From the President. Dear members, I am happy to report that the Dante has continued its cultural and rebuilding activities during the spring, summer, and fall of 2012. Our cultural events continue to be of high quality. Many important cultural events occurred in the context of our participation in October as Italian Heritage Month. After a highly successful kickoff event that took place at the State House and in which I and other Dante officers spoke, the Dante hosted a famous I tal ian actor, Mario Pirovano, performing a solo one-act play, “Francis

the Holy Jester,” by Nobel Prize winning playwright Dario Fo. This highly- successful event, held on O c t o b e r 2 8 , w a s sponsored by the Italian Heritage Month Committee and co-sponsored by us, the Consulate General, and the University of Massachusetts Boston. M r . P i r ov ano ’ s wa r m comments on the beauty of our building gratified all the officers who heard them. Besides these events, we continued our series on new books presented by their authors and lectures given by them. On June 15, Radio Host Ron Della Chiesa presented his autobiography, Radio My Way. He gave very

interesting insights into the Boston radio scene during the many years that he has been active. My thanks to Lino Rullo for inviting Ron. On Septem ber 16, Dr . Tommaso Piffer spoke on “The Allies and the Italian Resistance,” which was based on his book of the same title published in Italian. (continued on page 9)

LA DANTE Semi-Annual Newsletter of the Dante Alighieri Society in Cambridge, U.S.A.

On 5 October Michael DiClemente presented his thesis at the Dante. Michael is a newly elected board member, and also a member of the Library and Culture committees. Michael recently completed his Master’s degree at the U n i v e r s i t y o f Massachusetts Boston with a thesis on Gaetano Salvemini.

Michael’s presentation summarized his thesis and gave a summary of the life and work of Salvemini. The conclusion of the thesis is to show that Salvemini had an impact on the creation of the Italian Republic. Salvemini began his career as an historian, and this would always remain his passion. He was also

involved in politics, and fought for the South (he was from Molfetta). The advent of Fascism changed the course of Salvemini’s life and work. He set out to debunk the m y t h s o f F a s c i s m propagated by the Fascist propaganda machine.

(continued on page 6)

Gaetano Salvemini: Anti-Fascism in Boston

CONTACT OUR STAFF

Data

New series - Volume 1 - Numero 2

Library Project 2

Sociologist A. Orsini and Historian Emilio Gentile

3

Education Awards 4

Sacco and Vanzetti 5

Italian Resistance 6

Book Reviews 7

Theater, Music and Food

8

Sommario pag.

Gaetano Salvemini

building is climate-controlled. We have a caterer’s kitchen and a bar that we staff for events. Our parking lot can accommodate approximately thirty-two cars. We also validate parking at the Kendall Square Parking Garage for our guests. Availability: The hall is available daytime and evenings. Please call our office for further details at (617) 876-5160 or email us at admin@dantemass.org

The Dante Alighieri Society of Massachusetts hall is the centerpiece of the historic building erected in 1985 and is n a m e d a f t e r t h e poet/philosopher Dante Alighieri. The attractive hall is f u l l y e n c l o s e d w i t h surrounding rooms on the second level that are also available for rental. We offer individual as well as corporate rentals for business meetings and private receptions. The

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Help relocate and organize our books and archives! Make a contribution and your generous gift will be acknowledged in our new library! Remember that the gifts are tax deductible.

You can send a check with “Library” in the memo; or donate through Paypal at o u r w e b s i t e , www.dantemass.org, with “Library” in the note. Become a: Patron $1000; Friend $500; Donor $100.

HALL RENTALS If you want to stay updated on our events,

consult our calendar at www.dantemass.org/html/events.html

Our library is vital in the improvement of the educational experience of our young and adult students of Italian, serves the intellectual curiosity of our members and maintains a historical archive of the organization. The Society is very fortunate to have the best collection of Italian and Italian American books of any private cultural organization in New England. Many of the books were received from the Boston Public Library years ago and the collection include books on history, literature, art, travel, and cooking both in Italian and English. Moreover we always welcome gifts from private collections. Preliminary plans are in the making to arrange the books in a library and create a system to facilitate their use

while still keeping track of them. The collection includes many old and hard to find books on Italian subjects. To put these books to use it is imperative that a proper system be put in place to make them accessible to the public. Experts were consulted and a project like this will cost around $25,000. The Society would like to find a donor who wants to invest in the study of Italian culture. The money would go to finishing the basement to make it acceptable to house books, setting up a shelving system, properly arranging the books, and setting up software in order to keep track of the books. It will also include setting up an area for people to come to the center and conduct research. We also plan to have a collection of

