The Consulate General of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute of Melbourne today presented the event Donne di Sicilia – A celebration of the centenary of the birth of Andrea Camilleri, in collaboration with the University of Melbourne.
The initiative forms part of the 25th edition of the Week of the Italian Language in the World, promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation from 13 to 19 October under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic. This year’s edition is dedicated to the theme Italophonia: Language Beyond Borders.
Organised in collaboration with the Andrea Camilleri Foundation to mark the centenary of the celebrated Sicilian author, the event paid tribute to the female universe portrayed in Camilleri’s works, offering audiences a unique opportunity for literary and cultural reflection.
The programme featured a panel exhibition on Camilleri’s life, a screening of the documentary Io e la Rai— in which the author recalls his relationship with the medium of television—and a dramatic reading of selected passages centred on female characters from his novels.
Through this initiative, the organisers sought to offer a deeper insight into the work of one of Italy’s most beloved writers, and into the Sicilian female world he depicted—at the crossroads of literature, history and society. The event also included a remote contribution from Professor Simona Demontis, member of the National Committee for the Centenary of Andrea Camilleri and editor of the Quaderni camilleriani.
“With Donne di Sicilia, we brought to Melbourne the fragrance of Sicily and the voices of extraordinary women—real and fictional—who shaped Camilleri’s life and work,” stated Consul General Chiara Mauri in her opening remarks. She added that “initiatives such as this one—which weave together literature, gender and social issues, and regional identity—are essential to promoting our language within Melbourne’s dynamic and sophisticated cultural landscape”.
As part of the Week of the Italian Language in the World, the Consulate General and the Italian Cultural Institute, in collaboration with the Comitato Assistenza Italiani (Committee for Italian Assistance, Co.As.It.), the Dante Alighieri Society, the bilingual schools Brunswick South and Footscray, and the Universities of Melbourne, Monash and La Trobe, have organised a rich programme of initiatives. The 2025 edition opened on Saturday, 11 October, with the Poetry Recitation Competition Award Ceremony, organised by the Dante Alighieri Society of Melbourne. On 16 October, educational activities on Andrea Camilleri will take place at the above-mentioned schools, coordinated by the local Comitato degli Italiani all’Estero (Committees of Italians Abroad, Com.It.Es.). On the same day, Co.As.It. Melbourne, in collaboration with Monash University, will host a lecture by Professor Campbell of Cornell University, entitled The Pandemic in Three Words.
Throughout the week, SBS Radio and Il Globo will broadcast interviews with pupils from Melbourne’s bilingual schools on their love of the Italian language and the value of bilingualism. The Week of the Italian Language in the World will conclude with the Melbourne Italian Festa & Expo 2025, scheduled for 18–19 October, featuring the second edition of the Zecchino d’Oro competition.
