Past Events
Inner Landscapes. Photography, Perception & Well-Being – Artist Talk
Date: Sunday 26 April, 2026
Location:
painPRo Coal Harbour
535 Thurlow Street, Vancouver, BC
Time: 5.30 pm - 7.00 pm (Pacific Time)
In English
Participation:
This is a free event – Donations &
memberships are most welcome!
Please send your suggested $10 donation
via Interac email transfer at info@dantesocietybc.ca
or become a Member!
The yearly membership costs $40
and offers free access to all our paying
events and a 5% discount on all the Italian
language courses at our Dante Italian
Language School in Vancouver
For info and donations email: info@dantesocietybc.ca
About the Event
Presented within an integrated health clinic, this talk explores photography as a potential resource for cognitive and emotional well-being. In dialogue with the emerging field of Neuroaesthetics, it considers how aesthetic experience may influence neural processing, stress regulation, and embodied perception. Bringing artistic practice into conversation with current research, the event reflects on how thoughtfully curated visual environments can support restorative encounters. Rather than making clinical claims, it opens a question: how might photography contribute to shaping more balanced perceptual and emotional states?
Part of the public programming of the Capture Photography Festival.
About the Performers
Stefano Gulmanelli is an Italian-Canadian photographer based in Vancouver. His work explores perception, form, and the narratives embedded in landscape and place. With a PhD in sociology and teaching experience at UBC, he brings an interdisciplinary approach to visual storytelling, collaborating across disciplines and exhibiting in Canada and Italy.
Dr. Anthony McDougall has practiced chiropractic for nearly 30 years, integrating art into both patient care and daily life. Through arts board service, collaborations with dancers, and hosting 17 exhibitions in his Italian studio, he has witnessed art’s profound impact on patients, an insight echoed by the emerging field of Neuroaesthetics.
The Ballad of a Soldier-Bard in Times of War – A Multimedia Performance
Date: Saturday 11 April, 2026
Location:
Notional Space
1523 East Pender Street, Vancouver, BC
Time: 8.00 pm - 9.30 pm (Pacific Time)
In English
Participation:
This is a free event – Donations &
memberships are most welcome!
Please send your suggested $10 donation
via Interac email transfer at info@dantesocietybc.ca
or become a Member!
The yearly membership costs $40
and offers free access to all our paying
events and a 5% discount on all the Italian
language courses at our Dante Italian
Language School in Vancouver
For info and donations email: info@dantesocietybc.ca
About the Event
A cross-disciplinary performance combining projected
photography, spoken poetry, and live music to offer a reflective
exploration of love, memory, and creativity in times of conflict.
The performance features photography by Stefano Gulmanelli,
readings from Arianna Dagnino’s poetic cycle To Die Like a Poem. The Ballad of a Soldier-Bard in Times of War (Ekstasis, Victoria), vocals by singer-songwriter Marenia (Maria Ylenia Trozzolo), and live guitar accompaniment by Bruce Davidson and Leonardo Paolella. Inspired by the figure of the soldier-bard—a musician witnessing both the violence of war and the persistence of beauty— the project invites the audience to engage with the healing and connective power of the arts in an age of global unrest.
Part of the public programming of the Capture Photography Festival.
About the Performers
Stefano Gulmanelli is a Vancouver-based visual artist, photographer, researcher. His most recent project, Lines of Belonging: 21,000 km into Canadian Lives,integrates photography with narrative inquiry.
Arianna Dagnino moves between worlds—linguistic, geographic, emotional. Rooted in Vancouver, she travels the page like a cartographer of the soul
Marenia (Maria Ylenia Trozzolo) is a Vancouver-based Italian singer, songwriter, and co-founder of Marenia (est. 1993), a contemporary folk and world music project.
Bruce Davidson, a physicist and researcher at the University of British Columbia, and Leonardo Paolella, an electrical engineer by profession, are guitarists by passion. Their musical work blends technical precision with creative exploration.
Carnegie Hall Meets Saturday Night Live
– A Concert
Date: Saturday 18 April, 2026
Location:
Koerner Recital Hall
Vancouver Academy of Music
1270 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, BC
Reception to follow
Time: 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm (Pacific Time)
In English
Participation:
This is a free event – Donations &
memberships are most welcome!
Please send your suggested $10 donation
via Interac email transfer at info@dantesocietybc.ca
or become a Member!
