Author Archives: Luca Paci

Book Club: Il passato e’ una terra straniera

Posted on by

Join Us for an Enchanting Evening: Exploring “The Past Is a Foreign Country”

Dear fellow book lovers,

We are excited to invite you to our upcoming Book Club meeting on July 27th at 6 pm, where we will be delving into the enthralling world of Gianrico Carofiglio’s “Il Passato e’ una terra straniera,” beautifully translated as “The Past Is a Foreign Country” by Howard Curtis. Get ready to immerse yourself in a captivating detective story that will take us on an unforgettable journey through mystery and intrigue.

Meeting Details:
Date: July 27th
Time: 6 pm
Location: WinesnVines Wine Bar & Shop (formerly Mr. Brightsides)
Address: 109 Station Rd Llandaff

Whether you’re a seasoned Book Club regular or a first-time attendee, you are warmly welcomed to join us for what promises to be an engaging and thought-provoking gathering. The unique plot and intriguing characters of “The Past Is a Foreign Country” are sure to spark captivating conversations.

We can’t wait to share our thoughts on this brilliant book and spend a delightful evening together at the Wine Bar, discussing literature and enjoying each other’s company.

A presto!

Book Club: Le otto montagne

Posted on by

đź“š Book Club Alert! đź“š

Join us on June 1st at 6 pm at Calabrisella Gelateria for a captivating discussion on Paolo Cognetti’s “Le otto montagne” (The Eight Mountains). This exceptional book explores friendship, mountaineering, and the journey of growing up. Delve into the tale of Pietro and Bruno, two childhood friends whose paths diverge as they mature, touching on themes of self-discovery and the connection between humans and nature. Let’s gather for an enthralling conversation about the characters, settings, and profound messages woven throughout the story. No spoilers, just pure literary joy! Whether you’ve finished the book or only begun, all are welcome. Don’t miss this unforgettable evening of shared stories and gelato delights! See you there! 🍨📖

Book Club: La vita bugiarda degli adulti

Posted on by

Dear Book Club Members,

I hope this message finds you well and that you had a lovely Easter break. As a quick reminder, our next book club meeting is coming up soon on Monday, April 24th at 6:00 pm. We will be discussing Elena Ferrante’s latest book, La vita bugiarda degli adulti (2019), which is also available in English as The Lying Life of Adults (2020) and was translated by Ann Goldstein.

We are excited to be meeting at WinesnVines Wine Bar and Shop, located at 109 Station Road in Llandaff North. Our friends at WinesnVines are opening up their establishment just for us, so please be sure to show your appreciation by joining us for this wonderful evening.

In order to give our hosts an idea of how many guests to expect, please kindly let us know if you plan on attending.

Thank you for your participation, and we look forward to seeing you all next Monday. Happy reading!

Io non ho paura / I’m Not Scared (2003) – ICCW Book Club Screening

Posted on by

Io non ho paura / I’m Not Scared
Dir. Gabriele Salvatores | 2003 | 108 mins | Colour | Italy | Italian (subtitled) | 15 

A young boy accidentally discovers a deep hole in the ground, where another boy is kept prisoner, in Gabriele Salvatores’ adaptation of the hit Niccolò Ammaniti novel. A best-seller in Italy, and translated into over 20 languages, the novel is first title of 2023’s ICCW Book Club. Read the novel in Italian (if you can!) and then come to see the ​big-screen ​version. ​You’re sure to meet lots of ​other Italian learners at the screening! 

For more info on the book club, please email mail.iccw@gmail.com

Why you should see it: because it’s a brilliant mystery thriller! 

Tickets ÂŁ8.50 / ÂŁ6.50 (conc) – ICCW members get 50p off their tickets

Snowcat Cinema does not screen adverts before the feature.  There are usually one or two trailers for films that will be shown soon but we encourage people to arrive promptly for the advertised start time.

I’m not Scared

Posted on by

Given the success detective stories are having all over the world, and certainly in Italy, we will be inaugurating “La stagione in giallo” with Niccolò Ammaniti, Io non ho paura (2001), I Am Not Scared (translated by Johnathan Hunt, 2003). You can read the book in Italian or English, or listen to it as an audiobook in both languages. Come and discuss it with us while having some cake and gelato at Calabrisella’s Gelateria.

The White Sheik by Fellini

Posted on by

Dear Friends, 
It’s been a long time since our last email! We hope you are all well. Just a quick message to say that now that cinemas and theatres are back we are in the process of slowly resuming our activities. We would like to pick up where we left before the pandemic hit us all, with the celebrations of Fellini’s centenary in partnership with Snowcat Cinema. Therefore our first event will be the screening of Lo Sceicco Bianco (The White Sheik) by Federico Fellini on Friday 22nd of October at Penarth Pier Pavilion at 7:30pm. The screening will feature an introduction by Luca Paci to contextualise it within the Italian culture of the period and Fellini’s immense cinematic and artistic production.

You can book your tickets here:https://www.snowcatcinema.co.uk/listings/2021/10/22/whitesheik
We hope to see many of you next week at the Pier.
More about ICCW and IFFC in the following weeks. A presto!

