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Participation in the AGM is free of charge but registration is required. Please register by clicking the “book now” button.
The meeting will last approximately 20 minutes and it will be followed at 7 pm by the lecture A Man of Honour: Leonardo Sciascia and His Battles Against Mafia with Caroline Moorhead.
If you wish to attend the lecture following the AGM, please book separately by heading the relevant event page. Thank you.
ZOOM WEBINAR Price £8.
On the occasion of the 100 year anniversary of the Arena di Verona Opera Festival, celebrated throughout 2023, Stefano Trespidi, Vice Artist Director, will guide us through the fascinating history of this remarkable institution. Our exploration will commence with the very first opera, Aida by Giuseppe Verdi, held in 1913 in the iconic Roman amphitheatre, and extend to the plans outlined by the Fondazione Arena di Verona for the future. Since its first performance the Arena di Verona has hosted a pantheon of opera’s most celebrated artists, from Maria Callas to Luciano Pavarotti. The Arena’s centennial milestone serves as a reminder of the enduring allure of opera and the vital role this venue plays in preserving and perpetuating this form of art. As we reflect on a century of operatic brilliance at the Arena, we are reminded that — while the world around us may change — the power of music and the magic of opera remain timeless, resonating across generations and cultures.You will be immersed into the enchanting world of opera as you listen to recordings of some of the most exquisite ‘arie’ ever performed at the Festival.
Stefano Trespidi’s remarkable path in theatre started very young at Verona’s Arena Foundation, followed by a master’s degree at Academy of Arts and Crafts at Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Throughout his career, Trespidi collaborated with acclaimed directors such as Giancarlo Del Monaco, Hugo de Ana, Pierluigi Pizzi, Gilbert Deflo, Graham Vick, Denis Krief, and Franco Zeffirelli. His long collaboration with Franco Zeffirelli, led to restaging his iconic productions worldwide such as “Carmen” in 2003. Trespidi’s work extended to prominent theatres worldwide, including Palermo’s Massimo, Lausanne Opera, Opéra Comique in Paris, Bologna’s Comunale, Oviedo’s Campoamor, Florence’s Maggio Musicale, Pamplona’s Baluarte to name a few. He directed a range of operatic productions, including Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” in 2004, Verdi’s “La Traviata” in 2005, and a New Year’s Gala in 2006 at Verona’s Teatro Filarmonico. His repertoire also included works by Zanon, Mozart, Domingo, and Verdi, staged in various international venues. In addition to his opera work, Stefano directed Liszt’s “Via Crucis” at Verona’s Duomo and contributed to the opening event of the 2nd National Ecclesial Conference at the Arena di Verona in 2007. He collaborated with R.A.I. during the Cultural Olympics in Turin in 2006. Trespidi’s dedication to the Fondazione Arena di Verona culminated in his role as Vice Artistic Director.
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DISCLAIMER: By participating in a BIS webinar or live event you automatically agree to authorise recording of audio and visual content during the event and consent to subsequent use of the recording in the public domain. This recording may include questions, comments and poll responses provided by you during the event in addition to your name, voice, image or likeness. This recording will be made available after the conclusion of the live event as part of the BIS webinar archives, and will remain available indefinitely. If you do not wish to consent to the recording, please do not join the event or contact us to discuss your concerns.
Photo Credits: Fondazione Verona
Members and friends are invited to join us at our traditional Christmas dinner, this year hosted at Demartino Restaurant. Everyone is welcome to join!
DETAILS OF THE EVENING:
7 pm welcome drink
7.45 pm three -course dinner
10 pm carriages
The price of £70 pp includes:
A welcome drink, three-course dinner, half bottle of wine pp, water, coffee or tea.
MENU
We have four menu options you can choose from. The menu will be sent to attendees by email in due course.
Should you have any special dietary requirements, please let us know promptly.