The yearly membership costs $40
and offers free access to all our paying
events and a 5% discount on all the Italian
language courses at our Dante Italian
Language School in Vancouver
For info and donations email: info@dantesocietybc.ca
About the Event
An extraordinary evening with Julian Gargiulo, the internationally acclaimed Steinway Artist known for blending world-class piano performance with wit, creativity, and theatrical flair. Described as “the pianist with the hair,” Gargiulo brings a fresh and engaging approach to classical music, making it vibrant, interactive, and accessible to all audiences.
The program included works of Bach, Scarlatti, Beethoven, Chopin, and Gargiulo himself.
About the Performer
The Making of Borders.
Cartography and Early Modern Europe from the Black Sea to the Atlantic – A Talk
Date: Thursday 19 March, 2026
Location:
Museum of Vancouver, Joyce Walley Room
1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver
Time: 6.30 pm - 8.30 pm (Pacific Time)
In English - Reception to follow
Participation:
FREE FOR MEMBERS & STUDENTS
$10 suggested donation for NON-MEMBERS
payable at the door or via Interac e-transfer to info@dantesocietybc.ca
Members of the Society in good standing, as well as those who make a $10 donation to
attend the event, will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of two $100 gift
cards for a dinner experience at Locanda dell’Orso.
Become a Member!
The yearly membership costs $40
and offers free access to all our paying
events and a 5% discount on all the Italian
language courses at our Dante Italian
Language School in Vancouver
For info and donations email: info@dantesocietybc.ca
About the Event
How did mapmakers, historians and poets imagine Europe’s
ever-changing borders at the dawn of modernity? Drawing on
a multilingual archive of maps and texts from Italy, Spain,
Portugal, France, Germany and Poland, Dr. Piechocki explored
the arbitrary emergence of Europe’s eastern and western
boundaries–from the Black Sea to the Atlantic–and traced
today’s concept of linear national borders back to the fifteenth
century and Europe’s transatlantic expansion.
The talk was followed by a round table with Heritage
Board archivist Genevieve Weber and toponymist Thomas
Trent, who discussed map naming and the coexistence
of Indigenous, English, and French place names in Canada. The
discussion was moderated by Dr. Stefano Gulmanelli (UBC).
The event was documented by a photographer from Festina Lente (@festinalentesemper)
About the Speaker
When Buildings Speak.
How Architecture Shapes the
Way We Live, Feel, and
Connect – A Talk
Date: Sunday 22 February, 2026
Location:
On Zoom
Time: 11.00 am - 12.00 pm (Pacific Time)
In English
Participation
This is a free event – Donations &
memberships are most welcome!
Please send your suggested $10 donation
via Interac email transfer at info@dantesocietybc.ca
or become a Member!
The yearly membership costs $40
and offers free access to all our paying
events and a 5% discount on all the Italian
language courses at our Dante Italian
Language School in Vancouver
For info and donations email: info@dantesocietybc.ca
About the Event
Architect and author Sarah Robinson provided a compelling exploration of how the built world affects our wellbeing and our connections to one another. Inspired by her new book, The Architecture of Resonance (Routledge), Robinson reveals how architecture “acts”—guiding our movements, moods, and interactions in ways we often overlook. From the physics of resonance to the poetry of everyday life, she makes a powerful case for designing environments that support healthier, more meaningful and more sustainable ways of living.
Event organised by the Dante Alighieri Society of BC in Vancouver under the patronage of the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver.
About the Speaker
Sarah Robinson is an architect, writer, educator and organic farmer whose practice is based in the Langhe region of Piemonte, Italy. She is an Adjunct Professor in the department of Architecture Design and Media Technology at Aalborg University, Denmark and teaches in the NAAD program at IUAV, Venice. She was the founding president of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture board of governors and co-edits the journal Intertwining. Her writing and interdisciplinary research is concerned with understanding the many ways the built environment interacts to shape body, mind and culture in a more-than-human world. Robinson is the author of The Architecture of Resonance: From Objects to Interactions (Routledege), a book that rethinks architecture as an active, lived process.
Canada, In Person. Meeting the People Who Make a Country
Date: Thursday 29 January, 2026
Location:
ICBC Concourse and Salons (05-30), SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue
580 W Hastings Street, Vancouver
Vancouver
Time: 18.30 - 20.30 (Pacific Time)
In English
Participation
This is a free event – Donations &
memberships are most welcome!
Please send your suggested $10 donation
via Interac email transfer at info@dantesocietybc.ca
or become a Member!
The yearly membership costs $40
and offers free access to all our paying
events and a 5% discount on all the Italian
language courses at our Dante Italian
Language School in Vancouver
For info and donations email: info@dantesocietybc.ca
About the Event
In this illustrated talk, Dr. Arianna Dagnino and Dr. Stefano Gulmanelli presented insights from their 75-day, 21,000-km journey across Canada — a coast-to-coast field-study captured in their bilingual (EN/IT) Substack newsletter Canadiensis. Letters from Canada.
