The Dante Society of Westerly, RI

General Membership Meeting November 2023
2023-11-16 18:00 (America/New_York) | Westerly Senior Center, 39 State St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
This is the 4th (and last) members’ business meeting for 2023.
Agenda will be sent to members shortly before the meeting.

Members are reminded that the bylaws require attendance at a minimum of 50% of membership meetings as well as participation and support in society activities.

The Agenda of the meeting may be found using this link to the index: Index of Agendas & Minutes
The Minutes of the previous meeting, which are up for approval at this meeting, may be found using the same initial link.

Nov 17 at the Knickerbocker with the band La Terza Classe
2023-11-17 20:00 | The Knickerbocker, 35 Railroad Ave, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
This Friday evening (Nov 17, 2023) The Knickerbocker is featuring the band La Terza Classe.
The band is described as presenting an “authentic and original sound rooted in the soul of Italy and the heart of American roots music“. Additional details can be found on the Knickerbocker’s web site: https://knickmusic.com/events/2023/11/17laterza
The band’s website, including links to samples of their music, is https://www.laterzaclasse.it/
Advanced tickets are $15 (with a $2 service charge for online purchases), but specially price at the door: $7.50 for members of the Dante Society of Westerly. (Your name must be on the membership list to get this price)

Movie: "Paisan"
2023-11-20 16:00 | The United Theater, 5 Canal St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
This 1946 film spans one and a half years of the liberation of Italy towards the end of World War II. The movie consists of 6 episodes, starting with the American invasion of Sicily in the first episode. Subsequent episodes include Naples, Rome, Florence, and the Apennines mountains.

The movie is included in the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage’s 100 films to be saved. Additional information is available on Wikipedia.
The film was a 1950 Academy Award nominee for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay.
Cast and story line can be found on the Internet Movie Database.
The movie is unrated, and runs approximately 2 hours.

Tickets will become available on line from the United Theatre as the date of showing approaches.

Presentation: "The Troubadour" with "Little John"
2023-12-06 18:00 | Westerly Library Auditorium, 44 Broad St, Westerly, 02891
Growing up Boomer, Italian, (and a little Irish) in Westerly – A Celebration in Song, Hilarity, and really good Gravy!
Join Frank Pendola, one of Westerly’s favorite sons and one of southern New England’s favorite vocalists as he teams up with Westerly born and well-known comedian John Roarke.
Together these two old friends will take you on a rollicking and nostalgic roller coaster ride* back to the days of Vars, Holliday’s Restaurant, and WERI—all through song and story.
You’re going to love this one, even if you’re not a Boomer!

*(…or maybe a “Misquamicut Ferris Wheel” ride?)

Celebrate La Befana with the Dante Society and Westerly Library & Wilcox Park
2024-01-06 10:00 - 12:00 | Westerly Library, 44 Broad St, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
The Dante Society of Westerly and Westerly Library & Wilcox Park will present stories, crafts, and snacks to learn about the Italian tradition of La Befana in the Terrace room at the library. This is open to the public.
Please see the Library’s calendar for additional detail.

Information on La Befana and the Italian tradition can be found here on Wikipedia.

2024 Winter Gathering
2024-02-04 14:00 - 16:00
Time for the annual winter gathering, open to members of the Dante Society of Westerly and their spouses.
Cost is $15/per person; tickets will not be available at the door.
An email will be sent to members shortly with details.
Seating is limited. It was sold out last year; please pay early.

Lecture: Reclaiming the Legacy of Our Italian Grandmothers
2024-02-24 13:00 - 14:30 | Westerly Library Auditorium, 44 Broad St, Westerly, 02891
Juliet Grames will discuss her prizewinning novel, The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna, the story of a Calabrian family that emigrates to New England in the harsh years between the World Wars, and the novel’s nonfiction inspirations in the immigrant stories of her southern Italian grandparents.

