The 11th edition of the much awaited “Dolce Vitaj”’ Italian Festival in Slovakia was presented to the media.
The Festival is dedicated to Italian Culture, ‘Made in Italy’ products and the Italian Way of Life. It is organised by the Italian Cultural Institute in close cooperation with the Italian Embassy and the Italian-Slovak Chamber of Commerce in Bratislava, scheduling events in Bratislava, Levoča and Poprad over the whole month of June.
The event’s name “Dolce Vitaj” clearly recalls Fellini’s famous film and simultaneously evokes the word “vitaj” which means “welcome” in Slovak.
The billboard features highlight events emblematic of Italian points of excellence in several areas. Save the following dates:
1. DESIGN
The “Italian Design – Inventiveness and Beauty” exhibition juxtaposes Italian design objects and large-sized photographs by Miro Zagnoli, a professional that since the ‘70s has been shooting images for the advertising campaigns of brands such Alessi, Artemide, Cassina, Cinelli, Danese, Driade, De Rigo Kartell, Kettal, Luceplan, Molteni, Pirelli etc.
The exhibition will be hosted at the Ministry of Culture in Bratislava.
(1-19 June)
– On 2 June, Francesca Molteni will present at DAAD 2018 – Days of Design and Architecture, her documentary “Amare Giò Ponti”, dedicated to the great Milanese designer, portraying the man and architect and forebear of Italian Design who, in more than 50 years of activity, experimented with arts, trades, objects, architectures and materials with indefatigable energy.
– The participation of young Italian designer Francesco Pace in the Bratislava Design Week (7-11 June), the most important show in Slovakia dedicated to contemporary design.
2. MUSIC The Festival’s inaugural concert at the historical Primates’ Palace in Bratislava by pianist Bruno Bavota, who will perform his own compositions in electroacoustic form. Bavota’s music was also used by the Oscar winning film director Paolo Sorrentino in his successful series “The Young Pope” and by the California-based company Apple in a commercial. (4 June)
– La Venexiana, one of the world’s best ensembles of ancient Italian music, will perform at the Clarissine Church, with a programme of music by authors such as Monteverdi, Frescobaldi, Grancini among others. (10 June)
– Concert in Levoča of Italian Opera Arias by Miroslav Dvorsky, one of the best Slovak tenors. (29 June)
– The Closing Concert by the Trio Assurd at the Auditorium of the Slovak National Radio Building in Bratislava. This Neapolitan all-female group will present a repertory of traditional music from Southern Italy enriched by the use of original instruments such as the tammorra, tambourines and accordion.
Throughout their brilliant career, this Trio has performed in theatres the world over and has worked with the best dance companies such as Ater Balletto, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal, Dortmund Ballet, Basel Ballet, Gauthier Dance, Ballet de Santiago, Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare, Art Ensemble of Chicago, etc. (29 June)
3. THEATRE The “La Scortecata” theatre performance by director Emma Dante will be staged at the Studio of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava following its 2017 debut at the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds and subsequent performances in other international festivals and venues. “La Scortecata” is drawn from one of the short stories contained in the “Lo cunto de li cunti” by Giambattista Basile, a 17th century Neapolitan writer. In this performance, Emma Dante, in her unique style, speaks of the theme of beauty and its paradoxes. (6 June)
4. CINEMA A film festival will be held at the Lumiere Cinema in Bratislava throughout the whole month of June and will screen films by Matteo Garrone, Paolo Sorrentino, Giacomo Durzi, Emma Dante and Ferzan Ozpetek. (5-25 June)
5. ENO-GASTRONOMY In the historical centres of Bratislava and Poprad, the Festival will host a street market organised by the Italo-Slovak Chamber of Commerce, offering a wide variety of Italian food and wine specialties. In past editions, the “Italian Market” in Bratislava was crowded with regional food vendors who especially came from Italy for the occasion and was visited by thousands of people every day. (18-24 June in Bratislava and 27-30 June in Poprad)
6. EDITORIAL / LITERARY EVENTS
Donatella Di Pietrantonio, the winner of the Premio Campiello 2017, will present at the Martinus Bookshop “L’Arminuta”, her latest novel released in Slovak and published by Inaque. (20 June)
7. PHOTOGRAPHY
The “Prague 1968” exhibition, with its 100 photographs, illustrates a crucial moment in the history of Czechoslovakia and, more generally, in the history of all of us. The photographs displayed in this exhibition are by Carlo Leidi and Alfonso Modenesi (Italy), Pavel Sticha (Czech Republic) and Sune Jonsson (Sweden). The exhibition is co-organised by the Italian Cultural Institute (IIC) in Prague, the CRAF of Spilimbergo and the Regional Council of Friuli and, before being exhibited at the Central European House of Photography in Bratislava, the show was displayed at Manzano, in the province of Udine, and in Prague. (26 June-5 August)