Through encounters with artists, farmers, newcomers, elders, thinkers, and community leaders, they offered a mosaic of contemporary Canada and the people who shape its present and future – https://canadiensis.substack.com
About the Speakers
Arianna Dagnino was born in Genoa, Italy and studied Russian in Russia, wrote her Master’s thesis in the United States, authored a novel inspired by her years as an
international reporter in South Africa, and completed a PhD in Comparative Literature in Australia. She is a writer, professional journalist, and researcher at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver – www.ariannadagnino.com
Stefano Gulmanelli holds a degree in Economics and a PhD in Sociology. He has lived many lives – as a corporate manager, start-up entrepreneur, journalist, photographer and academic – in many countries, including Saudi Arabia, Albania, South Africa, Australia,
and Canada. Today, all these experiences inform the stories he tells through words and images – www.stefanogulmanelli.com
The Renaissance of Roman Ruins & Their Lessons for Today
Thursday, 11 December 2025
6.30 pm-8.30 pm (PDT)
SFU Segal Building
500 Granville St., Vancouver
In English
About the Event
A Talk by Dr. Emily O'Brien.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, Rome’s ancient ruins were excavated, examined, and elevated as symbols of a past to be both honoured and understood. Yet while some Roman ruins were protected and preserved, others were torn down, stripped of their marble, and reduced to rubble. The Renaissance fascination with antiquity was fraught with tensions, which surfaced most sharply when respect for the past collided with contemporary needs. From President Trump’s demolition of the White House’s East Wing to the rise of Vancouver’s new towers, the same question persists: how can we reconcile respect for history with the demands of the modern world?
This event was organised by The Dante Alighieri Society of BC in Vancouver in collaboration with SFU Graduate Liberal Studies and under the patronage of the Consulate General of Italy.
The Green Gold. Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil –
A Web Talk
Sunday, 23 November 2025
11.00 am-12.30 pm (PDT)
On Zoom
In English
About the Event
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Where it is produced. Where to buy it. How to choose it. What it’s really worth.
A lively, fact-filled conversation on Italian
extra virgin olive oil — its origins, unique properties,
and rich history — with olive oil expert and cultural-
heritage conservator Tonio Creanza.
We have also explored the symbolic and cultural
significance of the olive tree: a living patrimony and
universal emblem of peace whose mythical and sacred
legacy has shaped lifestyles, culinary practices, and
landscapes for countless generations
This event was organised by The Dante Alighieri Society of BC in Vancouver under the patronage of the Consulate General of Italy.
"Il genio del gusto". Come il mangiare italiano ha conquistato il mondo –
A Web Talk
Sunday, 28 September 2025
11.00 am-12.30 pm (PDT)
On Zoom
In Italian
About the Event
Un incontro online con Alessandro Marzo Magno, scrittore e storico della cultura italiana, per un'affascinante conversazione sul ruolo centrale del cibo nella costruzione dell’identità italiana.
La cucina italiana, da sempre aperta al mondo, ha saputo accogliere ingredienti e tecniche provenienti da altri paesi, reinventandoli con creatività e maestria. Una cultura gastronomica che si nutre di contaminazioni, che cresce attraverso il viaggio e l’incontro con l’altro.
This event was organised by The Dante Alighieri Society of BC in Vancouver.
"Parthenope" –
A Film Screening
Tuesday, 13 May 2025
7.00 pm-9.30 pm (PST)
The Cinématheque,
1130 How Street, Vancouver
In Italian with English subtitles
About the Event
Paolo Sorrentino’s latest film is a poetic exploration of youth, beauty, and freedom. For the first time, Sorrentino places a female protagonist at the centre, inviting us to reflect on the search for meaning in a
world shaped by external influences. Sorrentino is best known for The Great Beauty, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2014. "Beauty is like war: it opens doors.”
Cinema specialist Zoran Dragelj introduced the film
and joined the post-screening discussion, moderated by
Dr. Arianna Dagnino, Lecturer in Italian Studies at the
University of British Columbia.
This event was organised by The Dante Alighieri Society of BC in Vancouver with the support of the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver.