Juliet Grames was born into a tight-knit Italian-American family in Hartford, Connecticut, and settled in the Westerly area in 2018. She is the author of the national and international bestseller The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna (Ecco/HarperCollins), which has been translated into 9 languages and received Italy’s Premio Cetraro for Contributions to Southern Italian Literature, and the forthcoming The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia (Knopf, July 2024). She studied history at the University of Oxford and graduated magna cum laude from Columbia before embarking on a career in book publishing. She is SVP, Editorial Director at Soho Press

Note: All lectures in the lecture series hosted by the Dante Society of Westerly are live events only and are not recorded. They are neither streamed online nor available afterwards as recordings.
Lectures are free and open to the public.

Movie: "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow"
2024-02-26 16:00 - 18:00 | The United Theater, 5 Canal St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
The first movie for the film series in 2024 is “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” (released as “Ieri, Oggi, Domani” in Italy), a 1963 Oscar winning romantic comedy staring Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, and Aldo Giuffrè. The film consists of 3 short stories, each of a woman (all played by Sophia Loren) living in different financial circumstances and the men in their life. The stories are set in Naples, Milan, and Rome.
The film is in Italian, with subtitles. It runs approximately 2 hours and is not rated.

The film was a 1964 nominee for the Golden Globe’s Best Foreign Film, and won the 1965 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It has numerous other nominations and awards.
Additional details on awards and cast, including the trailer, can be found on IMDB
A more detailed synopsis of the film can be found on Wikipedia

(note: This was originally scheduled for showing in January, but has been rescheduled for February.)

General Membership Meeting March 2024
2024-03-14 18:00 - 19:00 | Westerly Senior Center, 39 State St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
This is the first of four membership meetings for 2024.
Agenda will be sent to members shortly before the meeting.
Additional details will be forthcoming.

2024 Membership dues may now be paid. Details and a link for credit card payment may be found by clicking on this link:
2024 Dues Information

Movie: "Spettacolo"
2024-03-25 16:00 - 18:00 | The United Theater, 5 Canal St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
The town that plays itself: This is a 2017 documentary of a small hill-town in Tuscany where every summer the citizens become actors, playing themselves. They dramatize and debate the town’s problems in the piazza, which has become the stage for the event.
The film is in Italian, with subtitles. It runs approximately 1½ hours is rated TV-PG.

The film had little distribution, but won 5 film festival awards with an addition 4 nominations.
Additional details on awards and cast, including the trailer, can be found on IMDB
A more detailed synopsis of the film can be found on Wikipedia

Lecture: Women in Action: Collaboration between Italian Partisans and the Office of Strategic Services during WWII
2024-04-06 13:00 - 14:30 | Westerly Library Auditorium, 44 Broad St, Westerly, 02891
(This was previously listed with the title of “The ‘Women of the Villas’: Collaboration between Italian Partisans and the Office of Strategic Services during WWII”.)

Professor Catharine Sama will discuss the collaboration between Italian Partisans and the Office of Strategic Services during WWII.

Professor Catherine Sama is the head of the Italian program at the University of Rhode Island. She enjoys teaching a wide range of courses at URI, from Italian language & culture classes to advanced courses in Italian literature and film. Specific areas of focus include early modern Italian women writers; Italian dramatic cinema from Neorealism to the present; genocide in Italian literature & film. Her research projects are dedicated to bringing Italian women’s voices from the past into the present: whether for eighteenth-century writers and artists or partisans during World War II. Her research has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Association for University Women.
Her new research project centers on the activities of Italian partigiane from the Veneto region who collaborated with the United States Office of Strategic Services to end nazi-fascist control of Italy. This talk will explore the actions, dilemmas, fears, and hopes of individual women and men involved in this fight, as seen through the primary sources Sama has collected thus far: interviews with the partisans and OSS agents; military documents now declassified, including radio messages transmitted from behind enemy lines; private letters and papers; and interviews with descendants on both Italian and American sides. Her goal is to create a limited series podcast in order to bring these stories to a broad audience.

Note: All lectures in the lecture series hosted by the Dante Society of Westerly are live events only and are not recorded. They are neither streamed online nor available afterwards as recordings.
Lectures are free and open to the public.

