One Day University
Italian Bundle
Three Fascinating talks about Italy, access to a Live Class hosted by Professor Joseph Luzzi, plus a copy of Professor Luzzi’s acclaimed book, “My Two Italies.”
$79 Non-Members | Only $39 for Members
Here’s What’s In The Bundle!
VIDEO
Reading Dante: Exploring Grief, Healing, and the Mysteries of Love
Joseph Luzzi / Bard College
What makes Dante such a fascinating and essential author – and why is his classic from 700 years ago, The Divine Comedy, more relevant to our everyday lives than ever before? Join us on August 5th for a truly unique celebration of Dante and his work, as one of the world’s most acclaimed Dante scholars, Professor Joseph Luzzi, shares his lifetime of study with you about the writer Italians still call Sommo Poeta, Supreme Poet. Luzzi will offer a candid look on Dante while drawing on his Vanity Fair “Must Read” memoir, In a Dark Wood: What Dante Taught Me About Grief, Healing, and the Mysteries of Love, the story of how Dante’s wisdom and vision helped him overcome a great personal tragedy.
VIDEO
A Grand Tour of Italy: Art, Film, Literature Wine and More
Joseph Luzzi / Bard College
“You may have the universe, if I may have Italy.“ – Giuseppe Verdi.
Anyone who is familiar with Italy-its glorious architecture, epic history, exquisite fine arts, and majestic landscape understands Verdi’s passionate words above. For centuries, Italy has been an irresistible magnet for people from all corners of the world, attracting the most illustrious men and women of every age as well as visitors from every walk of life. Today, it remains a very special mecca — uplifting, fascinating, and enchanting all who travel there.
VIDEO
The Flavors of Italy: A Celebration of Food and Culture
Joseph Luzzi / Bard College
“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” —Federico Fellini
In Italy, food is culture. For centuries, going back to the Roman Empire, each Italian region has made inimitable contributions to global cuisine: from the succulent tomato sauces of the south, to the creamy risotto dishes of the north. Italy’s astonishing culinary traditions became as integral to Italian identity as the art of Michelangelo and the opera of Verdi. Through this deep exploration of Italian cuisine and its many fascinating stories, participants will truly understand the old Italian proverb, “a tavola non s’invecchia mai” – “at the table one never ages.”
PREMIUM PROGRAM
Sex, Lies, and the Renaissance
Joseph Luzzi / Bard College
In this brand-new premium course, award-winning Italian scholar and teacher, Professor Joseph Luzzi of Bard College, will take participants on a whirlwind tour of the defining cultural moments of the Renaissance, including its most beloved works of art, like the Sistine Chapel and Florence’s Duomo, as well its breakthrough literary works, such as Machiavelli’s Prince and its all-too-modern take on the power of “lies” and deceit in the making of political power. Other artists and topics we will cover include: the stunning engineering achievements of Brunelleschi, the pioneering female painter Artemisia Gentileschi, the creation of the world’s first international financial empire by the Medici Bank, how Dante’s literary “ghost” haunted the great Renaissance writers, and much more
BOOK
My Two Italies
Joseph Luzzi / Bard College
A charming, informative personal history that blends the anecdotal, historical, and downright unusual.
From his Calabrian father’s time as a military internee in Nazi Germany—where he had a love affair with a local Bavarian woman—to his adventures amid the Renaissance splendor of Florence, Luzzi creates a deeply personal portrait of Italy that leaps past facile clichés about Mafia madness and Tuscan sun therapy. He delves instead into why Italian Americans have such a complicated relationship with the “old country,” and how Italy produces some of the world’s most astonishing art while suffering from corruption, political fragmentation, and an enfeebled civil society.