Upcoming events:

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. RSVP required, with priority given to SBU students.

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.**

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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