Fried Dough Breakfast
2024-04-20 08:00 - 11:00 | St. Pius X, 45 Elm St., Westerly, RI, 02891
Dante Society of Westerly is hosting a Fried Dough Breakfast and Bake Sale.
Proceeds from the event help support educational grants and scholarships in keeping with the mission of the Dante Society.
Cost is $10 for 12 and older, $5 for under 12 yrs.
Tickets may be purchased in advance from members of the Dante Society of Westerly, or at the door.

Society members are encouraged to volunteer to assist with the event. Volunteer forms may be found by clicking on the “Volunteer” button below: Volunteer

For questions on tickets, please use this form:
Name *Email Address *Question *Thank you for your message. It has been sent.×There was an error trying to send your message. Please try again later.×Submit

Movie: Il Sorpasso
2024-04-22 16:00 - 18:00 | The United Theater, 5 Canal St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
Roberto, a shy law student in Rome, meets Bruno, a forty-year-old exuberant, capricious man, who takes him for a drive through the Roman and Tuscany country side.

Il Sorpasso is considered one of the best examples of the Commedia all’Italiana, a cinematic form which, through comedy, offered a critique of Italian social and cultural changes. This film presents a poignant portrait of Italy in the early 1960s, when the “economic miracle” (dubbed the “boom”) was starting to transform Italy from a traditionally agricultural and family-centered society into a more shallow, individualistic and consumerist one. The film was included in the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage’s 100 Italian films that “have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978.”

It was released in the US with the title “The Easy Life”.
The movie is in Italian, with subtitles, unrated, and runs approximately 1¾ hrs.
More information on the movie, and a trailer, can be found on IMDB.
Information on the movie can also be found on Wikipedia.

Tickets may be purchased at the theater at time of the show or online. For online purchases, see the UnitedTheater’s page for the movie.

Lecture: Italian Immigrant Traditions in Westerly
2024-05-04 13:00 - 14:30 | Westerly Library Auditorium, 44 Broad St, Westerly, 02891
Dante Member Ed Gradilone will present, “Italian Immigrant Traditions in Westerly”

Ed will be speaking about Italian Immigrant Traditions in Westerly:

What traditions are still alive and well?
What traditions still exist, but have changed?
What traditions are no longer a part of the Westerly Community?

Note: All lectures in the lecture series hosted by the Dante Society of Westerly are live events only and are not recorded. They are neither streamed online nor available afterwards as recordings.
Lectures are free and open to the public.

2024 Annual Banquet & Person of the Year Award
2024-06-07 18:00 - 21:00 | The Haversham House, 336 Post Rd., Westerly, RI, 02891
(new content added 4/17: space available in the event’s program)(ticket information is near the bottom of the page)
The 2024 Annual Banquet and Person of the Year Award will be honoring:
Nicholas (Nick) Castagna
Nick has quietly put together a lifetime of service in our community, including:

Coach/VP of Westerly Youth Soccer
Founded and promoted “Blues on the Beach”
Assessment Board member
Zoning Board member/chairman
Town Council member/president
YMCA youth basketball coach
Member of the board for the Jonnycake Center since 2006, and president since 2008

Event Program
Space is currently available in this event’s brochure for congratulations messages and/or advertisements. Pricing is $250 for a full page; $125 for a half page; $50 for a quarter page; and $25 for an eighth of a page. Space may be purchased by clicking here: Purchase Space in the Program
If you have any questions, please contact us at: EventsBrochures@DanteSocietyWesterly.org

Tickets are $75 per person, to be paid in advance.
Tickets are no longer available.

» Virtual tickets may be purchased on line via credit card for $75 each:

List the names of each person for whom a ticket is being purchased on the order form where indicated
Each person will then be added to a list along with reference to the online purchase
The list will be used at the door for admission
A follow up email confirming the details of the purchase will be sent within 3 business days of the purchase
Use the button below to purchase tickets online with a credit card: Tickets are no longer available

Purchase Ticket(s)
» Paper tickets are available for purchase at the Westerly Chamber of Commerce Office.

located at 1 Chamber Way, Westerly
Hours: Monday – Thursday, 9 to 5. Friday – 9 to 4. Ph: 401-596-7761
$75.00 per ticket Cash or Check, NO credit cards.
The Chamber cannot hold/reserve or mail tickets — pick up only.