Italian films on DVD, which would fulfill the desire of many of our members. As you well know, public libraries in general do not have a large variety of Italian films. Recently you may have received in the mail a letter requesting a donation for the library and archives. Thanks to your generosity we were able to collect enough funds to start the organization of the archives under the supervision of Professor Darwin Stapleton of the University of M a s sa ch u s et t s B os t o n . Through the winter months, a Master student in Archival Studies will carefully review the present archives, catalogue them and place them in archival boxes. A room will be assigned and designed to store all archival material on proper

metal shelving. At a later date, and with more financial resources, we aim to catalog our rare books, encyclopedias, and collections by posting them on the WorldCat/FirstSearch system. By listing our collection in this way we will open it up to other libraries in our community and internationally to become a valuable research library.

Anna Bux ton and M ichae l DiClemente

Donate to the library!

Visit our website if you want to know more about the North End in B o s t o n www.dantemass.org/html/bostons-north-end.html

Follow our links and A f f i l i a t e s www.dantemass.org/html/links.html

Visit the following if you want to read more about I t a l y ’ s H i s t o r y www.dantemass.org/html/c o n c i s e - h i s t o r y - o f -italy.html

If you want to know more about our history, read on linewww.dantemass.org/html/our-history.html

“Le Due Sinistre”

Orsini Discusses New Book on Gramsci and Turati

Dr. Alessandro Orsini is no stranger to the Dante. A few years ago he presented hi s v ery provocative book, The Anatomy of the Red Brigades: Ideological Roots of Revolutionary Terrorism. Dr. Orsini is currently teaching political Sociology at the Università di Roma “Tor Vergata.” The topic of the talk held on 28 September focused on Dr. Orsini’s new book, Gramsci e Turati: Le Due Sinistre. According to Orsini the book aims to compare the political culture of Antonio Gramsci and the political culture of Filippo Turati. This presentation followed the Dan t e ’ s ne w book presentation style with Jerry Bello serving as the chair and comments given by Spencer DiScala. P r of esso r DiSc al a ’ s comments set the pretext f o r D r . O r s i n i ’ s p r e s en t a t i on . H e described his own book on Turati and discussed the political climate during this time period. Professor DiScala also praised Orsini ’s f i r st book , mentioning the reception it received in Italy and abroad. The book stimulated much debate by scholars around the globe. Dr. Orsini’s informative and captivating discussion

revolved around Gramsci and Turati and their opposing leftist ideologies and culture. Orsini went as far as to state that the Red Brigades followed the culture of Gramsci which caused much debate with the audience. Another important point that Orsini deliberately kept coming back to was whether or not Gramsci was actually politically tolerant, as he claimed to be. This talk sparked lively debate with the audience, many who had emotional connections to this time period and ideology. Dr. Orsini took time to address all the concerns of the audience, even those who adamantly d i sag reed wi th h i s statements on Gramsci. As a young scholar Orsini is certainly someone who will be producing many more important works, and the Dante looks forward to more presentations from him.

Michael DiClemente

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The March on Rome Ninety Years Later

Emilio Gentile Discusses Fascism

On 17 October the Dante had the great pleasure hosting Professor Emilio Gentile. His presentation was titled “Ninety Years After the March on Rome: Interpretations of Fascism." Professor Gentile is an internationally renowned historian teaching at Unversity of Rome “La Sapienza.” His area of specialization is the culture and ideology of Fascism with many publications to his credit. Some of Professor Gentile’s publications include The Sacralization of Politics in Fascist Italy, The Origins of Fascist Ideology (1918-1925), and History of the Fascist Party. During this trip Gentile also participated in the first annual Gaetano Salvemini Colloquium at Harvard University. Professor Gentile served as the colloquium’s keynote speaker. The title of the colloqium was “How Antifascists Understood the Origins of Totalitarianism (and coined the word).”

The panel included Professors Charles Maier (Harvard), Spencer DiScala (Umass Boston), Renato Camurri (University of Verona), and David Ward (Wellesley College).

