, it has been common in Northern Italy to add an illusion of beauty, and the appearance of wealth without the actual cost. My guide, who was born in Genova, claims the tradition of painting the exterior façades of houses began in her city with the palaces on Via Garibaldi. Clearly it is much cheaper to paint a marble column on the side of a building than it is to procure one. This is not the only reason behind the decorative façades. As the story has been told for many years, people with more windows paid higher taxes. To save money they chose to commission artists to paint beautiful matching windows next to real windows.
Originally the walls were painted with natural dyes before the plaster dried. This would require artists to paint using a torch light into the late hours of night. This process would create lasting beauty for up to 50 years. Today, new synthetic paint replaces this old technique and while it provides more vibrant colors, it requires constant touch ups.
So, the next time you travel to the Ligurian Coastline, look closely. Whether it was done to avoid a tax, demonstrate status or simply to project beauty, the Italians have created an art form and a backdrop that lives up to the beauty that we come to expect when we visit Italy. Look closely, as only the lines strung from one balcony to the next, with the brightly colored clothes hanging to dry, may be real.
Did You Know?
Italians also played a critical role in America’s struggle for independence. Two of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence were of Italian origin: William Paca and Caesar Rodney.
Paca was an important Revolutionary War general and an early senator from Maryland who later became governor. Rodney, an attorney and politician who was born on his family’s farm in Delaware, descended from the Adelmare family of Treviso, Italy. In July 1776, though stricken with cancer, he rode through thunder and rain to vote for independence.
The phrase “All men are created equal,” which appears in the Declaration of Independence, was suggested to Thomas Jefferson by Italian physician and businessman Filippo Mazzei, his friend and neighbor. Mazzei's original words were “All men are by nature equally free and independent.” Hundreds of Italian Americans fought in the Revolutionary War.
For more information on how Italians shaped America visit the Italian America Museum’s Online Exhibit “Italy’s Imprint on North America and the American West” CLICK HERE
PRIMA DOMENICA: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Catholic Church
In celebration of our rich Italian history, La Prima Domenica: Mass in Italian is on the first Sunday of every month. Breakfast served afterward in the Parish Hall. All are welcome!
Date: July 7th
Time: 9:00 am
Where: 3549 Navajo Street Denver, CO, 80211
www.ourladymountcarmel.com
ITALIAN COMMUNITY CALENDAR
July 2024
July 4 (Thurs) 6:30-8:30pm - Russ Canino Live
3 Sons Italian Restaurant & Bar, 14805 W 64th Ave, Arvada, CO 80007
Call 303-455-4366 for reservations
July 7 (Sun) 6:30am – 3:00pm - Joe Ciancio 2024 Memorial Golf Tournament
Hyland Hills Golf Course, 9650 Sheridan Boulevard, Westminster, CO 80031
Hosted by OSIA Denver Lodge #2075
6:30 a.m. Check-in/Continental Breakfast
7:30 Shotgun Start
Lunch, raffle and prizes at the Sons of Italy Hall, 5925 W. 32nd Ave, Wheat Ridge
All proceeds will go to The DeAngelis Foundation
July 7 (Sun) 9am – 11am - Prima Domenica: Mass in Italian
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, 3549 Navajo St, Denver, CO 80211
Mass In Italian followed by breakfast in the Parish Hall.
July 20 (Sat) 5pm-10pm and July 21 (Sun) 4:00p-9:00pm 93rd Annual Bazaar
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Italian Catholic Church, 3549 Navajo St, Denver, CO 80211
Join us for great Italian food, games, and more at one of North Denver's favorite bazaars!
July 21 (Sun) 2:30-4:00p - 130th Annual Feast Day Mass & Prosession
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Italian Catholic Church, 3549 Navajo St, Denver, CO 80211
In honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our patroness, there will be a special Mass at 2:30PM, followed by a solemn procession through the streets of North Denver.
We hope you'll join us in celebrating this time-honored tradition.
**There will NOT be a 9AM or 11AM Mass on Sunday, July 21st. Instead, there will be a special Mass in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel's Feast Day at 2:30PM, followed by the Procession at 3:30PM.**
July 27 (Sat) 10am-3pm - Red Lion Run
Leprino Foods Company, 1830 W 38th Ave, Denver, CO 80211)
Hosted by Italians of America
Join us for the Red Lion Run Classic Car, Truck and Bike Show benefitting Food For Thought Denver. Registration fee is just $25 and if you pre-register online at https://italiansofamerica.org/red-lion-run, the first 100 registrants will receive a free meal ticket!
AUGUST 2024
Aug. 1 (Thurs) 6:30-8:30pm - Russ Canino Live! (local musician)
3 Sons Italian Restaurant & Bar, 14805 W 64th Ave, Arvada, CO 80007
Call 303-455-4366 for reservations
Aug. 4 (Sun) 9am – 11am - Prima Domenica: Mass in Italian
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, 3549 Navajo St, Denver, CO 80211
Mass In Italian followed by breakfast in the Parish Hall.
https://www.ourladymountcarmel.com
Aug. 11 (Sun) 4pm-6pm - Dante Alighieri Summer Picnic
Oakhurst Park West Pavilion, 9311 Lark Bunting Drive, Westminster, CO 80031
The Dante Alighieri Society of Denver exists to share and celebrate
the richness of the Italian culture and language with the entire community.
