The America-Italy Society of Philadelphia (AISPHILA) is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, founded in 1956 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania, to promote, by educational and cultural means, an international friendship between the

Republic of Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the Italy (geographical region) ...

and the United States of America. The organization offers a series of lectures, films, concerts, and language studies to promote a broader understanding of the Italian cultural and artistic heritage.

History/Background

The America-Italy Society of Philadelphia was founded in 1956 largely through the creative and dynamic leadership of Dr. Giovanni Luciolli, who was Consul General of Italy of Philadelphia at that time with the help of the former president, John Price. Today, the organization has several hundred members in the greater

region. The AIS has been involved in several restoration projects over time. One of the earliest projects was CRIA (Committee to Rescue Italian Art), a committee that formed following the

1966 Flood of the Arno River The 1966 flood of the Arno ( it, Alluvione di Firenze del 4 novembre 1966) in Florence killed 101 people and damaged or destroyed millions of masterpieces of art and rare books. It is considered the worst flood in the city's history since 1557. Wi ...

, to rescue and restore artwork that was affected by the flood. The committee was composed of art historians, curators, and conservators. The AIS president, John Price, served as the Committee's Area Chair. In 1980, following the

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

that devastated many mountain villages east of

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, the society funded and built a center for older citizens who had survived but lost everything.

Programs

AISPHILA promotes a mutual understanding between

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and

American Culture The culture of the United States of America is primarily of Western, and European origin, yet its influences includes the cultures of Asian American, African American, Latin American, and Native American peoples and their cultures. The U ...

through their many different programs:

Language School

AISPHILA offers 14 different levels of weekly Italian language classes, private lessons, and full-immersion courses ranging from beginner to fluent.

Lectures & Cultural Events

The America-Italy Society of Philadelphia arranges various events each year that educate its members on

Italian history The history of Italy covers the ancient period, the Middle Ages, and the modern era. Since classical antiquity, ancient Etruscans, various Italic peoples (such as the Latins, Samnites, and Umbri), Celts, ''Magna Graecia'' colonists, and other an ...

, language culture,

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

, and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

. AISPHILA hosts monthly films that are shown in Italian with English subtitles introduced by a guest lecturer.

Ente Gestore

As part of its mission to promote Italian culture and language, the America-Italy Society of Philadelphia acts as ''ente gestore'' (manager) of grants to public and private schools that offer Italian language instruction. With support from the Italian government and under the supervision of Dr. Domenico Teker, the Director of the Scholastic Office of the Consulate General of Italy in Boston, AIS promotes Italian language programs in high schools throughout the greater Philadelphia region.

Amerita Chamber Players/Concerts

AISPHILA sponsors a free concert series that is open to the public by the Amerita Chamber Players. Amerita concerts are held three times a year at the Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel at 18th and Spruce St. in

Center City Philadelphia Center City includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia. It comprises the area that made up the City of Philadelphia prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, which extended the city borders to be coterminous wi ...

History of the Amerita Chamber Players

The America-Italy Society presented its first concert of the Amerita Chamber Players in 1956 at

The Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Fr ...

, and their annual concerts of

Italian Baroque Italian Baroque (or ''Barocco'') is a stylistic period in Italian history and art that spanned from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. History The early 17th century marked a time of change for those of the Roman Catholic religion ...

music remain the Society's most popular event. The Amerita Chamber Players was founded by Philadelphia Orchestra violinist, Frank Costanzo and then Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia, Dr. Giovanni Luciolli. By merging the words "America" and "Italy", the name "Amerita" was born to represent the combination of the two different cultures. What began as a small string orchestra is today, under the direction of

harpsichordist A harpsichordist is a person who plays the harpsichord. Harpsichordists may play as soloists, as accompanists, as chamber musicians, or as members of an orchestra, or some combination of these roles. Solo harpsichordists may play unaccompanied son ...

Davyd Booth (who serves on the Board of Directors) and bassist-gambist Michael Shahan, an ensemble consisting of a string quintet and harpsichord with the addition of

woodwinds Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed ...

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

, vocal soloists, and other instrumentalists.

Trips to Italy

AISPHILA organizes annual group and individual trips to Italy. The immersion experiences provide an opportunity to study the language, attend food and wine tasting, and visit museums and local establishments.

Vittorini Awards

The America-Italy Society of Philadelphia supports excellence in Italian studies at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

with its Vittorini Fund, established in 1963 to honor the memory of Professor Domenico Vittorini, beloved long-time member of the

Romance Languages The Romance languages, sometimes referred to as Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages in the Indo-European language fam ...

Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. Prizes are awarded each year to encourage undergraduate students in the pursuit of majors and minors, and perhaps even careers, centering on

Italian culture Italy is considered one of the birthplaces of Western civilization and a cultural superpower. Italian culture is the culture of the Italians, a Romance ethnic group, and is incredibly diverse spanning the entirety of the Italian peninsula ...

. The awards are presented by the America-Italy Society at an annual ceremony held at the end of the spring semester at the University of Pennsylvania.

Restoration of Venetian Art

The America-Italy Society is an active member organization of the UNESCO International Committee for the Safeguarding of Venice and participates in saving and restoring Venetian Art and monuments. The America-Italy Society began its support for art restoration in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

following the great flood of 1966 that devastated Venice and damaged many of the world's great art and architectural masterpieces. The international community banded together under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to launch a campaign to assist the Italian government in the safeguarding of

Restoration Projects Undertaken by AISPHILA

* Church of Santa Maria della Visitazione: 58 ceiling panels (Umbrian School, 15th century) * Cà Rezzonico: Ballroom ceiling frescoes by Giambattista Crosato (18th century) * Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari: The painting of the "Assumption of the Virgin" by Titian (16th century) *

Palazzo Mocenigo Palazzo Mocenigo may be one of the following palazzos in Venice, Italy, named after the Mocenigo family, seven of whom were Doges of Venice: * Palazzo Mocenigo di San Stae, Sestiere of Santa Croce * Palazzi Mocenigo, Sestiere of San Marco: ** Palaz ...

: Fresco of "The Apotheosis of the Mocenigo Family" by Jacopo Guarana (18th century) * Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, Torcello: Mosaics throughout the church interior (12th and 13th century) * Ospedaletto dei Derelitti: Sala della Musica (18th century) * The Church of San Martino: Altarpiece with four angels by Tullio Lombardo (16th century) *

San Michele in Isola San Michele in Isola is a Roman Catholic church, located on the Isola di San Michele, a small islet sited between Venice and Murano, which once sheltered a Camaldolese monastery ( it, Monastero di S. Michele di Murano), but now houses the main cem ...

: Three wooden statues (16th century) * Flagpole dedicated to Doge

Francesco Morosini Francesco Morosini (26 February 1619 – 16 January 1694) was the Doge of Venice from 1688 to 1694, at the height of the Great Turkish War. He was one of the many Doges and generals produced by the noble Venetian family of Morosini.Encyclopæd ...

campo Santo Stefano Campo Santo Stefano is a city square near the Ponte dell'Accademia, in the sestiere of San Marco, Venice, Italy. Buildings around the square * Santo Stefano, Venice *San Vidal, Venice *Palazzo Morosini Gatterburg *Palazzo Loredan *Palazzo Pisani ...

Tax-exemption legitimacy

AISPHILA is a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization under Sections 501(c)(3) and 509 (a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to the Society are deductible for federal income tax purposes. AISPHILA is registered as a charitable organization in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

References

{{Reflist United States friendship associations Cultural promotion organizations Non-profit organizations based in Philadelphia 501(c)(3) organizations