(Continued on page 5)

Visit his website alessandroorsini.com

The PLIDA Exams: Our students’ Certification Ceremony

In the picture above:

(Left) Maria Cristiano, New Language Coordinator; (middle) Prof. Cecilia Mattii, Education Committee; (seated) Laura Clerici, Interior Decorator-Culture Committee; (right) Carmen Merolla, Plida Examinator and former Language Coordinator

(Left) President Spencer DiScala

Here are the pictures of the PLIDA certification ceremony for the students that passed the May 2012 session. Congratulations also to Brigitte Anelli who wasn’t present at the party, but she passed the Level A1 in May 2012, too. Last but not least, we don’t forget the “brava” Allison Longley who passed the level A2 and now she won a scholarship to study in Italy.

Thank you also to Comm. Lino Rullo, President of Education Committee for his efforts, and to our President Comm. Spencer Di Scala, PhD, and Prof. Cecilia Mattii for going ahead with PLIDA certification project

In addition, we asked our students why you should learn Italian. We chose the following response as the best one. It is explains why studying Italian can make all the difference.

I grew up listening to the sounds of the Italian language spoken by my grandparents and my mother, but I never learned to speak Italian. As teenagers, all four of my grandparents emigrated from Sicily to Boston. As first generation Americans, my parents were determined to raise me as an “American”. Assimilation, not multiculturalism, was the driving force of the day. Therefore, although the Italian ladies of the neighborhood would visit and speak Italian with my mother, only English was spoken to me. It is my dream to learn Italian, perhaps live for a period of time In Italy, and finally understand those beautiful sounds from my childhood. (R.M. Adamo)

Emanuele Capoano

(Language Instructor and School Organizer)

Henry De Benedetto, Plida Level A1

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If you want to know more information about Scholarship in the Pescosolido Foundation v i s i t www.dantemass.org/html/scholarships.html to meet the Officiers and the Staff.

John Cannon, Plida Level A1

Thomas Barbar, Plida Level A1

Rosie M.Adamo, Plida Level A1

Megan C. Hempstead, Level A1

Caterina Rao, Plida Level A1

Peter Czarnecki, Level A1 (session November 2011) and Level A2 (session May 2012)

If you want to sign up in our school go on www.dantemass.org/html/school.html

This year marks the eighty-fifth anniversary of the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti and on August 29 the Dante welcomed author Ted Grippo to discuss his book, With Malice Aforethought: The Execution of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. The event was sponsored by the Sacco and Vanzetti Commemoration Society. The Sacco and Vanzet t i Commemoration Society opened up the event with the March of Sorrow video which utilized rare and archival footage of the march from the North End to the Forest Hills Cemetery. The video truly struck the viewer as to how many people were following the story and how many knew the two men were innocent. When the author took the stage he explained the new evidence he found and what he believed to be true regarding the case. Mr. Grippo brings a unique perspective to the case because he is a retired lawyer who can utilize his work in law to look at the facts. He also brings a

lifetime of interest in the case, and the desire to learn it inside and out. Mr. Grippo spent much of his talk discussing the controversy over the ballistic expert’s report. During the trial the expert declared that bullet III, the bullet that killed the guard, was from Sacco’s Colt .32. Sacco was asked by police if they could use his gun to test it against the bullets they found on scene, and he agreed because he knew himself to be innocent. The bullet did not match but the author believes it must have been forged

to implicate Sacco, and in turn, Vanzetti. It is with this great detail the Ted Grippo analyzes the case with his expertise in law. This case is obviously important to Mr. Grippo as he discusses it with much passion. It is not only in history that he dedicates to justice gone awry, he has also served at the Center for Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University.

For more information from the S a c c o a n d V a n z e t t i Commemoration Society check out t h e i r w e b s i t e a t http://saccoandvanzetti.org

To get more information about Ted Grippo you can check out his website at http://tedgrippo.com

M.DiClemente

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“Justice Crucified”

Sacco and Vanzetti 85 Years Later

(continued from page 3)

Professor Gentile captivated the audience at the Dante with his look at Fascism and the evolution of its interpretation. Gentile, who studied under the late Renzo De Felice, spoke like a man who has devoted his life to the study of Fascism. He explained the way in which Mussolini came to power in such a way that it could be understood by all. Fascism was more than a political movement it became ingrained into the consciousness of the Italian people; a part of the culture of Italians for a little more than two decades. For those who attended both of Gentile’s events will have noticed that his presentations were quite different. Many did attend both and they were able to gain considerable knowledge of the Fascist movement. It also says a lot of Gentile as a scholar to give completely different talks two nights in a row. The Dante is incredibly thankful to Professor Gentile and looks forward to future presentations by him.