General Membership Meeting June 2024
2024-06-13 18:00 - 19:00
This is the second of four membership meetings for 2024.
Agenda Outline: {Detailed agenda may be found online by clicking here}

Call to Order
Welcome –
Announcements –
Old Business
New Member Introductions
Minutes of Meeting {found on the website by clicking here} (Motion)
Treasurer’s Report (Motion)
Committee Reports
Nominating Committee (Election Cycle)
Special Events Update
2024 WHS Awards
50th Anniversary Program
Children’s Italian Language Program (July 2024)
WHS Student Recruitment Program
Next Meeting Date September 12 , 2024
Motion to Adjourn

NOTE to Members:

The full agenda for this meeting and the minutes of the previous meeting are only available to members who are logged onto the web site.

The agenda & minutes may be found online by clicking the indicated links above
If you are not logged onto the system when you click the link you will be presented a link to log onto the web site
Once you are logged on, then click the applicable link to see/download the desired document

If you are having trouble logging onto the web site:

Your userid is you email address of record (the one the society uses to email you information)

If you are having trouble, after 3 failed logon attempts, the account is locked for 20 minutes.
After the 20 minutes, you may try again

At anytime, when you see the logon screen, you can click on the phrase “Lost your password?” displayed below the sign-in block.

In the new screen, enter your email address & click “Get New Password” – the email must be the email we have on file for you
You will be sent a link to reset your password
If you do not see the link within 5 to 10 minutes, please check your spam folder
If you still did not get the email to reset your password, then you may have used a different email than we have on file. Use the Contact form to request assistance.

2024 Annual Summer Gathering
2024-06-26 18:00 - 20:00
This is the annual membership gathering for the end of the 2023/2024 season. The Pat Sposato Award is presented at the event.
Members can find additional details on the event and the attendance signup form by clicking here: Summer Gathering Signup

Lecture: Painter in the Wind, Eyes in Colors
2024-10-12 13:00 - 14:30 | Westerly Library, 44 Broad St, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
Renowned Italian Artist, Franco Azzinari will share his insights from his artistic training and career in a conversation with guest moderator URI Professor Michelangelo La Luna. Azzinari will also present paintings and pictures from his projects, including a 35-years long project that aims at protecting the children of Amazonia’s Indigenous tribes in a critical moment in which the climate change and the uncontrolled “invisible” deforestation of the rain-forest are destroying the most important ecosystem of our planet.

Franco Azzinari was born in San Demetrio Corone, in the province of Cosenza, on March 3, 1949. After the death of his parents, at the age of fourteen, he left Calabria and started a real journey of personal growth across Europe. For several years he lived in Paris, where the great Impressionist painters, particularly Gauguin, Van Gogh and Monet, fascinated him. In 1974, in Lerici (La Spezia) he had his first solo exhibition, and in the same year, he opened in Milan a studio-gallery. In 1977 he began a series of trips to the Far East in search of the footsteps of ancient Asian civilizations. He continued his travel experiences in the United States, in the Seychelles Islands, and in Brazil.
Since 1989, Azzinari worked on the project Eyes in Colors, dedicated to the children of the Indigenous tribes of the Amazon, to whom he taught how to express themselves by drawing and painting their beautiful rain-forest. Azzinari also brought them as a gift pencils, brushes, water and oil colors, and sketchbooks, so that they could continue to paint after he left. The goal of the project, endorsed by UNICEF-Italy and presented by Azzinari to Pope Francis in a private meeting they had at the Vatican in October 2019, is to protect the rain-forest and its endangered population and to launch a message on the climate change and the deforestation of Amazonia.
(Franco Assinari will also talk at the South County Art Association on October 17.)

Note: All lectures in the lecture series hosted by the Dante Society of Westerly are live events only and are not recorded. They are neither streamed online nor available afterwards as recordings.
Lectures are free and open to the public.