Celebrating Dante – A Piano Recital
Saturday, 12 April 2025
7.00 pm-8.30 pm (PST)
Pyatt Hall, Vancouver School of Music,
843 Seymour St, Vancouver
About the Event
A musical tribute to Dante Alighieri, celebrating the 760th anniversary of the birth of Italy’s greatest poet with a captivating piano performance by Emilio De Mercato, during the Vancouver stop of his 2025 piano tour, ahead of his Carnegie Hall debut in
New York. An opportunity to experience the music of renowned European composers—Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, and
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky—with a selection of their works inspired by literary and artistic sources, including Dante’s Divine Comedy.
This event was organised by The Dante Alighieri Society of BC in Vancouver with the support of the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver.
Rescuing Florence. Stories of a Renaissance City Under Siege
– A Talk
Thursday, 27 February 2025
6.30 am-8.00 pm (PST)
SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, 580 West Hastings St., Vancouver
About the Event
In 1529, Florence was besieged by imperial troops, backed by Medici Pope Clement VII. When Florentines finally surrendered in August 1530, the exiled Medici returned to power and went on to rule as dukes for two unbroken centuries. In her talk, Dr. O’Brien explored this pivotal event, highlighting Michelangelo’s efforts to defend Florence and its treasures, the sacrifices of its citizens, and the enduring memory of the siege in art, literature, and
history.
This event was organised by The Dante Alighieri Society of BC in Vancouver and SFU’s Graduate Liberal Studies under the patronage of the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver.
Incontri straordinari. Da Al Pacino a Susan Sontag, la New York di Antonio Monda
– A Talk
Sunday, 26 January 2024
11.00 am-12.00 pm (PST)
On Zoom - In Italian
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About the Event
Nel salotto newyorkese di Antonio Monda sono passate alcune delle più grandi icone della cultura americana: da Meryl Streep a Muhammad Ali, da Ingrid Bergman a Stephen King, passando per Cate Blanchett, Philip Roth e Toni Morrison. Nel suo
libro Incontri ravvicinati (La nave di Teseo), Monda rivela retroscena inediti e momenti intimi con queste straordinarie personalità. Un’occasione imperdibile per ascoltare l’autore raccontare dal vivo alcune di queste storie affascinanti.
O Mio Puccini Caro
– A Concert
Friday, 8 November 2024
7.00 pm-8.30 pm (PST)
Vancouver Academy of Music
1270 Chestnut St, Vancouver
About the Event
A special tribute to Giacomo Puccini—one of the greatest Italian opera composers, renowned for his masterful blend of music and drama.
In honour of the 100th anniversary of Puccini’s death, pianist Emilio de Mercato (Director of the Alberta Symphony Orchestra), soprano Cara Lianne McLeod, and tenor Andrea Pinna will perform some of his most beloved arias, duets, and piano solos, while also sharing insights into his remarkable music.
This event is offered with the generous support of Dignity Memorial (www.dignitymemorial.com) and of the Federazione Pugliese of British Columbia (www.associazionepugliese.bc.ca)
Italians Writing Beyond Borders
– A Roundtable
Wednesday, 16 October 2024
6.30 pm-8.00 pm (PDT)
History Room, Museum of Vancouver
1100 Chestnut St, Vancouver
This event was generously supported by the Headquarters of the Dante Society in Rome.
About the Event
A bilingual cultural event celebrating Italian writers abroad who continue to enrich the Italian literary tradition through transcultural creativity. This hybrid roundtable (in-person and via Zoom) brings together Italian authors and scholars from the North American literary scene discussing their transcultural experiences in life and in writing. Featured participants:
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Michela Valmori (E c’erano gerani rossi dappertutto)
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Antonio D’Alfonso (The Italian Canadian Writer)
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Arianna Dagnino (Il quintetto d’Istanbul) - with her thanks to the Writers' Union of Canada & the Canada Council for the Arts for their support through the National Public Readings Program)
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Carlo Testa (Panel moderator, The University of British Columbia)
Travelling with Mediterranean Lutes
– A Masterclass
Saturday, 28 September 2024
12:00 pm
On Zoom
In English (and some Italian!)
About the Event
Maestro Sergio Pugnalin took us an enchanting journey across the musical languages, styles, cultures, and histories of the Eastern Mediterranean. Through a variety of traditional lutes, he narrated and sang captivating stories that transcend time and borders.
Musicultural themes explored during the event:
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Wandering songs: melodies and tales that freely cross languages and cultures
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Balkan popular culture and the Ottoman ecumene
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Sephardic Jewish culture, from Spain to the East
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Songs of Xenitiá: experiencing distance from one’s homeland, from Greece to Southern Italy
If you’d like to explore all the events we’ve hosted so far, click here to view the full list in PDF format.
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If you would like to propose an event, please contact our Cultural Events Coordinator, Dr. Arianna Dagnino at aridag@me.com