On September 16 the

Dante hosted the first in its new book series with a presentat ion by Dr. Tommaso Piffer. This new series is set up with a chair and commentator, for this event it was Dr. Spencer DiScala and Michael DiClemente respectively. Dr. Piffer discussed his new book, The Allies and the Italian Resistance. Currently Dr. Piffer is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University. The Italian Resistance is a theme Dr. Piffer is familiar with, as his first book was a biography on Alfredo Pizzoni, the president of

the Committee for the National Liberation of Upper Italy. This book is an expanded view looking at the allies working with the partisan struggle from a diplomatic and military approach. Dr. Piffer helps the reader wade through the myriad of organizations t h a t a s s i s t e d t h e Resistance movement. The central theme of the book describes the gradual change in the management of the relations between the allies and the various resistance groups from Great Britain to the United States. A strong aspect of the book is explaining the detail in which the Allies were working with the partisan groups. Without the Allies, the partisans would not have had the materials they needed in order to continue their fight. The end of Mussolini’s reign did not signify immediate liberation for Italy. Although the south was occupied by the Allies, the north was in a different

position. The Germans had the control, and it is here that the brave soldiers of the Resistance were fighting for their freedom, and the freedom of their countrymen. It is in this area that the Allies were instrumental in the Resistance fight. Dr. P i f f er descr i bes the difficulties in getting supplies to the groups, due to, among other things, weather and topography. Dr. Piffer’s book is a welcome addition to Italian Resistance history. Particularly appealing to Americans is the use of American sources, and their involvement in assisting the partisan groups. At this time the book is only available in Italian, but hopefully a translation will be available soon so it can reach a wider English-speaking audience. As with any historical work, there are criticisms of Dr. Piffer’s book. The book is certainly comprehensive in its analysis of the inner workings of the British and American services. There is, however, criticism as to

the conclusions the book reaches regarding the motivations of the Allies. There are also criticisms that the book draws primarily on Allied sources and not that of the resistance. At the end of his talk, during the question-and-answer part, Dr. Piffer addressed these criticisms and discussed how he reached his conclusions. He also discussed the sources he chose. There was a spirited debate between Dr. Piffer and the audience, as many have close connections to the Resistance. It is certainly recommended to read the book and draw your own conclusions. It is these events that set the Dante apart from many of the other Italian societies. This is the first in this new book series we are hosting at the Dante which will add depth to our already great array of cultural events.

come out victorious and gave hope to the next generation of Italians. The end of the presentation brought about questions and interest from the audience. Dante hosts many events of a historical nature, but it particularly interesting to have a presentation with connections so close to home. If you would like more information on Salvemini a good start would be a biography by Dr. Charles Killinger.

(continued from page 1)

Salvemini was one of the earliest exiles of the Fascist period. He eventually ended up in the United States and spent much of the thirties and forties teaching at Harvard University. While in the United States Salvemini was an unflinching opponent of Fascism. His unwillingness to compromise kept him from gaining widespread acclaim, but it also allowed him to

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Dr. Tomasso Piffer Discusses the Italian Resistance

A New Language, A New World: Italian Immigrants In the United States, 1890-1945 by Nancy C. Carnevale.

Italian Immigrant Radical Culture: The Idealism of the Sovversi in the United States, 1890-1940 by Marcella Bencivenni.

English. Carnevale uses the courtroom interpreter for the Sacco and Vanzetti case as an example. The interpreter was not fluent in all dialects of Italian and much was lost in translation. This caused a great deal of controversy with the witnesses since many of them had little knowledge of English and were unaware of what was happening. Carnevale spends much of the book on language and entertainment. I t a l i an and I ta l i an -Am er i can entertainers manipulated language for theater, comedy, and song. As an example the Italian-American singer, Louis Prima, showed how to successfully manipulate language for entertainment. In some cases these forms of entertainment fell out of favor as generations assimilated and English became their primary l a n g u a g e . The book takes a linguistic approach to discuss Italian immigration and shows the hardships and triumphs of Italians in America. Toward the end of the book Carnevale explains how Italians were used during World War II for their intimate knowledge of both the Italian language and culture. The book is a relatively short and easy read making it an excellent addition to anyone’s knowledge of the Italian immigrant linguistic history. Marcella Bencivenni’s book, Italian Immigrant Radical Culture: The Idealism of the Sovversi in the United States, 1890-1940, also uses language but in this case discusses in the context of the Italian radical culture in the United States. Bencivenni examines the underexplored literary world of Italian radicalism and not solely the political function of the movement. The book begins by putting the radical

