Upcoming events:

Thursday, February 12, 2026 1:30 – 3 PM	Caffè Italiano Join us for espresso and biscotti to kick off our spring season of events! Open to SBU students, faculty, and staff only. Center for Italian Studies, E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University. Register
Thursday, March 5, 2026 3:30 – 4:50 PM	Lecture: Elisabetta Scirocco (Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History, Rome), "Art and Catastrophes: Heritage and Natural Dangers, from Spanish Italy to the Present" This lecture presents natural disasters as a possible key to an interdisciplinary approach to art history. We will examine the impact of natural disasters in Naples, the most densely populated city in 17th-century Europe and the capital of the Spanish viceroyalty in southern Italy. The recurrence of extreme natural events in Naples has left an indelible mark on art, architecture, urban planning, literature, and social and religious practices. Organized by Fernando Loffredo (HLL), and co-sponsored by The Center for Italian Studies, The Humanities Institute, the Graduate Program in in Art History and Criticism, and the Departments of Hispanic Languages and Literature, History, Languages and Cultural Studies. Center for Italian Studies, E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University. Open to all. Seating is limited, please make sure to register. Register
Friday, March 6, 2026 8:30 AM – 2:30 PM	AATI Conference: "Vivere l'Italiano/Bringing Language to Life In and Beyond the Classroom" Co-sponsored by the D’Amato Chair and Center for Italian Studies. Prior Registration is required. This event will take place at Hofstra University. Register
Thursday, March 12, 2026 5 – 7:30 PM	*Film Screening, True Love* (1989)** Rated R; runtime: 144 minutes. Donna and Michael's wedding plans are complicated by pre-ceremony tasks and mutual doubts. He struggles with commitment while she questions his maturity, leaving both uncertain. Directed by Nancy Savoca. Rated R; 124 minutes. With commentary by Professor Loredana Polezzi. Center for Italian Studies, E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University. Register
Thursday, March 26, 2026 5 – 7:30 PM	*Film Screening, Household Saints* (1993)** Rated R; runtime: 124 minutes. A drama, directed by Nancy Savoca, about three generations of Italian-American women struggling to get by in post-World War II New York's Little Italy. Rated R; 124 minutes. With commentary by Professor Loredana Polezzi. Center for Italian Studies, E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University. Register
Thursday, April 2, 2026 5 – 7 PM	*Documentary Film Screening, The Many Miracles of Household Saints* (1993)** A behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the 1993 independent film Household Saints, created by Martina Savoca-Guay, a first-time feature director with unique qualifications and talents for the assignment. Savoca-Guay is the baby that director Nancy Savoca was carrying during the film's production, and as a newborn she spent days in the editing room with her parents. 58 minutes, unrated. With commentary by Profs. Loredana Polezzi and Mary Jane Dempsey. Center for Italian Studies, E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University. Register
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 7 – 9 PM	Kiss the Fortune Teller, an original play by Anthony DiFranco Co-organized with the Department of Languages and Cultural Studies, and supported by the College of Arts & Sciences Enhancing Undergraduate Communities Award. Wang Theater, Charles B. Wang Center, Stony Brook University. Open to all. RSVP encouraged. Register
Monday, April 13, 2026 5 – 8 PM	Conversation with Director Nancy Savoca, with commentary by Producer Rich Guay Co-sponsored by the D’Amato Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies. Lecture Hall 1, Charles B. Wang Center, Stony Brook University. Open to all. Seating limited to 70 people. RSVP required, with priority given to SBU students. Pre-registration does not guarantee entry. Register
Tuesday, April 21, 2026 12:30 – 1:50 PM	Lecture: Angelamaria Aceto (Ashmolean Museum) on Raphael's Drawings A lecture designed to complement the exhibition, Raphael: Sublime Poetry at the at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from March 29–June 28. Co-organized with Karen Lloyd (Art) and Fernando Loffredo (HLL). Center for Italian Studies, E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University. Open to all. Register
Thursday, April 23, 2026 5 PM	Book presentation with Amara Lakhous (Yale University), The Fertility of Evil Center for Italian Studies, E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University. Register

