Tag Archives: Italian Cultural Institute

Phenomenal Nativity The Art Institute of Chicago’s spectacular Neapolitan Nativity will be available for viewing through Jan. 6. The display contains more than 200 painted terra cotta figures staged in an elaborate environment inspired by 18th-century Naples. Made by a range of artists from the 1700s through the 1800s, the Nativity was first collected by Vincenzo Porcini, an art dealer in Naples, who then hired Alfredo Laino, a specialist in Neapolitan crèche scenography, to design and construct the detailed setting. Due to the fragility of the original silk costumes and exquisite embroidery, the Art Institute’s crèche can only be on …

A host of perks and an attractive price tag await those who sign up as members of the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago. Members can download two e-books per month from the institute’s digital library, access Italian newspapers through a digital newsstand, borrow books and DVDs from the institute’s physical library, and receive discounted parking to institute events and discounted tickets to external events held in collaboration with the institute. A stylish tote bag reflecting the institute’s 2024 theme, In Futuro, is included. General membership is $40, with ItalCultura students paying only $25. For more, click here.  

The Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago has reopened its library after upgrading its catalog, adding hundreds of new titles and creating several new sections. The institute’s library contains 4,000 titles, including books and DVDs. The collection now boasts sections dedicated to Italian fiction, children and young readers, and other specialized themes. The library is open to the public Monday-Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by making an appointment at iicchicago@esteri.it.  

A wide range of Italian classes for both children and adults will be available across the Chicago area this fall. The Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia offers exploratory language classes for 5- to 7-year-olds, beginning classes for 8- to 12-year-olds, and intermediate and advanced classes for 12- to 14-year-olds. Locations include Addison, Carol Stream, Elmwood Park, Highwood and Lemont. Children’s classes run for 30 weeks from September 2023 to May 2024. Adult Italian classes include beginning, intermediate and advanced, and will be conducted exclusively online. Adult classes run for 16 weeks starting in mid-September and are two hours long. …

  The Italian Cultural Institute will host the DITALS Base and I Livello courses from September 21-24 at its offices on Michigan Avenue. The coursework is required for admission to the professional certificate exam for teaching Italian to adults as well as  teaching Italian to undergrad and graduate students. DITALS certificates are issued by the Università per Stranieri di Siena, which certifies technical and practical skills for teaching Italian language to foreign students. The courses will be conducted in person. The registration deadline is Sept. 6. To register, click here.    

As the director of the Chicago office of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Luca Di Vito’s job is to illuminate Italy’s vast cultural treasures and burnish the country’s image around the world. In a sleek office on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, the Italian government offers up a wealth of cultural riches in the form of movie screenings, lectures on art and architecture, discussions on Dante, and more. Luca Di Vito, director of the Chicago office of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, explains that Italy provides this resource to promote Italian culture around the world. The Istituto has a devoted local fan …

The Istituto Italiano di Cultura will complete its exploration of the work of actor Luca Marinelli with a virtual screening of “Lo chiamavano Jeeg” (They Call Me Jeeg). The film follows Enzo, a misanthropic small-time crook who uses superpowers gained after falling into the Tiber River to chase down a crazy gangster called “The Gypsy.” The film will be available for viewing from 1 p.m. April 23 to 1 p.m. April 25. To register, click here.    

  It was a Festa della Repubblica the likes of which Chicago had never witnessed. On June 2, more than 400 revelers converged on the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame on historic Taylor Street to enjoy a gala event staged by Onesti Entertainment. The event was sponsored by the Chicago offices of the Italian Consulate General, Italian Cultural Institute and Italian Trade Agency as well as the Italian American Chamber of Commerce-Midwest and Onesti Entertainment. “The Hall of Fame was the perfect setting, and Onesti Entertainment took the event to a new level,” Consul General Adriano Monti stated. …