movement into context by beginning with its foundation in Italy. Even after unification, Italy did not experience the political stability or the economic prosperity it needed. It did not develop social reforms that were desperately needed, particularly for the South. The result of this was an awakening in a working-class consciousness. Many brought this class consciousness to the United States with them but others, like Bartolomeo Vanzett i , became involved in anarchism only after he arrived. The reason for many to become involved in radicalism when they immigrated to America is because they experienced being exploited and wanted to take action. They wanted to fight for better pay and working conditions; for just treatment for all. Bencivenni’s book explores all facets of radicalism’s cultural and literary dimensions. Many radical periodicals were available but most did not last very long. They had a major problem with funding and dealing with the fact that many Italian workers were illiterate. Fundraising events and donors were h e av i l y r e l i e d u p o n s i n c e advertisements in these publications were seen as capitalism. A better way to reach a larger audience was stage performances. Not only did these performances provide a relaxing atmosphere, they did not require the audience to be literate to understand the message. The last two chapters focus on the poetry of Arturo Giovannitti and the radical cartoons of Fort Velona. This book also highlights the importance of both men and women in this radical movement.

(continued on the next page)

These two books make an excellent pair to review together. Not only do they reference the same time period, they both deal with language whether it be a fundamental linguistic approach or, in a broader sense, a tool for spreading ideas. I felt these books were important for the newsletter because they di scuss I tal ian immigration which most of us are familiar with, whether it be with distant relatives or personal experience. Nancy Carnevale begins her book, A New Language, A New World: Italian Immigrants in the United States, 1890-1945, with a personal story of visiting Italy with her parents for their first time back to their homeland. She was amazed to see them use their language, not because she had not heard it before, but because she did not realize that Italian is a general term for both dialect and standard Italian. Carnevale’s book explores the nuances of the Italian language and the difficult position uneducated Italian immigrants faced. Many came to the United States illiterate. They had to come to terms with the fact that not only could they only speak dialect, not the standard Italian of the prominenti, but they also could not understand

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Michael DiClemente’s

Book Reviews

Pirovano’s stunning performance brings to life the work of Dario Fo

time period. The only flaw is with all the explanation of the literary culture the reader is left with one fundamental question: did all this writing by a relatively small intellectual group influence the working man’s ideology? Is there anything more fundamental than language? It truly defines who we are and is extremely important in how people perceive us. These two books dissect this aspect of not only the individual but of society. These two examples show how language can shape an individual, a people, and a movement.

Michael DiClemente

(continued from the previous page) The book follows the evolution of the radical movement from the Risorgimento through Fascism, when much of the movement fought against the regime. The time period it covers is an extremely fascinating time in Italian history, and as we can see, makes Italian-American history incredibly interesting as well. Bencivenni’s book is a great addition to the work regarding Italian radicalism in the United States and incorporates the movement’s rich literary and cultural history into its political context. It is an extremely readable book that makes the reader wish that he/she lived during this

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PENNE AL PISTACCHIO “A LONG-FORGOTTEN RECIPE FROM THE OLD COUNTRY” Ingredients: 1 lb of penne 1 onion, chopped 1/2 cup shelled pistachios 1 stick of butter and a dash of salt and pepper 2oz. of pancetta, chopped finely 1 cup of cream and grated parmesan cheese

Chop pistachios very finely, using a food processor if necessary. Heat stick of butter and sautee chopped onion and a bit of pepper. Add the pistachios and cook. Add cream and salt. Cook a but longer. Lastly, add pancetta to the pan and continue to sautee. Boil the penne al dente, drain and mix with pistachio sauce. Before serving, add parmesan cheese.

October 26th was a stunning night at Dante with Spajazzy: a mix of Italian melodies and jazz. Mark Greel on the trumpet, guitar, sax, f lute, lead vocal ist, Tino D'Agostino, on the bass, Sergio Bellotti, on the drums, after the concert talked about music opportunities at the Italy Music Camp 2013, a place where young American musicians can make music and immerse themselves in Italy’s artistic culture. Information c a n b e f o u n d a t www.ItalyMusicCamp.com. The evening was coordinated by Comm. Lino Rullo, Presid. Emeritus of Dante.

