A delightful evening at the Italian Institute of Culture for the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. An event tastefully organized and beautifully celebrated

Held on March 17 at the IIC, “Festa a Palazzo” brought together a crowd of Italians, Italian Americans and admirers of Italian culture to enjoy an elegant evening of celebrations, delectable food, wine, musical performances and much more.

The evening began with a standing ovation for the nation 150th birthday followed by a warming welcome by the Italian Institute of Culture Director Alberto Di Mauro where he described how the evening was going to unfold, and also took the opportunity to thank Mr. and Mrs. Barbera for their generous contributions to this special event.
The event continued with Consul General hon. Nicola Faganello recognizing our past and highlighting the key steps that lead Italy to its unification and independence.

Hon. Nicola Faganello had then the pleasure of inviting on the stage art historian prof. Carlo Pedretti, one of the most highly regarded authorities on the subject of Leonardo Da Vinci, who was awarded with ceremony of Knighthood for his outstanding contributions to the studies of the artist.

What followed was a delightful performance by the music group “La Rossignol”, a Renaissance-style performance featuring dance and music composed between the 15th and the 16th centuries and played with instruments of the time such as the chitarrino, hurdy gurdy and the back-pipe.

IIC Director Alberto Di Mauro explained why the Renaissance theme was chosen as the theme of the evening, to celebrate this important occasion: “It’s a way to show you that Italy is one of the youngest European nations, but ironically as far as culture is one of the oldest ones. The cultural unity dates back since long time ago, since the Romans through the centuries Italy developed a strong culture, which reached its peaks during the Renaissance. During the time of the Renaissance the “Italian style” became the most prominent around Europe.

Rulers of different states were looking for Italian artists who used to travel all over Europe to perform in the different courts. The performance of the group “La Rossignol” is aimed to recreate the same atmosphere that people enjoyed in the Renaissance. Sounds, costumes and movements take us through a journey across the different stages and identities in which Italy was divided at the time, but still united by a cultural identity.

The guests were then invited to proceed to the IIC patio, where they all gathered to sing the national anthem the “Inno di Mameli” and refreshements prepared in the authentic Italian tradition awaited the crowd who seemed to thoroughly enjoy the festivities, with fine wines, Prosecco and of course Limoncello.

The celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Italian Unification was an experience not to be missed; this beautiful gathering allowed us once again to remember why we so proudly share our rich culture, language and traditions. The 150th anniversary of the Unification of the Italian Republic was indeed beautifully celebrated.

SS