ABBONDANZA!

If you are in the Monterey Bay area (that includes you Italophiles and Paesano in San Francisco and San Diego), get on over to the Marina California Airport for a true celebration of Italian Style. Concorso Italiano, is a showcase and festival surrounding the beauty of the exotic Italian automobile. You’d be hard pressed to not see an example of your favorite model. In fact, the field will be jam packed with over 800 Italian cars and motorcycles. This is it, the ultimate dream event for a car buff (other than owning or driving one of course!).

The event, starting tonight, will take place over two days. This evening from 5:30pm to 9:00pm there will be a Concorso Gala, being held for the benefit of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. We understand that as of this posting there are still some tickets available for tonights festivities. Tomorrow, everyone is invited to the scenic grounds of the airport to partake in the all day viewings and festivities (food, fashion, music, and fast cars!).

Visit the Concorso Italiano website for more information. Highly recommended by Ferrari Boy. Vroom, Vroooooomm.

[Philadelphia] The Delaware Valley Opera Company, the same company that brought the Philadelphia area the highly acclaimed operas of Menotti, Pergolesi, Puccini, Rossini, and Verdi - are back for the summer season with two Italian opera favorites; Ruggiero Leoncavallo (I Pagliacci) and Pietro Mascagni (Cavalleria Rusticana). The DVOC has mastered these operas in previous performances and are once again posied to please their audience.

KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS
A scorned woman. A cuckolded husband. A womanizing soldier. This drama is settled the old-fashioned way, and accompanied by the composer’s most popular music.

TEARS OF A CLOWN
A traveling troupe of players comes to town. Jealousies and infidelities converge with tragic consequences. Come and enjoy one of the most famous operas of all time.

Performances Schedule
Saturday, August 2 at 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, August 6 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 9 at 8:00 p.m.

Venue
Summer Festival performances are held in the Roxborough High School Theatre, 6498 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA

Tickets
$15 Members: Students and Seniors
$18 Regular Members: Student and Senior Non-Members
$20 Non-Member

Group discounts are available for indoor and outdoor events for parties of 10 or more.

For Information & Reservations
Phone: 215-725-4171

Official Website: http://www.dvopera.org/index.htm

The Istituto Italiano di Cultura in collaboration with The Abruzzo and Molise Heritage Society of the Washington, DC Area present “Straight from Italy”, a concert featuring the Pianistic Duo Rosario Pavone-Maria Zappalà and Tenor Alessandro Mocera.

Refreshments will be offered after the concert.

Admission is free but advance reservations are required. R.S.V.P. through the Istituto by calling 202-518-0998, x1, or e-mailing iicwashington@esteri.it, or through Ennio Di Tullio of the Abruzzo and Molise Heritage Society, by phone: 703-281-5847 or e-mail: enniodit@aol.com.

Italian Cultural Institute
3000 Whitehaven St NW
Washington DC 20008
(202) 518-0998, x1

[Washington, D.C.] Michelangelo Antonioni (1912–2007), the consummate modernist who converted the language of cinema into contemporary forms, was hailed on his death last July as “the most modern and controversial artist of his generation.” Antonioni began as a critic, collaborated on scripts with the neo-realists, and directed his first feature, Cronica di un amore, in 1950. It was in the mid-1950s that he realized his own unique expression with Il grido. Subsequently, the world learned of that expression with the release of the much maligned L’avventura in 1960, arguably the most debated film of all time and today regarded as one of the most influential. This eight-part retrospective of Antonioni’s most important Italian films (he began to work outside Italy after releasing Deserto rosso in 1964) is presented through the assistance of Luca Verdone; Sergio Toffetti; Laura Argento; Laura Boido; RAI International; Cineteca Nazionale, Rome; and the Italian Cultural Institute, Washington. Prints are from the British Film Institute and Cineteca Nazionale.

Where:
National Gallery of Art, 401 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004 (202) 737-4215

When:
July 19, 25, 27 & August 2, 10, 16, 17, 24

Schedule:
Luca Verodone in Person - July 19 at 2:00PM
East Building Concourse, Large Auditorium

Luca Verdone’s beautiful and intimate study of Antonioni was made for Italian television in the 1980s. Extended interviews, historical footage of the director with many of his favorite actors, and clips from his work comprise the portrait. (Luca Verdone, 2005, digital beta, 60 minutes)

I vinti (The Vanquished)
July 19 at 4:30PM
East Building Concourse, Large Auditorium

Three morality tales Antonioni-style: shy Jean-Pierre Mocky flashes money to get accepted but finds more than he bargained for; eccentric poet Peter Reynolds stops at nothing to get his name in the news; while cigarette smuggler Franco Interlenghi meets with a different sort of trouble. Filmed in three countries, all of which imposed censorship hurdles, I vinti bears the Antonioni trademark—the meanings are in the details. (1952, 35 mm, Italian with subtitles, 110 minutes)

If you live in the Baltimore Maryland area, and have never been to the annual Little Italy film festival, you are really missing out on a great time. It all began 10 years ago when the Little Italy Restaurant Association put up a huge blank billboard that was to advertise the names and logos of the charter members. Due to municipal laws, they were not able to put their advertisement up as planned. This left them with a big blank billboard for nearly one year. During a meeting to determine what was to be done about this blank wall, it was mentioned jokingly that they should consider using it as as a film screen. Well, one thing led to another and as luck would have it, the screen was the perfect size and distance to project an image from a window across the street. The rest is history.

The free film festival draws in thousands of people from all over the area. Many arrive early, stake their claim on a few seats and then go and partake in the great Italian food, music and good cheer that this community event evokes. If you've never dined in the area Abbondanza! highly recommends the following:

Amici's
231 S. High St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 528-1096

Della Notte Ristorante of Little Italy
801 Eastern Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 837-5500

Sabatino's Italian Restaurant
901 Fawn Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 727-9414

Vaccaro's Italian Pastry Shop
222 Albemarle St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 685-4905


Film Festival Dates and Films

• July 11 - “MOONSTRUCK”
• July 18 - “SEABISCUIT”
• July 25 - “MY BIG, FAT, GREEK WEDDING”
• Aug. 1 - “HAIRSPRAY”
• Aug. 8 - “CINDERELLA MAN”
• Aug. 15 - “THE BLUES BROTHERS”
• Aug. 22 - “LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL”
• Aug. 29 - “CINEMA PARADISO”