BOOKINGS CLOSE ON 20 November
The pandemic made possible what was unthinkable. Two Italian Governments, Conte II and Draghi, succeeded each other in writing and implementing the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, an extraordinary program of investments and reforms. The Draghi Government included in it a number of fundamental reforms (PA, justice, competition) as binding objectives of the Plan, which therefore represents a structural change in the way the Italian PA functions. As such, the NRRP has the potential to revive spending on ordinary investments in a Country that historically does not know how to spend more than a small portion of development and cohesion funds.
But while the two Governments devoted themselves to long-term planning for investment and reforms, they had to manage emergency economic policies, first for the pandemic and then for the gas price crisis. And it is so that in the years between 2020 and 2022, the Italian political debate experienced a paradox: long-term investments were announced with the NRRP, but structural reforms were shelved, due to a political legacy that put them back on the shelf during Conte II and due to cross-party vetoes with the Draghi Government.
As a result, major reforms remained on the back burner. Today, however, missed reforms and the temptation of current Government spending may put the NRRP at risk. The current Government must therefore focus on the legacy of the Plan rather than questioning its assumptions. The risk is not only to lose funding, but most of all Italy’s credibility in Europe.
Marco Leonardi is visiting professor at LSE and full professor of Economics at the Università degli Studi of Milan. His interests are in labour and education economics. He was economic adviser to the Prime Minister’s Office in the Renzi and Gentiloni Governments; then adviser to Economy Minister Gualtieri and head of the Economic Policy Planning and Coordination Department in the Draghi Government. With Egea he published “Le riforme dimezzate” (2018) and “Partita Doppia” (2023).
A drinks reception will follow the talk
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DISCLAIMER: By participating in a BIS webinar or live event you automatically agree to authorise recording of audio and visual content during the event and consent to subsequent use of the recording in the public domain. This recording may include questions, comments and poll responses provided by you during the event in addition to your name, voice, image or likeness. This recording will be made available after the conclusion of the live event as part of the BIS webinar archives, and will remain available indefinitely. If you do not wish to consent to the recording, please do not join the event or contact us to discuss your concerns.
Prof. Marco Leonardi
Fede Galizia is not a name widely known today. Despite enjoying considerable success during her lifetime, she was then neglected for centuries until her recent rediscovery, still largely in progress. She was active in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries in Milan, at the time of the Counter-Reformation, and is an unusual figure in many respects: she did not marry, she earned her living as a painter and engaged in several different genres, including religious paintings (at the time seldom commissioned to female artists). However, Fede Galizia is mostly known today as a pioneer of the still-life genre. The purpose of the lecture would be to provide a brief overview of Galizia’s life and the cultural environment in which she operated, analyse her artworks and style, as well as investigate her posthumous fortunes, in particular the reasons which may have led to her semi-obscurity.
Lara Veroner studied Art Business at Christie’s (London) and then earned a Master’s Degree in Fine and Decorative Arts and Design from Sotheby’s Institute of Art (London) with a thesis on the Milanese female painter and still-life pioneer Fede Galizia. Her research interests focus mainly on Old Masters and Photography. She started collecting photography in the early 2000s, is a patron of The Photographers’ Gallery (London) and a member of the Commissioning Committee of the Hayward Gallery (London). She currently runs a family office and she previously worked as a lawyer at Barclays Bank (London) and at major US and UK law firms, being dually qualified as a lawyer in Italy and New York.
A drinks reception will follow the talk
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Please note, we do not issue physical tickets. Your name will be added to our Event Guest List.
DISCLAIMER: By participating in a BIS webinar or live event you automatically agree to authorise recording of audio and visual content during the event and consent to subsequent use of the recording in the public domain. This recording may include questions, comments and poll responses provided by you during the event in addition to your name, voice, image or likeness. This recording will be made available after the conclusion of the live event as part of the BIS webinar archives, and will remain available indefinitely. If you do not wish to consent to the recording, please do not join the event or contact us to discuss your concerns.
Photo credit: Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023
Since it was founded in 1941, the British-Italian Society has worked to promote knowledge and understanding in the UK of Italian culture, including Italy’s history, institutions, way of life, language and wider contribution to civilisation.
The British-Italian Society
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London EC2A 4NE