2024 Annual Anna Turrisi Cooking Demonstration
2024-10-17 17:30 - 20:30 | Calabrese Club, 28 Pleasant Street, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
The Dante Society of Westerly continues the tradition of hosting the annual Anna Turrisi Cooking Demonstration., which is a major fund raising event for our education scholarship and awards program.
>>Go To Ticket Information
>>Go To Brochure Information (advertisement or personal message)
This year the event will feature a video of the guest chef, Dan Murillo, preparing a dish, followed by a live Q&A session with Dan. A meal will be served based on the video presentation, prepared by and served by the culinary students from the Westerly High School. The meal will be followed by a raffle and auction.

Doors open at 5:30 PM. The demonstration begins at 6:15.
Raffle tickets will not be sold during the demonstration.
Tickets are required for attendance. There is a 160 seat limit.

The base price of each ticket is $25, with a credit card processing charge of $1/ticket if purchased online.
Last Day For Ticket sales: At the Chamber: Friday October 11 at the Chamber; Online: Monday October 14 @ 11:00 AM
Ticket sales are now closed

» Tickets may now be purchased online by clicking on this link:<<BUY TICKETS>>

A table may be reserved for $250, which includes 8 tickets. This will only be available online, and is inclusive of the processing charge.
» A table may be reserved (includes 8 tickets) by clicking on this link: <<RESERVE A TABLE>>

» Tickets are also available for purchase at the Chamber of Commerce.
Credit cards are not accepted at the Chamber.

The chamber is located at 1 Chamber Way, Westerly RI (just off Route 1)

Space for advertisements and/or personal messages are available in the event’s brochure.
Among other items the brochure will also contain the menu and recipes.
Cost for the space is:

Full Page: $250
Half Page: $125
Quarter Page: $50
Eighth Page $25

For additional information, please contact the Dante Society of Westerly with this form: <<Request Information>>

MENU
Tossed Salad
Braised Pork Sugo and Orecchiette Stufato
Fresh Baked Bread
Oil by Capizzano’s Olive Oils & Vinegars
Cookies by Vesta Bakery
Coffee & Tea

Chef Dan Murillo displaying the ingredients for Braised Pork Sugo and Orechiette Stufato

Braised Pork Sugo and Orechiette Stufato

Movie: "Rome, Open City"
2024-10-22 16:00 - 18:00 | The United Theater, 5 Canal St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
During the Nazi occupation of Rome in 1944, the leader of the Resistance is chased by the Nazis as he seeks refuge and a way to escape.

This fall the Dante Society movie series is focusing on movies staring Anna Magnani.
“Rome, Open City” was directed by Roberto Rossellini. It is set in 1944 Rome under Nazi occupation, and focuses on a resistance leader trying to escape the city with assistance from a priest. The film was included in the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage’s 100 Italian films that “have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978.”

The movie is in black&white, released in late 1945.
The movie is in Italian, with subtitles, unrated, and runs approximately 1¾ hrs.
More information on the movie, and a trailer, can be found on IMDB.
Information on the movie can also be found on Wikipedia.

Tickets may be purchased at the theater at time of the show or online. For online purchases, see the UnitedTheater’s page for the movie.

General Membership Meeting November 2024
2024-11-14 18:00 - 20:00 | Westerly Senior Center, 39 State St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
This is the fourth and final membership meetings for 2024.
– Agenda Outline {full agenda can be accessed here}

Call to Order
Welcome –
Announcements –
New Member Introductions
Minutes of Meeting {found on the website by clicking here} (Motion to Approve)
Treasurer’s Report
Committee Reports
Next Meeting Date: March 13, 2025
Motion to Adjourn

NOTE to Members:
The full agenda for this meeting and the minutes of the previous meeting are only available to members who are logged onto the web site.

The agenda & minutes may via the Index of Meeting Agendas and Minutes
You need to be logged onto the website to view the index. Use the Log In button in the main menu to log on.
In the index, click the applicable link to see/download the desired document.

If you are having trouble logging onto the web site:

Your userid is your email address of record (the one the society uses to email you information)
—– If you are having trouble, after 3 failed logon attempts, the account is locked for 20 minutes.
—– After the 20 minutes, you may try again
—– If you cannot remember your password, you may reset it

To reset your password, when you see the logon screen, you can click on the phrase “Lost your password?” displayed below the sign-in block.