Bondo – Gronde

Posted on by

Virtual Book launch

Please come and join us tomorrow at 17:00 GMT for the launch of in Italian BONDO-GRONDE Presentazione libro di e con MENNA ELFYN Yfory 5 o’r gloch #lansio Bondo yn Eidaleg! Book your space info below #translated #poetry #cymraeg #italiano

Italian Carnival @ Penarth Pier Pavilion

Posted on by


Penarth Carnival starts Saturday 2nd March at 11.00am – Archer Terrace /Sully Terrace Green
The event includes:
Crowning the First Fool the king of the carnival. 
Singing, band & a ceremony. 
Also a man will set off on a bike to Harlech in North Wales (yes, really!) to tell them four days of happiness have broken out in Penarth. 
We’ll then dance down to the Pier Pavilion for midday.
There’ll be an hour’s Italian Carnival mask workshop in the Pier Pavilion from 12.00 and a children’s
film in the Pier Pavilion in the afternoon. Wear costume/ festive thing

đź‘‹

The World Saved by Kids and Other Epics

Posted on by

Friday, October 19, 2018 at 6 PM – 9 PM Lookout Cafe

Poet and translator Cristina Viti will read from her translation of Elsa Morante’s The World Saved by Kids.

First published in Italian in 1968, The World Saved by Kids was written in the aftermath of deep personal change and in the context of what Elsa Morante called the “great youth movement exploding against the funereal machinations of the organized contemporary world.”
Morante believed that it was only the youth who could truly hear her revolutionary call. With the fiftieth anniversary of the tumultuous events of 1968 approaching, there couldn’t be a more timely moment for this first English translation of Morante’s work to appear.

Charity Lunch at Casanova’s Sun 30 Sept 1 PM

Posted on by

This year the Italian Film Festival Cardiff is taking place on 16-18 November and our friends and sponsors at Casanova’s have generously agreed to host a Charity Lunch on 30th September to help us raise some money for the Festival.
All proceedings from the lunch will go to the ICCW to cover costs of the Festival.

If you would like have a fab meal at a very fair price in one of the top restaurants in Cardiff and at the same time help us with funding our rich festival programme, please call Casanova’s Restaurant on 029 20344044 and book before it’s too late!

Danilo Balducci. The Invisible Line of Migration

Posted on by

Thursday, October 4, 2018 at 5:15 PM – 6:30 PM

Glamorgan Council Chamber,  Cardiff University

This is a unique opportunity to meet leading international photographer, photo journalists and documentary photographer Danilo Balducci.  His recent work focuses on migration and its contemporary routes. The event will include the projection of two short films and a selection of photographic material, accompanied by a discussion with the author. Further details can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/danilobalducciphotography

We are hosting this event in partnership with the School of Modern Languages at University of Cardiff.

8½ Fellini @ Penarth Pier Pavilion 11 October

Posted on by

In association with  Snowcat Cinema  official partner of Italian Film Festival Cardiff 2018

Thursday, October 11, 8:00 PM 10:30 PM  @ Penarth Pier Pavilion

Fellini’s 8 1/2 tells the story of a film director trapped in a creative cul-de-sac. It’s surreal style, icy-cool atmosphere and crisp monochrome cinematography have led to wide regard as one of the finest works of avant-garde film-making and a true masterpiece of world cinema.

Advance tickets ÂŁ7.50 / ÂŁ6 (conc) – door sales +50p

7pm doors for 8pm start.

Snowcat Cinema does not screen adverts before the feature.  There are usually one or two trailers for films that will be shown soon but we encourage people to arrive promptly for the advertised start time.

Refunds will only be provided if the screening does not go ahead.

Alla ribalta! Theatre Workshop

Posted on by

The ICCW has organised a theatre workshop in Italian for children: four meetings from the  end of September to the beginning  of December.

The workshop is led  by teacher, actress and musician Alice Muzzioli.

The children will create a story, write the script and invent the scenic realisation by bringing into play a variety of artistic and linguistic skills. All this in a playful and fun group atmosphere, completely immersed in the Italian language.
The workshop is designed for children and young people aged between 6 and 13 years. It will be held in Chapter on the following dates from 15.00 to 17:00:

Saturday 29/09;  Saturday 13/10 ; Saturday 10/11; Saturday 01/12

Rome Open City & Dome Bulfaro

Posted on by
The Italian Cultural Centre Wales has organised a screening of Roberto Rossellini’s  Rome, Open City, a classic tale of life in Nazi-occupied Rome, in collaboration with Snowcat cinema and supported by Wales PEN Cymru. 

 

The screening is preceded by a performance by Dome Bulfaro, a renowned Italian poet and artist.

We are putting this event on since we think that Italy is crossing a very critical phase and its fragile democracy is in real danger.

Since Matteo Salvini was sworn in as Italy’s Interior Minister, his controversial stance on immigration, Roma people and the European Union has made the headlines.

The press have dubbed him the European Donald Trump and commentators say he could pose a threat to the existence of the European Union as we know it.

This week he was in the news again, for refusing to allow another migrant rescue ship to dock in Italy and for his radical proposals to crack down on migration.

Here is the facebook link:

https://www.facebook.com/events/168546373857473/