“A unique combination of history, pathos and artistic craftsmanship in a wonderful one-man show recounting with energy and color an unusual aspect of Francis of Assisi-the joker, the jester, who taught through humor the message of Christ.” That’s what we witnessed Sunday, October 28, 2012 on Dante Alighieri Society’s stage. The performance of Mario Pirovano was sponsored by the Dante Alighieri Society of Massachusetts, Italian Heritage Month, the Italian Consulate in Boston, and the University of Massachusetts Boston. A special thanks to Luisa Marino, Vice Pres. of Culture. Read the review and the interview on the Bostoniano Magazine www.bostoniano.info/interviews/mario-pirovano-brings-francis-dario-fo-boston-area

www.dantemass.org/html/governance-and-staff.html

41, Hampshire St. , Cambridge Tel.: (617) 876-5160 E-mail: admin@dantemass.org This issue has been formatted by Emanuele Capoano

FUNDRAISING AND OUR MANY THANKS The Dante has been hard at work finding ways to remain financially sound. Several fundraising efforts have been working and it is the plan to continue these efforts. The Library Committee has successfully raised over $5,000 in the past several months. On 8 November the Dante held its first wine tasting fundraiser. The night was a huge success and we managed to make around $6,000. We are thankful to all our members whose dues help finance the Dante, but we encourage all of you to keep your eyes open for future fundraising events and invite friends and family. The plan is to host a wine tasting in the fall and spring.

CONTACT OUR STAFF

(continued from page 1)

Dr. Piffer represented the new scholarship that has been coming of age in Italy in recent years and we were glad to host this young author from whom I am sure much more will be heard. Another young writer, Professor Alessandro Orsini of the University of Rome and the Free University of Rome, LUISS, spoke on September 28 on “Two Political Philosophers and the Struggle for Italy’s Soul: Gramsci and Turati.” This talk was based on his new book that came out recently in Italy and that has touched off an important debate in Italian scholarly journals and newspapers. Some of you might remember Professor Orsini, who spoke at the Dante on his previous book, Anatomy of the Red Brigades, published by Cornell University Press, that Foreign Affairs named one of the three most important books of 2011. On October 17, we balanced these young scholars with Professor Emilio Gentile of the University of Rome. Professor Gentile - who

spoke at a colloquium at Harvard at which I also participated—is perhaps the most famous scholar currently writing on fascism. Professor Gentile spoke on “Ninety Years After the M a r c h o n R o m e : Interpretations of Fascism,” a lecture based on a new book of his on the March on Rome that is just seeing the light in Italy. Michael Di Clemente, a member of the Board of Directors, gave the comment on the talk. Again here there were many interesting questions from the audience. People who come to the Dante remark on the new beauty of the building and on its increased functionality. Over the past three years, over two-thirds of our expenses have been for essential repairs and other necessary costs. These have been very onerous, but we had to spend the funds to preserve the integrity of the building and to meet the requests o f bu i l di ng inspectors. Besides necessary expenses, we have also made significant improv ements to the

building, because they cost less, give a greater return, and increase donations. The beautification of the building has allowed us to raise our prices for events because the building has become much more desirable for rentals and we are able to charge more. At the same time, we are ready to apply a new business model. We are about to enter into a partnership with Rita’s, one of the largest caterers in Cambridge and known for its quality. In fact, on November 8 we held a very successful wine tasting event and Rita’s donated the food, the decorations, and the service. In addition, we held talks with different persons that resulted in the wine being donated. I thank Rita’s, B a u e r W i ne s , N i a l l Ferguson, and Len Presutti for all their help, without which this successful event could not have been held. The profits have already been used to pay for the beautiful new emergency exit doors that have replaced the old ones. In addition, I thank the other donors who

have allowed us to redo the sidewalk and steps: Tony Cassano, Mart i ngnett i Enterprises, Claudio Iacono, and Somerville Ironworks. We are now in the process of planning another fundraising event to be h e l d i n J a n u a r y , Carnevale, which is headed by Lino Rullo, and I ask all of you to support him. We are also in the process of planning major events for 2013, the year of Italian culture in the United States - so stay tuned and become involved! I have been very pleased with the progress of the Dante on all these fronts and call for your support as we sh i f t our ef for t s to fundraising and sustainable growth. My warmest wishes for a good Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a healthy and peaceful 2013.

Spencer Di Scala President

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“Poca favilla, gran fiamma seconda”

“A MIGHTY FLAME FOLLOWETH A TINY SPARK”

(Dante – Divina Commedia – Paradiso, I canto)