In the new screen, enter your email address & click “Get New Password” – the email must be the email we have on file for you
You will be sent a link to reset your password
If you do not see the link within 5 to 10 minutes, please check your spam folder
If you still did not get the email to reset your password, then you may have used a different email than we have on file. Use the Contact form to request assistance.
Click on the link contained in the password (this may not work on Apple phones)
Follow the instructions

Lecture: Ashley Turney "Travels through Tuscany"
2024-11-16 13:00 - 14:30 | Westerly Library Auditorium, 44 Broad St, Westerly, 02891
Tuscany is wildly popular for Italians and foreigners alike and for good reason: stunning landscapes, a fascinating history, world renowned wines and delicious food are all married together in a setting that can make you feel like you are living in a fairy tale.
Tuscany is characterized by rolling hills, vineyards, olive groves, and picturesque medieval towns. The region boasts a diverse landscape that ranges from the rugged mountains of the Apennines to the serene coastlines along the Tyrrhenian Sea. While the superstars of Tuscany are Florence, Siena and the Chianti region, Ashley Turney, “L’Esperta” will take us on a journey through beautiful images and stories to all the corners of this magical region, from the southern Val d’Orcia, to the western coastline, from the wild farmland of the Maremma to the elegant towns of Lucca and Arezzo and beyond. You won’t be able to help falling in love and you will be booking yourself on the next flight to Florence!

Note: All lectures in the lecture series hosted by the Dante Society of Westerly are live events only and are not recorded. They are neither streamed online nor available afterwards as recordings.
Lectures are free and open to the public.

CANCELLED: "The Rose Tattoo"
2024-11-19 16:00 - 18:00 | The United Theater, 5 Canal St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
DUE TO LICENSING ISSUES THIS SHOWING IS CANCELLED
HOPEFULLY IT CAN BE SHOWN AT A LATER DATE
ADDITIONAL DETAILS WILL BE PROVIDED WHEN AVAILABLE
A Sicilian seamstress who idolizes her husband must deal with several family crises upon his sudden death.

The second in the Dante Society movie series continues focusing on movies staring Anna Magnani.
“The Rose Tattoo”, directed by Daniel Mann, stars Anna Magnani and Burt Lancaster. Anna Magnani won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Serafina, a Sicilian seamstress living near the Gulf Coast. Details on the story line and plot can be found on IMDB and Wikpedia. Links are provided below.
♦ Movie details:

— It is an adaptation of a 1950 Tennessee Williams three-act play

— Recorded in black&white, released in late late 1955
— In English, unrated, and runs approximately 2 hrs.
— Nominated for 8 Oscars in 1956, winning 3:

—— Best Actress in a Leading Role
—— Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
—— Best Cinematography, Black&White

♦ More information on the movie, and a trailer, can be found on IMDB.
♦ Information on the movie can also be found on Wikipedia.

Tickets may be purchased at the theater at time of the show or online. For online purchases, see the UnitedTheater’s page for the movie.

2024 Presentation: Christmas with the Boomers of Westerly
2024-12-11 18:00 - 20:00 | The Granite Theatre, 1 Granite St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
Christmas with the Boomers of Westerly: A Celebration in Song, Hilarity, and 7 fishes!

Starring Frank Pendola “The Troubadour”
With Special Guest “Little John” Roarke
The event is sold out, but will be streamed. Check with 321 Media for details as they become available.
Last year’s inaugural event was a huge success performed in front of a standing room only crowd at the Westerly Library to absolutely rave reviews, so this year we’ve moved the event to a larger venue, in cooperation with the Granite Theatre. Frank and John have a very special evening planned with all new material….

Join Frank Pendola, one of Westerly’s favorite sons and one of Southern New England’s favorite vocalists as he teams up with Westerly born and well-known comedian John Roarke. Together, these 2 old friends will take you on a rollicking and nostalgic ride back to the Westerly Christmases of the 50’s and 60’s to celebrate the town, the toys, and the traditions that made us who we are.