Recent Events

September 3, 2025 12:30 – 1:50 PM	Student Club Involvement Fair CIAO Club will be tabling at the Fall 2025 Student Club Involvement Fair. Check them out! Open to SBU students only. Academic Mall, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794.
September 10, 2025 12:30 – 3:45 PM	Caffè Italiano Join us for espresso and biscotti to kick off our fall season of events! Open to SBU students, faculty, and staff only. E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358.
September 14, 2025 10 AM – 1 PM	XIX Concorso d'Eleganza The Center cordially invites you to its XIX annual Dr. Robert D. Cess Concorso d'Eleganza. Display vehicles will rally on Stony Brook University campus, where registration and viewing will be free to the public. Registration is required to display a vehicle at the event. Register by September 1, 2025 to have your vehicle listed in the event program. Open to the public. Please direct any inquiries to ctritalianstudies@stonybrook.edu or call us at (631) 632-7444.
September 16, 2025 5 – 6:30 PM	Book Presentation Giulia Riccò (University of Michigan) will present her new book, The Italian Colony of São Paulo: Race, Class, and Cultural Capital in Brazil. Co-sponsored by the D’Amato Chair and Institute for Globalization Studies. Open to the public. E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358.
September 19, 2025 4 – 7 PM	CIS-AATI Serata in Vigneto Join AATI members for a delightful evening at this Long Island vineyard, where good company and great times await. Open to AATI Members and SBU Alumni & Faculty of Italian Studies (ages 21+). Registration is required, as well as a $25 fee. Del Vino Vineyards, 29 Norwood Rd, Northport, NY 11768.
September 27, 2025 12 – 4 PM	CommUniversity Day Join the Center and nearly 100 departments and community partners for a day of family fun! We'll be giving away LEGO sets and a basket full of Italian goodies. Open to all. Academic Mall, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794. More Information
October 2, 2025 4 – 6:15 PM	Biennial Sorbello Conference: Opening & Keynote Cultural Exchanges Between Italy and the United States: ‘Italian’ Intellectuals in the U.S. / ‘Italian’ Intellectuals and the U.S." Ruggero Ranieri (Sorbello Foundation) will open the conference with a brief presentation on the history and mission of the Sorbello Foundation. Anthony Julian Tamburri (John D. Calandra Institute) will deliver the Keynote Lecture, "Knowledge. What is it Good For? Absolutely Something!" E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358. Hosted by the Center for Italian Studies at Stony Brook University, in partnership with the Romeyne Robert and Uguccione Sorbello Foundation, and co-sponsored by Ragusa Foundation for the Humanities, New York. Additional support provided by the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, CUNY, and Università per Stranieri di Perugia, Italy. Program
October 3, 2025 8 AM – 5:30 PM	Biennial Sorbello Conference: Conference Panels Cultural Exchanges Between Italy and the United States: ‘Italian’ Intellectuals in the U.S. / ‘Italian’ Intellectuals and the U.S." The Center for Italian Studies will host several panels of Cultural Exchanges Between Italy and The United States. E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358. Hosted by the Center for Italian Studies at Stony Brook University, in partnership with the Romeyne Robert and Uguccione Sorbello Foundation, and co-sponsored by Ragusa Foundation for the Humanities, New York. Additional support provided by the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, CUNY, and Università per Stranieri di Perugia, Italy. Program
October 7, 2025 5 – 6:30 PM	Lecture: Francesco Rombaldi, "Material Narratives: My Journey through Photobooks and Independent Publishing" Francesco Rombaldi (Rome, Italy), curator and editor-in-chief of Yogurt, will explore the evolving role of photobooks and independent publishing in shaping contemporary photographic narratives. Through a reflective analysis of Rombaldi's own curatorial strategies, editorial design, and storytelling methodologies,this talk examines how materiality, sequencing, and interdisciplinary influences contribute to new visual discourses. Drawing on collaborations with artists such as Alba Zari and Francesco Zizola, this presentation highlights practical approaches to concept development, fieldwork, and dynamic layout design, positioning the photobook as both a creative and critical tool for cultural production. Open to all. E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358.
October 9, 2025 5 PM	Book Talk: Diaries Diaries is a journey through conflicts and crises, where images and words merge like fragments of a diary. It is a deep investigation into memory, collective responsibility, and the repetition of history. Francesco Zizola (author) and Francesco Rombaldi (curator) will engage in conversation with Simone Brioni, Andrea Fedi, and Loredana Polezzi. Open to all. On Zoom and Poetry Center, Humanities Building, Stony Brook University.
October 16, 2025 5 – 6:30 PM	Narrative Talk, Gabriella Ghermandi, "Queen of Flowers and Pearls" Based on Gabriella Ghermandi’s acclaimed novel Regina di Fiori e di perle (Donzelli, 2007), this narrative talk begins with the Ethiopian culture of storytelling, and continues the journey over time from Ethiopia to Italy. This event centers stories of Ethiopian resistance in the struggle against Italian colonial expansion under Fascism, and features readings, monologues, and song by Ghermandi. Co-sponsored by the D’Amato Chair and the Department of Africana Studies. Open to all. Lecture Hall 1, Wang Center, Stony Brook University
November 10, 2025 5 – 7 PM	*Film Screening: Big Night* (1996) w/ discussion by Loredana Polezzi** Chef Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and businessman Secondo (Stanley Tucci), immigrant brothers from Italy, open their dream restaurant. However, Primo's food is unfamiliar to the local palate, and the restaurant is struggling. When famous Italian-American bandleader Louis Prima is scheduled to appear at the restaurant, the two brothers put all of their efforts into the important meal, which will likely decide the fate of their restaurant. Rated R; run time: 109 min. Location: Humanities 1006, reception to follow in Humanities 1009. Open to all, SBU Students encouraged to attend.
November 20, 2025 5 – 6:30 PM	Lecture: Raymond Carlson (Yale University Art Gallery), “Seeking Michelangelo’s Poetic Origins and Finding his Artistic Profession” Michelangelo Buonarroti wrote over 300 poems during his life. But which one came first? To address unresolved questions of when and why Michelangelo began writing poetry, this lecture reevaluates his artistic practice at the dawn of the sixteenth century. Open to all, SBU Students encouraged to attend. E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358.
December 10, 2025 5 – 7:30 PM	Holiday Gathering and Student Awards Join us at our annual holiday gathering! We will have a spread of delicious food and drink. This year, we will also recognize our incredible undergraduate student excellence award winners as well as our graduate student Fusco Fellowship recipients. Open to all. E-4340 Melville Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358.

2011-2023 News & Events Archive