Tickets can be purchased through the Granite Theater Web site: https://www.granitetheatre.org/shows-and-events/christmas-with-the-boomers

>>>> SOLD OUT<<<<

2025: Celebrate La Befana with the Dante Society and Westerly Library & Wilcox Park
2025-01-04 10:00 - 12:00 | Westerly Library, 44 Broad St, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States

Documentary Film Screening - Naples and the Amalfi Coast: La Dolce Vita?
2025-01-25 13:00 - 15:00 | Westerly Library, 44 Broad St, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
The Westerly Library, in partnership with Green Planet Films and the Dante Society of Westerly, is presenting a screening and discussion of “Naples and the Amalfi Coast: La Dolce Vita?”.
Details can be found on the library’s calendar: Documentary: Naples and the Amalfi Coast: La Dolce Vita?
A trailer of the movie is available to view: Movie Trailer

2025 Winter Gathering
2025-02-02 14:00 - 16:00
Time for the annual winter gathering, open to members of the Dante Society of Westerly and their spouses.
Cost is $15/per person; tickets will not be available at the door.
An email will be sent to members shortly with details.
Seating is limited. It was sold out last year; please pay early.
Online tickets for the 2025 Winter Gathering are sold out.

Lecture: Boogie Woogie Virtuoso Arthur Migliazza
2025-02-22 13:00 - 14:30 | Westerly Library Auditorium, 44 Broad St, Westerly, 02891
Award winning pianist Arthur Migliazza brings the Boogie Woogie and Blues piano tradition back to life through truly unbelievable piano playing and engaging storytelling.
This living historian takes you on a one of a kind journey through the origins of this extremely influential and important African-American music and uncovers its connections and relevance to all of American pop music that followed, including Jazz and Rock and Roll. And yes, Italians are a part of the story as well!!

Note: Unless specifically noted as being streamed or recorded, the lectures in the lecture series hosted by the Dante Society of Westerly are live events only and are not recorded. They are neither streamed online nor available afterwards as recordings.
Lectures are free and open to the public.

This event is presented in partnership with the Westerly Library and Wilcox Park.

Cin Cin: An Exploration of Classic Italian Cocktails
2025-03-09 15:30 - 18:15 | The United Theater, 5 Canal St., Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
As part of the SoupyFest series of events, the UNITED in partnership with the Dante Society of Westerly presents Anthony Caporale for a tasting and deep-dive into the evolution, ingredient history, and cultural significance of Italian cocktails.
Anthony Caporale is an award-winning mixology author and star of “The Imbible” series of long-running Off-Broadway musicals about the history of cocktails and spirits. Known throughout the beverage industry for his dynamic and entertaining talks, this veteran of the New York stage will guide you through the history of classic Italian drinks, including live demonstrations of how to craft them perfectly at home. You won’t want to miss this unique evening of fun, facts, and fables, all viewed through a liquid lens!

Doors open at 3:30 with the lecture starting at 4:00. A tasting is included, which begins at 5:30. The event ends at 6:15.
Tickets are on sale at the United Theatre. The number of tickets is limited. Click here to go to their web listing and scroll to the bottom of the page to see the button to purchase tickets. Total cost per person is $25, which includes the lecture, tasting, and a $5 processing fee per ticket.

General Membership Meeting March 2025
2025-03-13 18:00 - 19:30 | Calabrese Club, 28 Pleasant Street, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
This is the first of the four members’ business meeting for 2025.
Agenda will be sent to members shortly before the meeting.
Due to a scheduling conflict, please note that this meeting will be held at the Calebrese Club, and not the Senior Center.

Members are reminded that the bylaws require attendance at a minimum of 50% of membership meetings as well as participation and support in society activities.
The remaining meetings this year are scheduled for June 12, September 11, and November 13.

Please review the minutes from the previous meeting (November, 2024) prior to attending the meeting.
The minutes from the previous meeting and, when available, the agenda for this meeting may be found using this link: Index of Agendas & Minutes

2025 Membership dues should be paid before this meeting. If you have not yet paid, you may pay using this button:
Submit Dues
